Batch 23

Cloned one of my absolute favorite pilsners, Bitburger!

Even if one could think I could make this beer better than the original (hubris?) I doubt my own capabilities, especially since the original is really good. However, even if I didn’t make it as good as, it did turn out really tasty!

For this beer I wanted to try to make it even more clear so I thought perhaps it can be improved by using a siphon to rack the beer to keg instead of using the spigot. My thinking is that when the yeast residue drops when cold crashing it stays on top the spigot or around the opening (on the inside) and that can some of it to get sucked in. I’ve never used the siphon even though I actually got it bundled in the start kit so why not try it?

It definitely made a difference, even if my pale lagers have been clear before this was even more so. I don’t really prefer all my beers to be clear, I think it depends on the style but pilsner especially is so much more delicious if it’s clear and nice to look at. Siphoning the beer was a good test and I think I’ll continue doing it even though it’s an extra step and can be a bit messier, other downsides is that you’ve to expose the beer to oxygen and will speed up the oxidation of the beer which is not nice at all.. There’s many ways to minimize the amount of oxygen that come in contact with the beer after fermentation and I’d like to use all of the methods but I’m not ready to invest in it yet.

In conclusion a very nice beer. If it’s the recipe that is so good or that I’ve improved as brewer I don’t know but I’ll archive the recipe as a big success and one of the best beers I’ve made so far. I’ll hopefully do it again one day and make it a proper clone!