Birrificio Italiano Tipopils

Agostino Arioli

Agostino Arioli, founder of Birrificio Italiano, provided this homebrew-scale recipe for the beer that inspired “Italian-style” pilsner, an aromatic, floral, dry-hopped pilsner in an elegant frame.

ALL-GRAIN Batch size: OG: 1.049 5 gallons (19 liters) FG: 1.010 Brewhouse IBUS: 32 efficiency: 72% ABV: 5.2%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

8.8 lb (4 kg) German pilsner 1.4 oz (40 g) Caramunich

HOPS SCHEDULE

0.7 oz (20 g) Northern Brewer [8.7% AA] at 75 minutes

0.3 oz (9 g) Perle [10% AA] at 45 minutes 0.5 oz (14 g) Spalter Select at flame-out 0.25 oz (7 g) Saphir at flame-out

0.5 oz (14 g) Spalter Select at dry hop 0.25 oz (7 g) Saphir at dry hop

YEAST

2 packets of Fermentis Saflager W-34/70

DIRECTIONS

Mill grains and mash in at room temperature— about 68°F (20°C). Steadily raise mash to 151°F (66°C), and rest there 10 minutes. Raise to 162°F (72°C); rest 20 minutes. Raise to 170°F (77°C), rest 10 minutes, and mash out. Vorlauf until runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get 6.5 gallons (24.6 liters) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 90 minutes, following the hops schedule. After the boil, chill to 52°F (11°C), aerate wort, and pitch yeast. Ferment at 55°F (13°C) for about 1 week. After fermentation is complete, crash, add dry hops, and lager at 36°F (2°C) for about 4 weeks.

BREWER’S NOTES

No filtration, no centrifuge, no finings—just cold and time. Spunding is recommended for more natural carbonation. (For more about spunding, see “Gearhead: The Force Behind the Fizz” on beerandbrewing.com.) Serve at 46–50°F (8–10°C) in a tapered pilsner glass.