Lawrence Brewers Guild

March

2015

Upcoming Events

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• KC Brew Fest — Saturday, March 14
• LBG Kansas City Bus Trip — 8:45 a.m. Saturday, April 11
• Parkville Microbrew Festival — Saturday, April 25
• Kansas City on Tap Craft Beer Festival — Saturday, April 25
• LBG Maifest — Saturday, May 2
• Hopfest Craft Beer Festival, Saturday May 16, 2-6 PM
• Pints for Pets — Saturday, May 30
• Mugs for Juggs — Saturday, June 27
• 20th Anniversary of First LBG Meeting — Monday, June 29
• Great Taste of the Midwest — Saturday, Aug. 8
• Great Nebraska Beer Fest — Saturday, Aug. 22
• Dwight Burnham Memorial Brewfest — Saturday, Sept. 26
• Great American Beer Festival — Sept. 24-26
• LBG Holiday Party — Saturday, Dec. 19

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LBG Maifest

• Saturday, May 2 -- Home of Sean Belden and Sherry Warren near Baldwin City (exact address on the forum)
• National Homebrew Day -- AHA Big Brew
• Brewing on site
• Lunch main dish provided by the LBG and cooked by Sean. Please bring a side dish or dessert to contribute.
• Bring beer -- taps available

LBG Kansas City Bus Trip

• 8:45 a.m. Saturday, April 11
• Bus cost: $844.50 (max 47 passengers)
• Proposed cost per member: $12 (tip included) or $10 (tip the day of); ($22/nonmember if needed)
• No glass or kegs. Plastic and cans OK.
• 4 brewery stops
• Signup to be posted on the forum by noon Friday, March 13 (members only to begin with)
• Payment due ASAP after signup (preferred method: PayPal to payment@lawrencebrewers.org)

Bylaws Update

• Version with tracked changes and proposed updated version on the forum
• Minor wording changes
• Update to order of business section
• Update to insurance/liability section

LBG BJCP Study Group Organization

• Wednesday evenings beginning in mid-April
• Each session covers:
• 1-3 major style categories
• Ingredients/brewing process
• Technical topics (comp rules, etc.)
• Tasting and scoring
• Troubleshooting
• Off flavors
• Sign up on the forum

Treasurer Report

• Paid Members = 125
• Net Guild Funds = $8,166
• Member Cards Available
• PayPal

Seminar: Keg/Carboy/Better Bottle Washer

• My design: cleans my kegs, better bottles and water bottles and Big Mouth Bubbler

Inside

Access holes and drain

Vent tube

Keg

Live action

Big Mouth Bubbler

Strap or bungee cord

Tasting: Pilsners

Style History

• Reading from Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion

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BJCP Style Guidelines

2A. German Pilsner (Pils)

• Aroma: Features light grainy Pils malt character (sometimes Graham cracker-like) and distinctive flowery or spicy noble hops. Clean, no fruity esters, no diacetyl.
• Appearance: Straw-light gold, brilliant-very clear, creamy, long-lasting white head.
• Flavor: Crisp, bitter, with dry to medium-dry finish. Moderate to moderately-low yet well attenuated maltiness. Hop bitterness dominates taste and continues through the finish and lingers into the aftertaste.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, medium to high carbonation.
• Overall Impression: Crisp, clean, refreshing beer that prominently features noble German hop bitterness accentuated by sulfates in the water.
• Comments: Drier and crisper than a Bohemian Pilsener with a bitterness that tends to linger more in the aftertaste due to higher attenuation and higher-sulfate water. Lighter in body and color, and with higher carbonation than a Bohemian Pilsener.
• Ingredients: Pilsner malt, German hop varieties (especially noble varieties such as Hallertauer, Tettnanger and Spalt for taste and aroma), medium sulfate water, German lager yeast.
• Vital Statistics: OG: 1.044–1.050; IBUs: 25–45; FG: 1.008–1.013; SRM: 2–5; ABV: 4.4–5.2%

BJCP Guidelines (cont.)

2B. Bohemian Pilsener

• Aroma: Rich, complex malt and a spicy, floral Saaz hop bouquet. Some pleasant, restrained diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present
• Appearance: Very pale gold to deep burnished gold, brilliant to very clear, with a dense, long-lasting, creamy white head
• Flavor: Rich, complex maltiness combined with a pronounced yet soft and rounded bitterness and spicy flavor from Saaz hops. Some diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Bitterness is prominent but never harsh, and does not linger. The aftertaste is balanced between malt and hops. Clean, no fruity esters.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, medium carbonation
• Overall Impression: Crisp, complex and well-rounded yet refreshing
• Comments: Uses Moravian malted barley and a decoction mash for rich, malt character. Saaz hops and low sulfate, low carbonate water provide a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile. Traditional yeast sometimes can provide a background diacetyl note.
• Ingredients: Soft water with low mineral content, Saaz hops, Moravian malted barley, Czech lager yeast.
• Vital Statistics: OG: 1.044–1.056; IBUs: 35–45; FG: 1.013–1.017; SRM: 3.5–6; ABV: 4.2–5.4%

Example 1

An homage to the original Pilsners of the Czech Republic. This full-bodied beer has a spicy, herbal finish with hints of lemon. Prost!

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• MALTS: Pale, Pilsner
• HOPS: Magnum, Traditional
• COLOUR: Golden
• IBUS: 30
• ALC/VOL: 5%

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Example 2

Gather your friends, pack the gear, and head out to wherever the day may take you. This is our take on the classic German-style pilsner—one of the original session beers. This is easy drinking yet packed with the big flavor of spicy and floral whole-cone hops. Its brilliant golden color begs you to take a sip and sink your taste buds into an extremely welcoming beer, full of flavor and balanced by a crisp, dry finish.

• ALCOHOL CONTENT: 5.2% by volume
• YEAST: Lager yeast
• BEGINNING GRAVITY: 11.7° plato
• HOPS: German Perle, Strisselspalt
• ENDING GRAVITY: 1.9° plato
• FINISHING HOPS: Saphir, Tettnanger,
• BITTERNESS UNITS: 38
• MALTS: 2 row Pale, Pilsner, Munich, Acidulated

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Example 3

With heaps of whole flower European hops and fine German malts, we achieved the bracing herbal bite and smooth malt flavor that we sought

• MALTS: Imported 2 row German malts
• HOPS: Whole flower German and Czech hops
• ABV: 5.3%
• IBU: 44
• FLAVOR: Heaps of hops are hiding under the full, frothy head of this elegant Pils. All German malt subtleties linger beneath a long dry finish of this classy quencher.

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Example 4

Czech Style Pilsner brewed with a White Pear Tea and Pear juice. Both the juice and the tea were added in the kettle during the whirlpool (after the boil) for maximum flavor and aroma contribution. The Pear fruit complexity pierces right through the spicy Czech Saaz hops beautifully, adding a gentle acidity to this pale lager that makes for a crisp refreshing sipper. Amarillo hops add nuanced citrus notes that meld perfectly with the fruit.

• ABV: 6%
• IBU: 35

Example 5

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Which example was your favorite?

Tonight’s Examples

• 1 – Pils by Steamworks
• 2 – Nooner Pils by Sierra Nevada
• 3 – Prima Pils by Victory
• 4 – Piercing Pils by Dogfish Head
• 5 – xxxx by xxxxx

Next Month’s Tasting:

Altbiers