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For compatison, this is a variation on my Vier Sterne pilsner recipe—but with some adjustments made with pressure fermentation in mind.
You could take the recommendations for pressure and temperature and apply them to your own favorite lager recipe—they’re only guidelines. You may need to tinker, but as a rule: If you’re going to ferment warmer, you should ferment at a higher pressure to avoid esters, and vice versa. Once you get the hang of it, you may find that you prefer doing all your lagers this way.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.051
FG: 1.013
IBUs: 38
ABV: 5.1%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
9.3 lb (4.2 kg) German pilsner
4 oz (113 g) Victory
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.5 oz (14 g) Summit at 60 minutes [32 IBUs]
0.5 oz (14 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh at 10 minutes [4 IBUs]
0.5 oz (14 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh at whirlpool [2 IBUs]
Gelatin or other finings at secondary
YEAST
Wyeast WY2124 Bohemian 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 needed 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, stir or recirculate to create a vortex, add whirlpool hops, and allow 15 minutes to steep. Chill the wort to about 60°F (16°C) and transfer to a corny keg or other pressure-safe vessel. Aerate the wort, pitch the yeast, and close and secure the lid or cap. Set adjustable pressure-relief valve (APRV) or spunding valve pressure to 14 psi, connect the CO2, bring the keg up to the target pressure, then disconnect.
Ferment at 60°F (16°C) for 7 days, then allow the temperature to rise to 68°F (20°C) and rest 7 more days. When fermentation is complete, crash to 35°F (2°C) and add gelatin finings. (For best results, wait 24 hours and add a second round of gelatin.) After fining, carbonate to about 2.5 volumes of CO2. If racking, transfer under pressure using a counterpressure filler. If serving from the fermentation keg, connect a floating dip tube.