When we wake up one October morning and see the first frost on our once-green plants, we know winter is coming. That means lagering time is upon us, as well as the upcoming holidays. This month we have chosen a classic European lager and a celebration ale for those festive times ahead.

 European Pale Lager
 (Bohemian Pilsner)
 OG = 1.044 to 1.056  FG = 1.013 to    
 1.017  IBUs = 35 to 45   SRM = 3 to 5  
 ABV = 4 to 5.3%

Bohemian pilsner is a complex, well-rounded brew. It was first brewed in 1842 in the city of Plzen — called “Pilsen” in Germany — in the Czech Republic. This city is near Zatec, where the noble Saaz hops are grown. The city’s water is soft and the city is surrounded by fields of premier two-row Moravian barley. In 1842 a Bavarian monk brought a lager yeast to Josef Groll, an immigrant brewer, who fermented his beer at cold temperatures. The combination of fragrant noble hops, soft water, the best barley and a cold-fermented lager yeast gave birth to the first blonde lager, the mother of today’s lagers.

Commercial Beers To Try    
The classic and first Bohemian pilsner to be brewed was Pilsner Urquell, the beer from which all other beers of this style descend. In German, Urquell means “original source.” Other classic examples of this style are, of course, Budweiser Budvar, Gambrinus Pilsner and Staropramen. American examples of this style are Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner, Pete’s Wicked Bohemian Pilsner and Full Sail Brewing Company’s Full Sail Pilsner.

Bohemian pilsner is a medium-bodied, light-gold to deep copper-gold beer with medium carbonation. The head is dense, creamy and long-
lasting. The aroma is rich with complex malt and an impressive hop bouquet of floral, spicy Czech Saaz hops. A complex maltiness marries well with the sweet floral flavor and rounded bitterness from the hops. It finishes with a perfect balance between floral hops and malt. It is very clean tasting and delicate with no fruitiness or esters.

Hops, Malt and Yeast
The classic Bohemian pilsner should have Czech Saaz additions for bitterness, flavor and aroma and it can also be dry-hopped. German Hallertau Hersbrucker hops can be substituted for the bittering hops if desired. German two-row pale malt should be used (80 to 85 percent of the grain bill). The specialty malts should be German light crystal malt, German Munich and a small amount (1 to 2 ounces) of aromatic malt. For yeast, try Czech Pilsner Lager (Wyeast 2278) or Bohemian Lager (Wyeast 2124). White Labs Pilsner Lager (WLP800) can also be used successfully.

Bohemian Pilsner
(5 gallons, extract with grains)
OG = 1.054 to 1.055  FG = 1.013 to 1.014 SRM = 4  IBU = 40  ABV = 5.3%

Ingredients

• 4 oz. German crystal malt (2.5° Lovibond)
• 4 oz. German Munich malt
• 6.25 lbs. Muntons extra-light dried malt extract (DME)
• 10.5 AAUs Czech Saaz
• (3 oz. of 3.5% alpha acid) (bittering)
• 3.5 AAUs Saaz
• (1 oz. of 3.5% alpha acid) (flavor)
• 1 tsp. Irish moss
• 3.5 AAUs Czech Saaz
• (1 oz. of 3.5% alpha acid) (aroma)
• 1.75 AAUs Czech Saaz
• (0.50 oz. of 3.5% alpha acid)
•   (dry hop)
• Czech Pils (Wyeast 2278) or Pilsner
• Lager yeast (White Labs WLP800)
• 1-1/4 cups Muntons extra-light dried     
• malt extract (DME) for priming

Step by Step
Bring 1/2 gallon of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 minutes at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with 1/2 gallon of 168° F water. Add the dry malt extract and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 minutes, then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 12 minutes, then add the aroma hops. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove the pot from the stove. Cool wort for 15 minutes in an ice bath or chill with wort chiller. Strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons.

Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Start fermentation at 60° to 62° F until fermentation begins (24 hours). Bring primary fermenter to 47° to 52° F for 7 days then rack into secondary (glass carboy) and add dry hops. Ferment at 47° to 52° F until target gravity has been reached and the beer has cleared. (4 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F. for 2 to 3 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.

Partial-Mash Option: Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 2.75 lbs. German two-row pilsner malt and the specialty grains in 1 gallon of water at 122° F for 30 minutes and then at 151° F for 90 minutes. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F.  Then follow the extract recipe, omitting 2 lbs. of Muntons extra-light dried malt extract  from the boil.

All-Grain Option: Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 10 lbs. German two-row pilsner malt and the specialty grains in 3.5 gallons of water at 122° F for 20 minutes and then at 151° F for 90 minutes. Sparge with 4.75 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Total boil time is 60 minutes. Add 8.2 AAUs of bittering hops for the entire boil. Add flavor hops, Irish moss, aroma hops and dry hops as indicated by the extract recipe.

Helpful Hints: If your water is soft (below 50 ppm hardness), it is proper for the style. If your water is moderate (between 50 to 200 ppm hardness), dilute it 50:50 with distilled water. If your water is hard (greater than 200 ppm hardness), use bottled water. Begin lagering at 45° F and slowly decrease the temperature to 34° F over a period of 2 weeks. This Bohemian pilsner will peak between 1 and 3 months after it is carbonated and will last at cellar temperatures for 5 months.
 
Celebration Ale
OG, FG, IBUs, SRM and ABV all vary with base beer style.

Celebration beers have been brewed throughout history for special events such as anniversaries, weddings and holidays. They have long been a tradition in Europe and many U.S. microbreweries are now brewing holiday ales. It has been said that the Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco began the celebration ale trend in America with their famous “Our Special Holiday Ale.” Many breweries all over the world, in fact, brew celebration ales for the holidays.

Usually celebration ales are bigger, and sometimes hoppier, versions of one of their regular beers, such as a pale ale or a bitter. Spices might be added, especially around the holidays, as is the case with “Our Special Holiday Ale.”

The celebration ale we are brewing this year is English in origin. It is based on an English pale ale but it is very big for the style, above the guidelines and darker in color. This beer pours with a heady aroma, a blend of sweet, aromatic malt and spicy, floral hops. This delicious port-wine-colored beer has a thick, beige head that lingers long in the glass. It is vinous and full-bodied, with warming alcohol making itself slowly evident. It finishes long and well-balanced.

Commercial Beers To Try
There are many celebration beers to try. Some fine examples are: Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale, Anchor Steam’s Our Special Holiday Ale, Redhook’s Winterhook Winter Ale,  Shipyard’s Longfellow Winter Ale, Samichlaus Bier, Bush de Noel, Moctezuma Noche Buena, Stille Nacht by De Dolle Brewers and Ballard’s Wassail Special Strong Ale.

Hops and Malt, Yeast, Sugars and Spices
The hops will vary with the base style. If brewing an English-style ale, use the hops that the U.K. brewers use in their beers. For an American-style ale, use American hops. Just remember to increase the amount of hops along with the malt. As with the hops, use a malt that is appropriate for the style of base beer.  

Sugars can be used to increase the alcohol and to give a slightly different nuance to the brew. Try Lyle’s Golden Syrup, treacle, molasses (not blackstrap, which is too strong a flavor) or Belgian candi sugar. Some popular spices to be used, in moderation, are nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, spruce tips, sweet gale, grains of paradise, bitter or sweet orange peel and vanilla bean.

Any yeast appropriate for the style is fine. If you are brewing a very high-gravity beer, make sure that the yeast will ferment at alcohol levels that match the gravity you want. If not, you will end up with a very sweet brew.

Celebration Beer
(5 gallons, extract with grains)
OG = 1.069  FG = 1.019 to 1.020  
SRM = 22  IBU = 35  ABV 6.3%

Ingredients

• 1 lb. British crystal malt
• 8 oz. torrified wheat
• 1 oz. British black patent malt
• 7.5 lbs. Muntons extra-light DME
• 8 oz. malto-dextrin
• 9.2 AAUs Fuggles
• (2 oz. of 4.6% alpha acid) (bittering)
• 5 AAUs East Kent Goldings
• (1 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (flavor)
• 1 tsp. Irish moss
• 2.5 AAUs East Kent Goldings
• (0.50 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (aroma)
• 2.5 AAUs Styrian Goldings
• (0.50 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (aroma)
• Special London (Wyeast 1968) or
• English Ale (White Labs WLP002)
• 1-1/4 cup Muntons extra-light dried malt extract (DME) for priming

Step by Step
Bring 1 gallon of water to 160° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 minutes at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with one gallon of 168° F water. Add the dried malt extract, malto-dextrin and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 minutes, then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 14 minutes, then add the aroma hops. Boil for 1 minute, then remove the pot from the stove. Cool wort for 15 minutes in an ice bath or chill with wort chiller. Strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons. Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F.         

Ferment at 70° to 72° F for 7 days then rack into secondary. Ferment until target gravity has been reached and beer has cleared (3 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 3 to 4 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.

Partial-mash option:  Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 1.5 lbs. British two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 1 gallon of water at 154° F for 60 minutes. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Then follow the extract recipe, omitting 1.75 lbs. of Muntons extra-light DME from the boil.

All-grain option: Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 11.5 lbs. British two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 4.25 gallons of water at 154° F for 90 minutes. Sparge with 5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168 F. The total boil time is approximately 90 minutes. Add 6.4 AAUs of bittering hops for the last 60 minutes of the boil. Add the flavor hops, Irish moss and aroma hops as indicated by the extract recipe above.

Helpful Hints: If your water is soft (below 50 ppm hardness), add 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt, 1-1/2 tsp. calcium carbonate (chalk) and 1/4 tsp. Epsom salts. If your water is moderate (between 50 to 200 ppm hardness), add 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1/2 tsp. calcium carbonate. If your water is hard (greater than 300 ppm hardness), add 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt. This ale is ready to drink 2 months after it is carbonated. It will peak between 2 and 6 months and will last for up to 9 months at cellar temperatures.

Tess and Mark Szamatulski are the owners of Maltose Express in Monroe, Connecticut. All recipes have been adapted from their book “Beer Captured” (Maltose Press, 2000).