Welcome to another exciting episode of the “Jar of Destiny” series! In this installment, they delve into German Pils, categorized as 5D on the 2015 BJCP guidelines. As per usual, we will discuss our process, the recipe, and the results of this homebrew challenge. Light lagers are hard to brew well at home. Let’s see how we did with this one.

German Pils Recipe

As the overall impression from the BJCP guidelines state, we’re going for a light colored and highly attenuated beer using quality German ingredients. It should finish crisp, clean, and be a refreshing beer.

WATER

Spring water with 7 grams of gypsum added to the boil

GRAINS

91% Weyermann Pilsner malt
9% Briess Carapils malt.

HOPS

1.25 ounces (35 g) of Perle hops (5.1% AA) added with 60 minutes to go in the boil
1 ounce (28 g) of Hallertauer hops (4.0% AA) added with 20 minutes to go in the boil
1 ounce (28 g)of Hallertauer hops (4.0% AA) added at flameout

YEAST

Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager yeast (1 pouch in a 2-liter starter)

DETAILS

Mashed for 1 hour at 148° F (64° C)
Fermented in keg at a temperature: 50°F (10°C) for two weeks
Chilled to 33°F (1°C) for 3 days then closed transferred another keg for more conditioning.
I added gelatin to clarify the beer 3 days before we tasted it on camera.

Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV: 4.99%

Did We Meet The Challenge Of The Jar?

The beer has a medium to medium-low body, with a soft and gentle malt profile. The hop profile includes spicy herbal qualities and we feel it is a balanced hop aroma. The beer shows off its malt and hops qualities in harmony with each other. It is drinkable and slightly malty sweet. Gypsum is used to enhance crispness without imparting a mineral taste. We think this beer pairs well with salty pretzels, bratwurst, mustard, and sauerkraut. With six more weeks of conditioning, the beer will only improve!

Thanks for reading – check out our other Jar of Destiny posts!

Links To The Jar of Destiny Series Results
Check out the British Strong Ale post
Check out the Black IPA post
Check out the International Amber Lager post
Check out the Belgian Tripel post
Check out the Double IPA post
Check out the Kölsch post
Check out the English IPA post
Check out the Wood-Aged Beer post
Check out the Belgian Golden Strong Ale post
Check out the American Amber Ale post
Check out the German Pils post
Check out the Brett Beer post
Check out the Munich Helles post
Check out the Imperial Stout post
Check out the Foreign Extra Stout post
Check out the Belgian IPA post
Check out the Eisbock post

BREW ON!