Recipe #47: Iron Patriot (New School American Pilsner)

I have a knack for maximizing my output when I brew.  Pilsner and Saison split batch, Wit and American Wheat split batch, West Coast Red and Oud Bruin split batch, partigyles, etc.  When I do get to brew it is just easier to brew a double batch than to do a single 5 gallon batch, and then try to find another brew day to do another 5 gallons.  It is not much more effort to do 10 gallons instead of 5, and I only have to clean the equipment once.  So when I decided to make my Classic American Pilsner, I had to find another beer I could do with the same mash. Why not do the same beer with a huge twist?  Same grain bill (and mash), same brewing salts, same hopping schedule, but swapping out Old World noble hops (or American knock offs) with New World American varietals.  I swapped out the Saaz, Liberty, and Sterling for Simcoe, Mosaic, and Calypso.  The IBUs will be much different.  And I will be using the Munich Lager yeast for this batch instead of the Budvar which will slightly alter the profile, but shouldn't be much.

Brewday turned out to be a fiasco as I awoke to a broken water heater spewing boiling water on the floor of the garage and had to help a buddy replace it during the brew session, and had to fix a broken shower during this particular batch.  After a grueling day, having the propane kick mid boil, not getting the wort down to lager temps due to the heat, the fermentation went fairly well and smoothly.  Ramped up the temp a few times to ensure complete attenuation and let it sit on the yeast for awhile to ensure no diacetyl.  Once I finally kegged it though, I really wanted more hop character, so I figured why not dry hop it for fun.  I mean, this is the Iron Patriot, a nod to Captain America (the Classic American Pils), but with all the fire power of Iron Man.  I had to do something to make this one blow you away.  Tossed in the dry hops in doubled preboiled paint strainer bags (pellet hops) attached with plain dental floss and allowed them to sit in the beer at lager temps while serving.

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Stats:

5.0 gallons

OG 1.048

FG 1.008

ABV 5.3%

IBUs 47 Est

SRM 2

75% Extract Efficiency

67% Brewhouse Efficiency

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Fermentables:

4.0# Briess 6 row Brewers Malt

4.0# Weyermann German Pilsner

2.0# Flaked Maize

10.5 hours @152*F (Mashed for 10.3 gallons, split boil)

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Boil (45 mins):

40 0.10 oz Magnum 16.4% AA (leaf)

5 0.70 oz Simcoe 13.0% AA (pellet)

5 0.80 oz Calypso 12.8% AA (pellet)

WP 30 1.50 oz Mosaic 12.4% AA (pellet)

WP 30 0.80 oz Simcoe 13.0% AA (pellet)

WP 30 1.20 oz Calypso 12.8% AA (pellet)

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Kettle Additions:

Gypsum: 3/8t (mash), 1/4t (boil)

Epsom Salt: 3/8t (mash), 1/4t (boil)

Calcium Chloride: 3/4t (mash), 1/2t (boil)

Lactic Acid: 1ml (mash)

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Fermentation:

Cooled to 58*F

WY 2308 Munich Lager - 1/3 pint slurry from Feb 2012 Pilsner in 2L starter on stir plate

48*F - 7 days (6 gal BB)
51*F - 7 days (6 gal BB)

55*F - 7 days (6 gal BB)
57*F - 7 days (6 gal BB)
40*F - 7 days (6 gal BB)

40*F - 14 days (keg) under CO2 pressure (10 psi).

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Dry Hop in Keg:
1.0 oz Mosaic
0.8 oz Simcoe
0.5 oz Calypso
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06/21 Brewed by myself.  Mashed in entire grain bill for 2 batches, 10:00pm @ 152*F.  Wrapped  in heating blanket set on high and covered with sleeping bag.

6/22 Mash dropped to 138*F by 8:30am (12*F over 10.5 hours).  Heard a hissing sound in the garage and water splattering, came to find out my water heater had gone out (running at 185*F).  Shut off the water and the breaker and drained the tank.  Ran off my first runnings and double batch sparged to 14 gallons.  Split into 2 - 7 gallon batches.  Boiled separately.  After installing a new water heater while brewing the first batch I had to fix the shower during this batch.  My propane tank blew 45 minutes into the 60 minute boil, threw in the last 2 hop additions and chiller, put the lid on, no whirfloc.  Allowed to hop stand for 30+ minutes while I went to the hardware store.  Started chill and had to go back to hardware store.  Chilled for 1 hour.  Wife racked to fermenter for me 5 gallons @ 72*F, put in fridge to cool.  Pitched yeast at 10pm  @58*F after finally finishing a work around on the broken shower.

12 hours - down to 49*F.

32 hours - no krausen, positive pressure in airlock, a few bubbles.

48 hours - bubbling every 1-2 seconds, yeast colonies forming on top.

56 hours - krausen forming on top.

67 hours - rocking krausen, fermentation going strong.

1 week - bumped up to 51*F to keep the ferment going strong and to finish quicker.

10 days - noticed the airlock was almost dry (small bubble in bottom of curve, not moving much), added more StarSan.

2 weeks - refilled the airlock again (summer heat and fridge cycles are evaporating it quick).  Down to 1.012, sample temp is at 55*F so I am leaving it alone another couple weeks.  Still lots of yeast suspended.  No DMS, maybe a touch of Diacetyl.

3 weeks - upped temp on controller to 57, gravity down to 1.008.

4 weeks - decreased temp on controller over 2 days to 40*F to drop particulates out of solution and begin lagering.

07/24 - Kegged via CO2 forced transfer.  

07/25 - Added Dry Hops in doubled paint strainer bags boiled with a few marbles attached with dental floss.  Lager in fridge under 10 psi to carb while clearing and dry hopping.