Helles

__TOC__

Brewers Tips

The Bruery, Wondrous, Human Robot, Faction, and pFriem Family Brewers shared.

“You have to have great malt, and all you need is multiple different types of Pilsner malt,” - Pfriem and Faction

Pfriem says he finds that locking in a pH in the mid-fours works well for their pFriem Lager, their helles beer without the name.

Water

“Hard to make a good helles without good water and focus on water chemistry—4.45-4.5 pH works very well,” he says. Davis notes that Faction aims for a pH in the low fives for their helles lager. “We knock out around 5.2 to 5.3,” he says. “We strive for that in the mash.”

While for most of what they brew at Human Robot, they don’t stress about the pH, their helles is different. Foss says that with their decoction boil having all the grains in there, you can pull some astringencies out of the husks if your pH is high to meet specs or desired levels. “Most of our beers we spec between 5.2 and 5.4, and we don’t make a big deal out of it,” Foss says. “This beer has to be down between 5.0 to 5.2 before you boil it.” Foss adds that early in the mash, they let it stay high in the 5.6 area for enzyme activity, and once they boil, they bring it down below 5.2 pH.

Radel (Bruery) says water chemistry is pretty crucial for helles beers, for sure. “We try a pH of 5.2, 5.3 for the mash,” Radel says. “And for the [supplemental] addition, we try our best to match Munich’s water profile.”

For Whisenhunt’s helles at Wondrous, they shoot for a 5.2 but are OK with anything from 5.1 to 5.4 pH. For a helles, the slightest variance in the pH could make a considerable change.

“I think [pH] is just as important in a helles as any other beer out there,” Whisenhunt says. “A difference of .1 or .2 could be a big flavor, mouthfeel difference. pH is super important.”

Malt

pFriem uses a blend of Weyermann Pilsner Malt, Gambrinus Pilsner Malt, and Canada Malting Superior Pilsen Malt.

Davis says that Faction opts for Weyermann malts to get a balance of biscuity taste. And when they have it, he says they use Weyermann’s Premium Pilsner “because it has a nutty, biscuity overtone to it,” that is ideal for a helles lager. Davis adds that they also throw in carapils or carafoam, as well as dextrin for body and acidulated malts for pH control, and mash it at 154 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Super simple. All pilsner malt,” he says. “We try to use the most pale German pilsner malt we can find. With helles, the beer is a reflection of what ingredients you use. We found a super paler-than-pilsner malt, pilsner malt, and that’s the base for our [Wondrous Hell].”

Yeast

“When you think you have enough, add a little more,” Davis says. “Give it a big, healthy pitch.”

Like pFriem, Foss says at Human Robot they use the Weihenstephan 3470 for their helles beer and all their lagers. “It’s a good workhorse lager strain,” he says. “It responds very differently to different top pressure and temperature during fermentation.”

Hops

Davis says that Faction mixes it up with the hops in their traditional helles beer, but they always keep it to German hops. Think Saaz, Hallertau, Mittlefruh, and Saphir, among others. Faction uses one pound per barrel, if that, according to Davis.

“It’s so lightly hopped, I would be very surprised if anyone could notice,” Davis says.

Foss says they throw in Tettnang during the decoction boil, leaving minimal bitterness.

“The philosophy of [putting the hops in] that way is that when you boil hops in a higher gravity solution, there’s a lot less bitterness extraction, and you get a really rounded bitterness profile,” Foss says. “Basically, you’re just trying to boil them in a concentrated wort before diluting them.”

CBB 339 bierschdat

uses a 4-4.5:1 liquor to grist

CBB 371 - Figueroa

Keeping beer at 10-15psi will bleed off the sulfur over 3-5 days

6-7 weeks total tank time

Helles/ pils knockout at 5-5.1

Mash pH -about 5.4-5.5