Since my last post the Bohemian "Pilsner" I had aging in bottles has completed that process. Time to drink it! But wait...what is up with the quotation marks placed around 'Pilsner'? After trying my most recent brew, a friend of mine pointed out that although the beer was good, it was no pilsner. Remember the old standard from high school algebra: "All squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares"? This is one of those kind of things. Let me explain.
Pilsners are lagers. All lagers are beer, but not all beers are pilsners. Therein lies the issue. Even though I followed a recipe for a pilsner, I ended up with something else. Why? because I changed one, singular ingredient, yeast.
In the world, there are innumerable strains of yeast. As far as I know, only two major types of yeast are used in food preparation: bakers yeast, and brewers yeast. These two types can be thought of as cousins in the yeast family tree. Brewers yeasts can be subdivided again into two more specific categories: ale yeast, and lager yeast. Ale and lager yeasts can be thought of as siblings within the yeast family tree analogy.
Within the two categories of brewers yeast there are many, many different strains of each that provide various characteristics to the beer they ferment. Ale yeasts are top fermenting yeasts. They float to the top of the beer during the fermentation phase of the brewing process. Ale yeasts produce malty, robust beer full of esters. Esters are chemical compounds that, in beer, impart fruity or spicy flavors. For instance: the German Weiss beer that I have aging in bottles has very strong banana and clove flavors even though the ingredient list is wheat malt extract, hops, and yeast. The yeast strain was cultivated to produce the banana/clove flavors. Ale yeasts ferment at room temperature 58 F - 65 F. The warmer the fermentation, the more pronounced the esters become.
Lager yeasts are bottom fermenting yeasts that actively ferment at much cooler temperatures than ales, typically 32 F to 55 F. They also take much longer than ales to ferment and age. This longer, colder fermentation reduces esters in the finished beer. Lagers are typically described as "lighter", "crisper", and are clearer in appearance than ales.
Since I don't have a way of maintaining the temperatures required to lager I was forced to adapt the Bohemian Pilsner to use an ale yeast. This resulted in a great tasting brew that I will refer to as a Blonde Ale. It is lighter in color and body but still exhibits fruity esters from the yeast.
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Secondary Fermenter: American Pale Ale
Aging in Bottles: German Weiss Ale
Currently Enjoying: Amber Ale, Blonde Ale
