About two and a half months ago I brewed my first lager, a Bohemian Pilsner. I stuck close to style on this brew and used German Pilsner malt and a judicious amount of Czech Saaz hops. The only ingredient that stuck out was my bittering hop addition – UK First Gold. I wanted to brew this brew primarily for the challenge as flaws are easily identified in this light refreshing beer. This also gave me the chance to use my temperature controlled chest freezer. Fermentation occurred at 52°F for 2 weeks and as the activity slowed I slowly ramped up to 65°F for the yeast to increase in activity and metabolize diacetyl. The only mistake that I made occurred during my yeast prep. I brought the WYeast packet into the lab to prep the starter (and freeze some yeast) but did so at 30°C in a shaking incubator. While I got plenty of yeast growth, growing lager starters above room temperature (25°C) probably kept them too active and depleted their glycogen reserves. My fermentation didn’t start until 3-4 days post pitching. I’ve never seen this delay with ale yeast.
Onto the review:
Appearance: Pours a bright straw yellow with a rockin’ 2-3 inch head that slowly dissipates. Great lacing. The brew is barely hazy as the yeast have not totally flocculated out. Surprising considering this brew has been lagering for two months.
Nose: Here is the noticeable flaw: sulfur. This is a dull sulfuric smell reminiscent of cooked eggs. Luckily, this smell goes away rather quickly once the beer warms slightly, but it is still offensive. Delving deeper reveals a floral and herbal hop character, and freshly baked crackers.
Taste: Bracing for an off-flavor but none detected. A bready and slightly grainy malt character allows for the Pilsner malts to stand out. No residual sweetness and there is a firm bitterness but not overpowering. Esters and diacetyl are very restrained (almost none). The many Saaz late additions also stand out with notes of spice, freshly cut grass, and herbal character. Strong carbonation and bone dry finish makes this a great refreshing beer.
Overall: I like it but I can do better. I think the delay in fermentation start may have contributed to the sulfur-like smell. The aroma could also be contributed by my yeast selection. I used Wyeast 2278 (Czech Pils) and Wyeast mentions some sulfur is produced but goes away with conditioning. I will let the beer age in the keg for a while longer and will have try this recipe again.
