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Recipe: Vier Sterne German-Style Pilsner

Here we take a simple grist, often a single hop, and a long fermentation process, and we turn it into a classically grainy, floral lager. You’ll be glad to have this one on tap.

Photo: Matt Graves
Photo: Matt Graves

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ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.051
FG: 1.011
IBUs: 41
ABV: 5.1%

MALT/GRAIN BILL
9.3 lb (4.2 kg) German pilsner
4.1 oz (116 g) Victory

HOPS SCHEDULE
0.5 oz (14 g) Polaris at 60 minutes [36 IBUs]
1 oz (28 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh at 10 minutes [5 IBUs]
0.5 oz (14 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh at flameout/whirlpool

YEAST
Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager or Wyeast 2247 European Lager

DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 90 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to about 50°F (10°C), aerate well, and pitch plenty of healthy yeast. Ferment at 50°F (10°C) for 14 days, then allow to rise to about 65°F (18°C) and hold for another 14 days. Crash to 35°F (2°C), package, and carbonate to about 2.5 volumes of CO2.

The Science of Stout (October-November 2022)
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The Science of Stout (October-November 2022)
The processes that create beer’s deepest colors and flavors are incredibly complex—a Lovibond rating doesn’t begin to describe what you might get. Welcome to the science of stout issue.
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