Utopian Rebels Světlý Ležák
Rob Gallagher
Rob Gallagher is former chairperson of the London Amateur Brewers, is married to a Czech, and has a thing for decoction mashing. This is the recipe for his Czech-style pale lager, which won Best of Show at London Brew Con 2018. It includes a triple-decoction mash and plenty of gorgeous Saaz hops.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters) FG: 1.008
Homebrew efficiency: 72% IBUS: 41 OG: 1.050 ABV: 5.5%
MALT/GRAIN BILL 9.1 lb (4.1 kg) Bohemian pilsner
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
1.75 oz (50 g) Saaz [4.4% AA] at 90 minutes 0.6 oz (17 g) Saaz [4.4% AA] at 30 minutes 1 oz (28 g) Saaz [4.4% AA] at 10 minutes 1 tsp (5 ml) Irish moss at 10 minutes
YEAST
Imperial Organic Yeast L28 Urkel
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash in at 122°F (50°C). Scoop out about one-third of the mash (from the thickest part) and, in a separate pot, bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then return it to the main mash to raise the overall temperature to about 144°F (62°C). Rest 20 minutes. Take about one-third of the mash again, bring it to a boil, and return it to the main mash to raise the overall temperature to about 158°F (70°C). Rest 20 minutes. Finally, take about one-third of the mash again, bring it to a boil, and return it to the main mash to bring the overall temperature to about 169°F (76°C). Rest 10 minutes and mash out. Sparge and top up as necessary to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 liters) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 90 minutes, following the hops and additions schedule.
After the boil, chill the wort to 50°F (10°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 50°F (10°C) for about 2 weeks, then allow the temperature to rise to 55°F (13°C). Over 3 days, drop the temperature to 32°F (0°C) and lager for 30 days. Package and carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
BREWER’S NOTES
I use reverse-osmosis (RO) water to start. For this beer, I basically just add calcium chloride until I have 50ppm of calcium (Ca+) for yeast health. Other than that, you want the water as soft as possible.
It might be worth pointing out the importance of making a huge starter. I normally try to get about 2 million cells per ml per degree Plato (this beer is 12°P). I think that’s about a 4-liter starter (if you have a stir plate), but I generally make a batch of low-gravity lager beforehand and pitch the fresh wort straight onto the yeast. It takes a bit of coordinating, but it generally works well for me.