Emersons Pilsner

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Permalink Reply by JoKing on December 15, 2008 at 11:16am

Yeah mate. It'll come right eventually: there should still be some yeast floating around cleaning up the esters. When you smell the brew, I bet there is some goodness in there already: you should notice some nice hops at least.

Underpitching is the major problem with this batch for sure: this has caused your yeast to become stressed before anaerobic fermentation has even sterted. The next problem is your temperature drop: some strains can handle it and some cant. If you pitch like this - it is best to start dropping the temp as soon as you pitch and only drop 2 degrees a day, as high temperature fluctuations stress the yeast and cause it to produce off flavours. With all that in mind your last problem was conditioning in the primary fermenter. Trust me when I say that a month in the primary is nothing - especially when you want to ferment at 10 degrees. Yeast only autolyse (which is what most brewers are scared of) after they have consumed all of the nutrients and most cells have become dormant. A sign of autolysis is yeast sludge that is the same colour as peanut butter.

Anyway - I knew all this shit and still decided that I would be able to pump out a good tasting pilsner! As brewers we take risks in the quest to brew something unique. Sometimes it works and some times it dont. I was wrong in thinking lagers can turn out as fast as ales - and time / patience was my friend - and will be yours too!

The main lesson I learned was to keep using the strains of yeast that work best for my methods: especially with lager yeasts.

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Permalink Reply by Reviled on December 15, 2008 at 11:22am

To be honest when I smell it I cant get past the mint... Its like nothing ive come across before, it almost smells like one of those herbal mint teas you can get?? :o(

Guess ive just gotta play the waiting game now, man, dont you just hate that game!!!

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Permalink Reply by JoKing on December 15, 2008 at 11:28am

For sure. I find the last few pints in the keg are the best - then I tell myselff... "Dickhead...why didn't you wait a few week before cracking into it - then the whole lot would have tasted this good!".

This is basically every time!

e.g I have already drunken about 2 liters of wheat beer that I brewed last Saturday (9 days ago). the problem here is that it is still in my primary! I'm just scooping the stuff off the top and drinking it... It tastes too good! I cant help myself! I must have an alcohol problem!!!

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Permalink Reply by Reviled on December 15, 2008 at 11:39am

Hahahaha, tell me about it! I made an Altbier recently and at the start it tasted like chronic black coffee, I kept drinking it, and it wasnt untill the last litre that it smoothed out to become really enjoyable... And I remember feeling gutted thinking about how good it would be in a weeks time... haha

I think its just what happens...

Permalink Reply by James P on December 15, 2008 at 11:42am

If you can spare you keg for a month, just leave it. A keg that I left for two months (thought someone had stolen it.... nope just in a cupboard...) had some good tasting beer in it after being "sulphur" prior!

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