Double D Pils

By Neil Werdmuller Von Elgg

Recipe is part of Recipe Index

BJCP 2021 Style 5D German Pils

Neil says: "I started brewing lagers as my wife doesn't like ales and I wanted to keep her onside with my homebrewing. However, I really enjoy the variety and process of making them, and drinking them especially on hot days like today (29°C)"

The German Best of Show Judge at Lager Than Life said that this beer captures elements of classic German Pils that many commercial examples fail to.

Thank you very much to Neil for contributing his recipe to the community.

Awards

Lager Than Life 2026 (Pillars Brewery, London)

1st - Best of Show

1st - Pale, Crisp and Bitter

Statistics

• Batch Size 60 Litres
• Boil Size 74 Litres
• ABV 5.2%
• IBU 38
• OG 1.048
• FG 1.009

Ingredients

Water

• Mash water is 45 litres RO water acidified with 150ml 10% phosphoric acid
• Gypsum and Calcium Chloride salts added to mash liquor to hit mash profile of Ca2+ 73; Mg2+ 10; Na+ 0; Cl- 66; SO42- 104; HCO3- 1

Malt

• 9.6kg Simpsons Lager Malt
• 1.2kg Crisp #7 Chit Malt
• 0.6kg Muntons Maris Otter Extra Pale
• 0.4kg Dingemans Munich

Hops

• Hallertauer Magnum, 17.3% AA, 36 IBU @ First Wort 60min
• 80g Hallertauer Mittlefrueh 4.5% AA in the whirlpool at 80C for 15min

Yeast

• WHCLAB Einstein - Yeast slurry from previous beer

Process

Mash

• Double Decoction
• 62C starting mash temperature
• Should be at pH 5.4 after 10 minutes.
• Decoction 1: Took 12L of thick mash to decoct and raised to boil temperature over 14 minutes, then boiled for 30 minutes. Remix with mash to hit 70°C.
• Decoction 2: Took 9L of thick mash to decoct and raised to boil over 12 minutes, then boiled for 30 minutes. Remix with mash to hit 76°C.
• Add additional 80ml 10% Phosphoric acid to mash during the sparge.
• Fly sparge with 45L to hit 74L in boil at pH 5.32

Boil

• Add 75ml 10% Phosphoric acid before boil to hit pH 4.9
• 60 minutes boil

Ferment

• Start ferment at 10°C and 10psi pressure for 8 days
• Raised 1°C per day to 14°C, start spunding up to 20psi for 7 days
• Crash to 2°C for 8 days
• Lager at 4°C for 1 month.

Serving

• Acidify beer with 8ml Phosphoric acid to hit pH 4.36