Czech Pils
(20 litres)
The town of Pilsen announced a brewing breakthrough in 1842 with the first clear light-coloured beer. However, it was not until the advent of refrigeration that Pilsner/Lager beer styles really gained popularity in Australia. Maxwell Cooper (Master Brewer and 4th generation Cooper) saw the importance of this type of beer and broke new ground at Coopers Brewery with the release of Gold Crown Lager in 1968. This became the first of many labels that Coopers have released in this style of beer. According to the BJCP style guidelines, category 2B, Bohemian Pilsener is a refreshing lager that is crisp yet complex and well-rounded.
Ingredients
- 1.7kg Thomas Coopers Pilsener
- 1kg Coopers Light Dry Malt (2x 500g)
- 25g Saaz hop pellets
- 15g European Lager yeast (W-34/70) and the kit yeast
- Coopers Carbonation Drops
- Colour: Gold
- Body: Medium
- Bitterness: Medium
- Approx. Alcohol Level: 5.2% ABV
- Carbonated: Natural
STEP 1: Mix
Add the Saaz hop pellets to 500ml of boiled water and leave to infuse for about 15mins (this works well in a large coffee plunger or similar).
Place the Light Dry Malt in a sanitised, well drained fermenter.
Add 2 litres of hot water, immediately pick the fermenter up and swirl the contents until dissolved (about 15 secs) - this minimises lumps.
Add the contents of the beer kit and the strained hop infusion then stir to dissolve.
Add cold water up to the 18 litre mark and stir vigorously.
Check the brew temperature and top up to the 20 litre mark with cold water (refrigerated if necessary) to get as close as possible to 24C and stir.
Sprinkle the dry yeast from both sachets onto the brew and fit the lid.
STEP 2: Brew
Try to start the ferment at 24C and allow the brew temperature to drop down to 13C - 15C over the period of 12 to 24hrs.
Fermentation has finished once the specific gravity is stable over 2 days.
STEP 3: Bottle
We recommend the use of PET bottles or reusable glass bottles designed for storing beer.
For information about kegging see the FAQ section.
PrimingBottle the brew with a priming rate of 8g per litre (2 carbonation drops per 750ml bottle)
STEP 4: Enjoy!
Allow to condition for at least 4 weeks in the bottle. This brew will benefit from bottle age.
Expect the alcohol content to be around 5.2% ABV.Join the Coopers Club to record and save your brews today! JOIN HERE