What Happened to my Pils??

[A2HB]

The wort from my first runnings was amber red! I have no idea how that happened, the supposed grain bill was Pilsner, light Munich, and Carapils. Best I can figure is the wrong lid was put on the Pilsner malt container and it was really some kind of amber grain I was scooping? I don't know, all I do know is this is not going to be what I wanted to make and it's pissing me off. Anyone ever had the completely wrong grains for some reason and didn't discover until you started collecting your wort?

 

[microbusbrewery]

That sucks man. Hopefully it wasn't a light crystal or that's going to be a pretty sweet beer.

 

[bobeer]

yea, munich malt will do that! What %'s is your grist?

Edit: The red should fade a bit after you sparge but depending on the % of munich you used it might stay a darker color than what you were expecting in a Pils.

 

[passedpawn]

munich in a pils is odd (I think). I use ONLY pilsner malt. Of course, depends on your tastes, but I want mine light straw colored and crisp on the tongue.

 

[Sailingeric]

Let it ride. You might have created the next new fad in beer- The A2HB style of Red Pils

 

[A2HB]

yea, munich malt will do that! What %'s is your grist?

Edit: The red should fade a bit after you sparge but depending on the % of munich you used it might stay a darker color than what you were expecting in a Pils.

Unfortunately it's already fermenting and the color never left, it's still much too dark for a pils

That sucks man. Hopefully it wasn't a light crystal or that's going to be a pretty sweet beer.

Tell me about it! That's my number one fear, there's a bunch of crystal in there giving the color and then it's going to be syrupy sweet to boot.

I did hit my projected O.G. though, so that gives me a little hope there's not a bunch of unfermentable sugars left in there. I'll update in a few days once I take a gravity sample, hopefully it's not drain pour city.

Sailingeric I was talking with my coworker today about that. Whether it's the worst beer ever of some kind of nectar of the gods, won't matter, I have no idea what's really in there so no way I can make it again. I'm halfway hoping it sucks just for that reason lol

 

[Sailingeric]

Unfortunately it's already fermenting and the color never left, it's still much too dark for a pils




Sailingeric I was talking with my coworker today about that. Whether it's the worst beer ever of some kind of nectar of the gods, won't matter, I have no idea what's really in there so no way I can make it again. I'm halfway hoping it sucks just for that reason lol

I did something similar a while back, use a bunch of left over hops. Great beer, no clue on how to replicate. I just poured them in bowls and randomly threw them in the boil.

 

[bobeer]

Unfortunately it's already fermenting and the color never left, it's still much too dark for a pils



Tell me about it! That's my number one fear, there's a bunch of crystal in there giving the color and then it's going to be syrupy sweet to boot.

I did hit my projected O.G. though, so that gives me a little hope there's not a bunch of unfermentable sugars left in there. I'll update in a few days once I take a gravity sample, hopefully it's not drain pour city.

Sailingeric I was talking with my coworker today about that. Whether it's the worst beer ever of some kind of nectar of the gods, won't matter, I have no idea what's really in there so no way I can make it again. I'm halfway hoping it sucks just for that reason lol

Where'd you get the recipe from? Shouldn't be any munich in a Pils. I brew a wheat pale ale in the summer that has just a dash of munich in it but it still turns out a nice hazy straw color.

 

[A2HB]

Where'd you get the recipe from? Shouldn't be any munich in a Pils. I brew a wheat pale ale in the summer that has just a dash of munich in it but it still turns out a nice hazy straw color.

Honestly I made it up

I have never made a pils before and for some reason I decided to purchase all the ingredients for my version before I actually looked up some other recipes to get an idea what should actually be in there. I noticed that most of them are only pilsner malt and hops, so already that was bad, but then the color thing was the final nail in the coffin.

I'm going to rebrew the recipe but omit the munich and probably the carapils as well, hopefully will come out like I'm picturing.

 

[Mainer]

Yeah, a pilsner is usually 100% pilsner malt. Sometimes a little carapils for head retention or a few ounces of wheat if you want to soften the mouthfeel a little. But any munich in it at all is going to give you something closer to a amber lager. It'll still taste good, just a little more of a bready backbone than you intended.

 

[chickypad]

I'd also make sure to pay attention to pH if you're not already. As I understand high pH can lead to darkening during the boil. With an all pilsner grist you'll need some acid.

 

[wobdee]

I've received some info from some German breweries and they do use small amounts of Munich, Vienna and even cara malts for color adjustments and flavor in their light lagers.

 

[A2HB]

I'd also make sure to pay attention to pH if you're not already. As I understand high pH can lead to darkening during the boil. With an all pilsner grist you'll need some acid.

I usually acidify the mash for most of my beers with some citric acid. The wort was very dark long before the boil though, but I'm sure that didn't help anything either.

Fermentation has mostly slowed to a stop so I'll update with a taste test review in a few days.

 

[A2HB]

I've received some info from some German breweries and they do use small amounts of Munich, Vienna and even cara malts for color adjustments and flavor in their light lagers.

Yeah that doesn't surprise me, it seemed to me that adding a little munich wouldn't hurt things too much in a Pils.

 

[bobeer]

Honestly I made it up

I have never made a pils before and for some reason I decided to purchase all the ingredients for my version before I actually looked up some other recipes to get an idea what should actually be in there. I noticed that most of them are only pilsner malt and hops, so already that was bad, but then the color thing was the final nail in the coffin.

I'm going to rebrew the recipe but omit the munich and probably the carapils as well, hopefully will come out like I'm picturing.

Nice! Making up your own recipes is fun. I'd suggest to get the Beersmith software if you're getting into making your own recipes. When I bought it, a few years ago, it was $27 and it's the best $27 I've ever spent! You get to pick a style and see the range of IBU, SRM, ABV, OG/FG, etc. that fits to the chosen style. It also shows you what color the beer will be which would have helped you with this recipe.
There are other free homebrew calculators out there but Beersmith is the best IMO due to the equipment profiles you can add. There's a free 30 day trial as well so check it out!