Not only is this a delightfully simple recipe that produces a crystal-clear look and flavor profile, but it’s a beer that I can brew and then ignore in the fermentor for a few weeks.
Style: Pilsner is the most popular type of beer in the world, comprising a whole family of styles best broken out by region. German versions tend to be less malty and more austere than their original Bohemian cousins, and against that sharper background we get a more hop-forward flavor profile. This is not an IPL; bitterness shouldn’t take over the flavor, but it should be a pronounced feature. One reason German pils tastes more bitter is simple: water. There aren’t many times when you’ll hear me bang on about water chemistry, but this is one. Great German pilsner greatly benefits from relatively high sulfate content in the water. Luckily, with my local water I land at just under 100 ppm of sulfate and 85 ppm of chloride. It can make some of my paler, more hop-forward beers a little too sharp, but that’s damned near perfect for German pilsner.
Ingredients: A German pilsner grist is typically 100 percent German pilsner malt. I used to make this beer with Maris Otter, but I’ve since been talked around on how pilsner malt’s slight sweetness accents the bittering and makes it more drinkable—and I have to admit, it works a bit better. I still add a touch of Victory for some mild toasty notes atop the grainy background. Hopping is also pretty simple and more restrained than you might think. Get yourself 35-ish IBUs from a 60-minute addition of any hops (high-alpha, low-cohumulone are best), then add some aroma additions of Hallertauer at 10 minutes and at flameout or whirlpool. That will get you a clean bitterness and noticeable floral-herbal hop flavor.
Finally, use a nice high-attenuation lager yeast for fermentation. I prefer Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager. If you can get it, though, Wyeast 2247 European Lager takes the cake, finishing bone-dry and clean. Basically, avoid anything that leaves a heavier, rounder, maltier finish.
Process: Some guidance on water: If yours is soft, you’ll want to add sulfates; a quarter teaspoon of gypsum in the mash should do it. If the finished beer still tastes a bit flabby or dull, increase the gypsum very slightly in subsequent batches until you get a crisp, almost flinty, finish. You can also help along that nice, dry flavor by ensuring a maxed-out attenuation. Start fermenting cool (50°F/10°C) and stay there; low and slow will get the job done if given enough time. Wait this one out, and then wait a little more. A week past the end of fermentation, go ahead and package. A relatively high carbonation level—2.5 volumes—adds to the crisp profile.