Extra Grain Flavour

[GettinSquare]

I’ve been brewing extract brews for some time now and one of my favourites beer styles is Pilsner, I’ve got a recipe I love and have been brewing and tweaking for some time now. But just for research sake I picked up a six-pack of Pilsner Urquell yesterday and of course was blown away by the perfection that wonderful beer represents. One flavour in particular that I just can’t get into my brews is the clear, clean almost dusty smell kinda taste of the grain, I hope that describes it for you, if your not sure what I mean just go out and get a six-pack.

So the question must be, what can I do to replicate the grain flavour? Does anyone out there have any suggestions or am I on the verge of moving to all grain brewing???

[BluesHarp]

biscuit malt?

[BrewDog]

GO AG! No Fear! It's easier than it sounds!

[Grog]

I think the flavors you so covet in Pilsner Urquell (although I might be mistaken) are due mostly to the type of malt they use and a decoction mash program. Both require all grain brewing. I say welcome to the AG club!

[chriscolby]

If you're not ready to switch to all grain, try a partial mash.

Replace 2 pounds of your liquid malt extract (LME) or 1.6 pounds of your dried malt extract (DME) with 3 lbs. of Pilsner malt (or 2-row pale malt).

Put the crushed malt in a nylon steeping bag and "steep" the grains in just over a gallon of water at around 152 °F. (This is actually mashing the grains;152 °F is the temperature of the water and grains mixed, heat the water to about 163 °F and the temp will lower to around 152 °F when you dunk the grains.)

Remove the grain bag and add the "grain tea" (actually wort in the case of mash, partial or otherwise) to your brewing water.

Partial mashing adds that hard-to-define "graininess" to extract beers. (From my early extract days, I know _exactly_ the flavor you're looking for.) Partial mashing also helps demystify the mashing process and can give you an idea if you'd like to try all-grain some day.


Chris Colby
Bastrop, TX

[brewmonkey]

Actually the flavors you are looking for come from melanoidins. Weyermanns makes a melanoidin malt that can be used to get some of the flavor profile without having to do a decoction or extended boil.

[HogieWan]

melanoidins are going to add a lot of color to that pale lager.

[brewmonkey]

Originally posted by HogieWan
melanoidins are going to add a lot of color to that pale lager.

If you add a lot of it yes it will as it comes in about 25L. However the amount you are going to add to something like a Pils is not going to take it out of style range.

Remember this is most likely going to be a single infusion mash and not decocted. Since it is an infusion mash you will only get the melanoidins you are looking for by adding them where a decoction mash would get them from the extended boil time.