Putting together kegs for fest next Saturday. Oktoberfest, Porter, German Pils.
Got nice semi-dry cider of McIntosh, Gravenstein, Northern Spy, Yarlington Mill, and a few crabapples. May even bring some wine; my Malbec that drinks like a Malbec usually goes over well.
Working on another mixed creation that tastes like a well-known drink; occasional hobby of mine. For instance I made a Mead-hattan that tastes like a Manhattan. This time I'm blending a few meads together. One with blackberry, one with bunch of botanicals mimicking vermouth, and one with sour orange, hibiscus, pomegranate. Once I got that Campari-type bitterness down, the effect is I made a blackberry Negroni, especially once I added a splash of actual gin. May need to add club soda to keg to keep people upright, or I could just bring the pain.
Oh, I see thunderstorms in the forecast. But I will bring my A Game no matter how long the delay is.
Cheers--
How's the pils? I feel like very few if any craft brewers in the US know how to make a proper euro style pils.
My friend who wrote several Homebrewing books says I've got the hops down. Best Saaz and Mittelfrue I can find, substitute Liberty when necessary. I don't think he was nearly as happy with the malt.
I think it's partly a function of malt freshness. US 2-row and "pilsner malt" just aren't same. Pro friends cross the pond and pick out stuff by hand, and come pretty close. Us amateurs are stuck buying sacks that might take ages to get here, or even worse buying by the pound of indeterminate age at local or online store. Malt that is older loses some of that bread-like character and instead of tasting rich and malty it tastes basic and sweet.
I do a decoction for all malty lagers and a couple hop-forward dry ones like Pils where I don't want malt buried or it ends up like "hop juice."
When you have two styles I guess there is a tendency for interpretations to drift apart so they don't get confused. Just fyi, the two styles I refer to would be German Pils, and Czech Pils (BJCP now calls it Czech Premium Pale Lager; don't get me started.) The Czech type beer is lower carbonated, less sharp, with more prominent malt character. Might have bit of diacetyl (movie theater butter smell). Your basic Pilsner Urquell but fresh. The German style would be drier, more crisp, more hop oriented. And yes, I know it's unfair to lump them like that, but again we're talking American interpretation of European styles - Already awkward AF.
I brewed to style to improve skills until I figured things out. Now I know what I like and make Pils in between these two made-up styles. Whenever in PNW, I try to grab pFriem's version and if I can get up to B-ham, Chuckanut pils was very nice too. But I'm hardly ever in town anymore. And even then pFriem's Helles and Chuckanut Dunkel and Kolsch beat either Pils IME.
I know - more than you asked for. I'm passionate about beer and won't apologize for it. Cheers--
TL;dr - "Beer? Upvote!"
