Cinder Block Construct of Quality Helles

DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains, mash in at 144°F (62°C), and rest 20 minutes.

Raise to 149°F (65°C) and rest 30 minutes, then raise to 158°F (70°C) for 20 minutes.

Sparge with 170°F (77°C) water, and add the hops once there’s about an inch (2.5 cm) of wort in the kettle.

Boil for 90 minutes, adding nutrient and finings according to the schedule.

After the boil, do a whirlpool step: Spin for 2 minutes, then allow 15 minutes to steep and settle.

Chill to about 46°F (8°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 48°F (9°C) until fermentation is complete, usually about 2 weeks; if you have a spunding valve, attach it once the beer is about 2–3°P above terminal (or when the SG is at about 1.020). You’ll know fermentation is complete when the gravity is stable for 3 days and the pH rises by 0.1.

Once the beer passes VDK, lower the temperature by 2°F (1°C) per day until it reaches 34°F (1°C). Lager for 4 weeks, or for as long as it takes to taste like a proper Bavarian helles. Package and carbonate to about 2.7 volumes of CO2.

BREWER’S NOTES
Water: We use 75 percent reverse osmosis (RO) and 25 percent filtered city water to target 50 ppm calcium, 50 ppm sulfate, and 100 ppm chloride.

Malt: High-quality malts are paramount—this style is all about soft malt character. We blend the Weyermann Pilsner and Weyermann Extra Pale Premium Pilsner to achieve what we believe is the correct texture, color, flavor, and aroma.

The mash: We are big fans of decoction beers—for extensive gelatinization, increased formation of melanoidins, and lower DMS, among other good things—but we both work on infusion systems. Necessity being the mother of invention, we set out to come up with a recipe that covers the gaps of the missing decoction.

Hops: We source our German hops from Michigan’s Hop Head Farms. If you’ve never tried first-wort hopping, it takes only one addition of high-quality hops to get an elegant bitterness and delicate aroma. Trust the process!

Fermentation: BSI strains aren’t directly available to homebrewers, so look for one that achieves relatively high attenuation (80–83 percent) and a clean profile, enhancing malt character without leaving the beer too sweet. We find we don’t need to do a diacetyl rest because so little is produced at these low temperatures—but if it helps you sleep, do one. We don’t like to crash our cars or our beers—the slow step-down in temperature makes a big difference and is just one of many things we do to brew proper beer.

Watch your pH: We target 5.4 in the mash, 5.1 post-boil, and a final pH of 4.2–4.3. The higher your final pH, the more the beer starts to seem dull and lifeless. You can lower your pH at any point using lactic acid.