Any tips on making a good extract pilsner?

[catfishunter]

I want to make a hoppy pilsner that doesnt taste metallic or yeasty. Any suggestions?

 

[billl]

Add most of the extract late - it darkens the longer it boils.

Pitch the proper amount of yeast. The easiest way is to learn to make starters.

Ferment at the proper temps and then raise the temps for a few days.

Lager for an extended period of time to develop that nice, clean profile.

 

[bknifefight]

Use the FRESHEST Pilsner DME (not LME) that you can possibly get your hands on. Even with a full boil using Pilsner DME, it will still be wonderfully light.

If you can't lager, nottingham ferments super clean at 57*-60*. A Kolsch yeast would do great too.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

Delicately flavored beers are the hardest to brew well with extract. That said, bknifefight’s advice is very good. Folks say that 34/70 lager yeast ferments nicely in the upper 60s, even though it is a lager yeast.

 

[KeizerBrewr]

What @bknifefight said for sure! Get 5# of Briess Pilsen Light DME, 4 oz of Vienna malt, 6 oz of Pilsner malt, 6oz Carapils(Dextrin) malt, Whirlflock tab, Clarity Ferm, two sachets of 34/70 and 5.5oz of Saaz hops. Should go as follows:
-Steep grains in 6 gallons of water until temp reaches 170F
-Add one pound DME to pot stir well to dissolve
-Bring to boil:
--1 oz Saaz, 60min
--1.5 oz Saaz, 30min
--1.5 oz Saaz and half Whirlflock tab, 5 min
--1.5 oz Saaz and remaining DME at flameout
-Chill to 60F, pitch yeast and clarity ferm
-Ferment at 55F for three weeks
-Raise to 65F for D-rest for two days
-Lager 4 to 6 weeks at 35F
-Bottle or force carb to 2.3vol

Makes for a pretty solid hoppy lager

 

[cactusgarrett]

that doesnt taste metallic or yeasty

The above tips are good general ones, but to specifically address your comment on being metallic/yeasty, the first thing i think of is the water. It probably isn't something that you want to hear as a beginner brewer (I'm assuming, since you posted in the Beginner section), but in my opinion EVERYONE should pay attention to the water they use from the first day they start brewing. A pils is a style that warrants getting your water profile in a good place to do "right". Specifically, get your Cl:SO4 ratio to where you like it, and make sure the overall water profile isn't stupid-hard (alkalinity speaking).

Despite not needing to worry about mash pH (since you're doing extract), it is well worth knowing what water you're starting with and how to make your final product *pop*. You can brew the same recipe twice, doing a different water profile for each and get two vastly different beers in the end. In a practical sense, the main things to do would be:

• do a bit of online digging to find your local water information,
• ensure the tap water you use is dechlorinated by determining how your city handles chlorination of your water and likely just letting it degas overnight,
• ultimately (likely) dilute your tap water by 50% with RO or DI if your tap water is too minerally or hard. But get the first two points in order before determining if you need to do this.

 

[cactusgarrett]

https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-german-pilsner/