As we move firmly into spring, I start thinking about drinking pilsners, saisons and weissbier. I have brewed many German and Czech pilsners, but I've never gotten that certain something that I get when I have a fresh Firestone Walker Pivo Pils. That beer is just loaded with flavor and a sharp, crisp, refreshing bite and medium mouthfeel. So I decided to try to design a recipe to get me there. First, the mouthfeel....
I recently listened to a Brulosophy podcast discussing the use of rye malts and I found their comments interesting. Basically, the rye seems to give a beer a more viscous mouthfeel, leading to the impression of a fuller beer than it may actually be. Some also say it lends an earthiness or "spiciness" to a beer. It generally was no more than 10-20% of the grist, with 4-5% being the typical amount used.
From Brulospohy.com:
Rye has a long history of use in brewing and has seen a bit of an uptick in interest over the last decade, with brewers using relatively small amounts as a way to improve body and mouthfeel while also contributing a unique flavor. The two most common forms of rye are malted and flaked, which many view as being essentially identical, though some claim impart their own distinct characteristics.
While I doubt Pivo Pils contains rye malts, I decided to start my recipe by adding 4oz of malted rye to my 3 gallon recipe.
For the base malts, I went with some Vienna and mostly Heidelberg malt. This is a very light pale pilsner-like malt: 1.5 °L - BestMalz Heidelberg is a German 2-row spring barley malted for lightest color. A great base malt for the palest lagers. It has excellent enzyme contribution, and creates a bright and high foaming beer. Use up to 100% of grist.
For hops, I just used some Magnum.
Here is the recipe I settled on: Brewfather
After a fairly quick fermentation, the beer dropped clear and is absolutely fantastic. The color was very light and clear. The aroma had a hint of spiciness and floral. Just great... The taste was excellent, very sharp, bready/grainy and refreshing with plenty of body and a medium bitterness. I was surprised how floral and earthy the Magnum hops came thru. I certainly think this grist would showcase hops well, and I plan to try incorporating some Saphir hops next time I brew this recipe. I think that's one of the hops used in Pivo Pils.
While I would never claim this beer is as good as a Pivo Pils, I find it to be crisp and refreshing, perfect for this time of year. I plan to make it a core recipe for my brewery and I look forward to brewing it again very soon (I already placed the order at MoreBeer.com) this time with Saphir hops. Cheers!