# 🍺 Top-down Brew: TZ Pils

Recipe Variables name: TZ Pils og: 1.052 malt: pilsner malt, 94, 2, 80 malt: carapils (dextrin) malt, 5, 12, 72 malt: acid malt, 1, 2, 72 ibu: 35 hop: Liberty, 80, 4.5, 60 hop: Liberty, 20, 4.5, 0 y: lager vol: 5 system: US eff: 75 prime: 2.7, 65

## Variations

For steeped specialty grains plus malt extract:

- Delete the pilsner and acid malt lines.
- For liquid malt extract, add sugar: Liquid pilsner or extra light malt extract, 95, 5, 76
- For dry malt extract, add sugar: Dry pilsner or extra light malt extract, 95, 3.5, 96
- Set the mash efficiency variable to 55% for steeping.

An even simpler possibility is to use 100% pilsner malt extract.

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## Results

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## Notes

This beer is named in honor of my friend Tzvetelin, who is a chemist from Bulgaria. His beer preference is for light continental European lager beers. One version of TZ Pils that we brewed together won a first place award in the 2013 Peach State Brew Off.

This recipe is based upon Charlie Papazian's Dream Export Lager (1991, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, p. 316-317). Another similar recipe is David Miller's all-malt pilsner. In regard to style, this beer is closest to a 2A International pale lager. This is 100% malt, with slightly higher gravity and more bitterness. It's a bit like an American pale ale in regards to hop character.

A key for success is to use a European pilsner malt, like Weyermann's pilsner malt. For hops, my efforts have typically used Liberty as a single variety. Classic noble hops like Saaz and Hallertau or American hops in this family (Mount Hood, Crystal, Tradition, Sterling) would also be fine choices. The hop addition timing could be staggered, if desired, like 60, 15, and 0 minutes. A large addition at flameout is for convenience. The yeast used in the award-winning version was Fermentis S23 Saflager. S23 is not super-clean, but it is similar to some commercial lager beers like Rolling Rock. Feel free to use your favorite lager yeast.

The acid malt is for slightly lowering the mash pH. Feel free to skip this adjustment depending on your water characteristics and treatment. The minerals added to our tap water, which is low in calcium, are 1 teaspoon calcium sulfate and 0.5 teaspoon magnesium sulfate per five gallon batch.

The choice of 65F for the priming sugar calculation is based on a diacetyl rest at this temperature.