American Premium Pilsner

Classification: American lager, lager, pilsner, all-grain

Source: Matthew Manning (memann@tyrell.net), r.c.b., 4/13/95

For anyone wishing to reproduce "American Premium-style" pilsner beer -- here is my all-grain offering for 5 gallons.
This makes a remarkable beer with an incredible Cascade nose and an edge-of-the-tongue bitterness perception -- This is one to convince the 'non-homebrewing' friend that you really know what you are doing!

I hope that some ambitious person with a spare fridge can use this recipe -- it is 100% my own formulation -- if anyone finds something to adjust here, please let me know and I'll give it a try!

Ingredients:

6 lbs Lager malt (I use 2-row, but 6-row is appropriate for the amount of adjuncts)
1 lb Mild ale malt
1 lb Rice
1/2 lb Flaked barley
1/2 lb Flaked maize
4 oz Malto-dextrin powder
3/4 oz Saaz (4.2%AA for 90min)
1/4 oz Saaz (4.2%AA for 30min)
1 oz Cascade (4.9%AA for 2min)
1 oz Cascade (4.9%AA for dry-hopping)
Nottingham Ale yeast (dry -- I know, I NEVER use dry yeast...) or Wyeast #2112 California Lager (optional)

Procedure:

Boil rice for 30 minutes and add grains and water for mash --
First rest at 94F for 30 minutes to help breakdown the adjuncts --
Raise temp to 122F for 30 minutes for protein degradation --
Raise temp to 140F for 15 minutes for better head retention and clarity --
Raise temp to 153F for 45 minutes for starch conversion --
Raise temp to 158F for 20 minutes for complete conversion --
Mashout at 168F for 10 minutes -- Sparge w/168F water at < 6 pH --

Boil wort and add 3/4 oz Saaz -- boil 60 min --
Add 1/4 oz Saaz -- boil 30 min --
Add 1 oz Cascade -- boil 2 min --
Force chill (if possible) -- rack to primary and aerate --

Rehydrate Nottingham yeast and pitch at 65F --
Ferment for 4-7 days or until no noticeable airlock activity --
Rack to secondary -- Drop temp to 55F --
Pitch Wyeast #2112 starter (>=400ml) at 55F --
Drop temp to 34-40F for 4-6 weeks (or until you decide to bottle) --

72 hours before bottling:
Add 1 oz Cascade directly to secondary --
48 hours before bottling:
Add your favorite clarifier (if necessary), gelatine, polyclar, etc --
24 hours before bottling:
Raise temp to 60F:

Bottle and let sit at 60F for 1 week, then drop temp back down for either extended lagering (34-45F) or for drinking (48-55) --