Question on an experimental recipe

FedoraDave · Jan 25, 2020

I've decided to concentrate more this year on lagers. I usually only brew a couple of them a year, but I want to expand the recipe file a little bit. I've got an IPL working right now, but a friend of mine asked about making an IPP - which translates to an India Pale Pilsner.

So the grain bill is 4 parts Pilsner malt and 1 part Munich. The yeast is White Labs Pilsner Lager yeast, and since I don't care about involving myself in engineering my water, I'm cutting my tap water with distilled water at a ratio of 2:1 distilled:tap. I know this probably isn't a proper way to do it, but I don't care, and I'm not going to be persuaded to do otherwise.

My hop bill is straight Chinook, resulting in an estimated IBU of 46.6.

Now here's my question: In spite of the modifications to the water, the use of Pilsner yeast and Pilsner malt, and the fermentation temperature being in the low 50s, will the hops kind of cancel all that out and just create another IPL, without any distinctive Pilsner characteristics coming through? Am I just spinning my wheels here?

Nosybear · Jan 25, 2020

Pretty much. What makes a great Pilsner is the balance of malt and hops. It's a clean bitter beer and water matters. Pilsner uses no Munich malt, too sweet. The IBU range you cite is appropriate for a Pilsner. Don't get me wrong, I think your recipe will make a good beer. I don't think you'll get to your goal with this recipe.

FedoraDave · Jan 25, 2020

Thanks for your response, Nosybear. I realize the flaws and limitations in my approach to the water, but I'm okay with it. I'm not looking for stylistic accuracy. I'll rethink the Munich malt, too.

As regards the hops, the idea is not necessarily to go beyond the range of IBU, it's to use a more aggressive hop strain than the traditional noble hops. It's going to be a hybrid beer; not an actual Pilsner, but also something different than the usual example of an IPL.