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recipe

You Dip, I Dip, We Dip West Coast Pilsner

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.055  FG = 1.009 
IBU = 55  SRM = 3.5  ABV = 6%

Ingredients

10.7 lbs. (4.8 kg) Rahr North Star Pilsner (or other characterful Pilsner malt)
8 oz. (230 g) Carapils® malt
4 oz. (113 g) Citra® hops (dip hop) 
2 oz. (56 g) Citra® hops (whirlpool)
SafLager W-34/70 or White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Use a single-infusion mash with water that has balanced chloride/sulfate levels. Mash at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Conduct a 170 °F (77 °C) mash out step. Vorlauf until your wort is clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge the grains with 168 °F (76 °C) water to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort.

Total boil time is 60 minutes. After boiling 10 minutes, remove 2 quarts (2 L) of wort and cool to between 160–180 °F (71–82 °C). Add the dip hops to your fermenter and then add this cooled portion of wort on top. Close the fermenter and let it steep.

When the boil is complete, turn off heat, add the whirlpool hop addition to the kettle and give it a vigorous stir to create a whirlpool in the kettle. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Then cool this wort to about 50 °F (10 °C) and transfer to your fermenter on top of the wort and hops already in it. 

Pitch yeast and ferment at 55 °F (13 °C) for one week. Then raise to 65 °F (18 °C) for 3 days. Crash to 40 °F (4 °C) for another seven days. You can dose the beer with gelatin/biofine during this period for extra clarity, if desired. Package as per usual. 

Extract With Grains Recipe

Replace the Pilsner malt with 5.85 lbs. (2.65 kg) dry Pilsner malt extract. Add carapils malt to a mesh bag and place in your brew kettle with 6 gallons (13 L) of water as it warms to 170 °F (77 °C). Remove grains and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and stir in malt extract. When totally dissolved, return to a boil and follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.

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