Rossum's Utopian Rebels

By Rob Gallagher part of Recipe Index
BJCP 2021 Style 3B - Czech Premium Pale lager
It goes without saying that the best style of beer is lager, and the best type of lager is the Czech premium. While other countries devote their time and energy to inventing a range of diverse styles, the Czechs have spent hundreds of years perfecting just one. This recipe is my attempt to do likewise! The ingredients are deceptively simple, as this recipe relies on a triple decoction mash to give rich, yet dry, malty finish that (I contend!) can't be achieved any other way.

Awards

Brewcon 2018

1st - Best of Show

1st - International Lagers and Ales

Measures

• IBU 40
• ABV 5.0%
• OG 1.053
• FG 1.015
• EBC 5.8 (due to grain contribution, but decoction darkens it to approx. 7)
• 38 litres at end of boil.
• 32 litres into fermenter.

Ingredients

Water

Reverse Osmosis water with CaCl added to give 100ppm Ca+ (153ppm Cl-)

Malt

• Weyermann Floor malted Bohemian Pilsner, 3 EBC, 7000g, 100%

Hops

• 150g Saaz (2.2%) at 90 minutes
• 50g Saaz at 30 minutes
• 50 Saaz at 10 minutes

Yeast

Imperial Urkel yeast. Either a very large starter or, preferably, pitch straight onto the slurry from a smaller, weaker batch.

Process

Mash

Hochkurz decoction mash. Rests at 50°C, 62°C, 70°C & 76°C. Remove approximately a third of the mash into a large (~15 litre) pan and heat on the stove. Boil for around 20mins, then return to main mash. Heat slowly at first but increase heat gradually. The first decoction should be thick, comprised of mostly grain, with just enough liquor to prevent scorching. To ensure complete conversion, hold the first decoction around 65°C for 20 minutes before continuing decoction.

Boil

90 min boil

Ferment

Pitch at 9°C and allow to rise to 10°C. When fermentation starts rise to 12°C over about three days. When half attenuated rise slowly to 18°C

Serving

Keg at 2.6vols