"Extra Bitter" Pilsner

[alsch890]

Hi,

A relatively recent trend over here in Czech Republic is for breweries to do an Extra Bitter pilsner. I'm thinking of trying to do one too but obviously don't want to just like double the hops at each addition, thinking that it might need a slight adjustment to the grain bill to give it the backbone to handle it?

My normal grain bill for a pilsner is 88% pilsner, 8% carapils and 4% melanoidin. I don't do any additional decoction or partial mashing. Thinking to do like 74% pilsner, 8% Vienna, 6% Munich, 6% carapils and 4% melanoidin. I know it will add a bit of colour but what I am looking more for is a malty biscuity quality to balance out the additional hops?

My normal hop schedule is Sladek 22ibu @60, Sladek 17ibu @30, Saaz 5ibu @10 and the same amount of Saaz again in the whirlpool, total 46ibu

Wondering if I should simply increase these, especially the two Sladek additions. Or whether to add an extra addition at say @80 or @45? I'm not really thinking about a dry hop since these are extra bitter, not extra citrusy or dank etc. Thinking a similar amount of Sladek at 80 would add an extra 25inu more or less, at 45 an extra 20.

Anyone brewed a pilsner like this? pushing the ibus up towards 70?

Cheers!

 

[Erik The Anglophile]

I would simply beef up the 60 min addition if you only look for increased bitterness.

 

[scomet]

G’Day alsch, This is one of my favourite beers EVER!

Pils 'n' Thrills

A very bitter Pilsner made by Garage Project in Windy Wellington New Zealand with Summit and Liberty hops, this was first mades in 2011 and is still on tap today! Dont be afraid to go bitter, for my tastes anyway, good luck - Cheers

 

[Clint]

G’Day alsch, This is one of my favourite beers EVER!

Pils 'n' Thrills

A very bitter Pilsner made by Garage Project in Windy Wellington New Zealand with Summit and Liberty hops, this was first mades in 2011 and is still on tap today! Dont be afraid to go bitter, for my tastes anyway, good luck - Cheers

Have you a recipe for this?

 

[scomet]

Hi Clint, sorry no more than is written on the can, I tried getting it out of them when I visited their sensational Brewery and Tap Room with no luck. Summit has a bad reputation here in Aus, people look down there noses at you!! I have made some great Pool Pilsners with it (smash) but nothing like the real thing..

 

[crowcrow]

Love a lost lager for a bitter/highly hopped beer

 

[Paul7189]

With that grain bill isn’t it just going to be an IPA fermented like a lager.

 

[dcbrookes]

I did not find Lost Lager particularly bitter when I tried it. My favourite lager which is bitterer than usual is Jever Pils. There is a recipe for it in Wheeler & Protz's European book.

 

[Hop_it]

I did not find Lost Lager particularly bitter when I tried it. My favourite lager which is bitterer than usual is Jever Pils. There is a recipe for it in Wheeler & Protz's European book.

I used to travel to Germany a lot before I retired, and it very quickly became my favourite German Pils. Unfortunately I have only ever seen it in bottles in the UK, but it is still worth drinking
PS - Credit to anybody who succeeds in successfully cloning it on a homebrew scale. I've tried and failed several times.

 

[MrRook]

Hi,

A relatively recent trend over here in Czech Republic is for breweries to do an Extra Bitter pilsner. I'm thinking of trying to do one too but obviously don't want to just like double the hops at each addition, thinking that it might need a slight adjustment to the grain bill to give it the backbone to handle it?

My normal grain bill for a pilsner is 88% pilsner, 8% carapils and 4% melanoidin. I don't do any additional decoction or partial mashing. Thinking to do like 74% pilsner, 8% Vienna, 6% Munich, 6% carapils and 4% melanoidin. I know it will add a bit of colour but what I am looking more for is a malty biscuity quality to balance out the additional hops?

My normal hop schedule is Sladek 22ibu @60, Sladek 17ibu @30, Saaz 5ibu @10 and the same amount of Saaz again in the whirlpool, total 46ibu

Wondering if I should simply increase these, especially the two Sladek additions. Or whether to add an extra addition at say @80 or @45? I'm not really thinking about a dry hop since these are extra bitter, not extra citrusy or dank etc. Thinking a similar amount of Sladek at 80 would add an extra 25inu more or less, at 45 an extra 20.

Anyone brewed a pilsner like this? pushing the ibus up towards 70?

Cheers!

How long do you plan to lager this beer? Hop bitterness does fade.

 

[alsch890]

How long do you plan to lager this beer? Hop bitterness does fade.

4-5 weeks. I hadn't considered that. I do have problems with hop aroma if I condition for a while but not bitterness really.

 

[alsch890]

With that grain bill isn’t it just going to be an IPA fermented like a lager.

No, not really I wouldn't say so. As I said my normal Czech pilsner recipe is pilsner/carapils/melanoidin and I've just done a pilsner urquell clone which was pilsner/vienna/munich/carapils. In both cases the more toasty malts act as a substitute for the triple decoction or partial mashing that commercial breweries due to get that same flavour.

Czech pilsners tend to be more malty and less "boozy" than German ones anyway. And I don't want more booze, just more bitterness.