Tasman Devil Pilsner
Brewed: 1/12/2025 Kegged: 1/25/2025
In the 2021 BJCP Style guidelines, there is a section called Style Guidelines Appendices and References.And ... in there, Appendix B: Local Styles.
One of the "Local Styles" is X5. New Zealand Pilsner.
"A pale, dry, golden-colored, cleanly-fermented beer showcasing the characteristic tropical, citrusy, fruity, grassy New Zealand-type hops. Medium body, soft mouthfeel, and smooth palate and finish, with a neutral to bready malt base provide the support for this very drinkable, refreshing, hop-forward beer."
It is a style that I generally enjoy quite a bit, and I usually will order it when I see it at various breweries.
I expect that when the Style Guidelines are updated again, this will be an official BJCP style, along with Italian Pilsners and West Coast Pilsners. I guess we'll see if I'm correct.
At some point, I ordered some Motueka hops from Yakima Valley Hops, thinking that I would use them in a New Zealand Pilsner.
Around the end of the year in 2024, I finally put together a recipe using those hops. I also threw in Eclipse, which is actually an Australian hop.
While brainstorming names, ChatGPT told me the Tasman Sea is the body of water located between Australia and New Zealand, and "Tasman" made me think of the Looney Tunes "Tasmanian Devil". I thought "Tasman Devil" would make a good name for an Australian / New Zealand inspired beer.
I brewed this as my first batch of 2025. It turned out crisp and clean and crystal clear. The citrus / tropical fruit hop aroma was wonderful. I love this beer.
On untappd: Tasman Devil Pilsner
For more about this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Tasman
| Tasman Devil Pilsner --- Batch 1 (368) |
| Style | New Zealand Pilsner | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.60 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 65.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.048 SG | Estimated FG | 1.010 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 29.5 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 5.0 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.614 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 4.0 SRM |
|
|||||
| Measured OG: | 1.048 | Measured FG: | 1.006 | ||||
| ADF: | 87 | Measured ABV: | 5.5 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.91 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 5.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 4.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 2.00 tsp | Lactic Acid (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 9 lbs | Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 81.8 % | 0.70 gal |
| 2 lbs | Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 18.2 % | 0.16 gal |
| 1.000 oz | Eclipse [17.60 %] - Boil 15.0 min | Hop | 7 | 19.3 IBUs | - |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) | Fining | 8 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) | Other | 9 | - | - |
| 2.000 oz | Motueka [7.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min | Hop | 10 | 10.3 IBUs | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 11 | - | - |
| 1.000 oz | Motueka [7.50 %] - 3.0 Days Before Bottling for 3.0 Days | Hop | 12 | 0.0 IBUs | - |
| 0.50 tsp | Gelatin (Bottling 1.0 days) | Fining | 13 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 31.62 qt of water at 156.2 F | 150.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 156.0 F over 10 min | 156.0 F | 20 min |
If steeping, remove grains,
and prepare to boil wort
From Denver water, gypsum puts my water profile at
Ca=107,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=144,Cl=88,HCO3=104
Acid to bring water pH to around 5.2
Boil as directed.
Chill water to as close to 50F as possible.
Pitch yeast and ferment in 50's for first 5 days.
Dry hop 1oz 3 days into fermentation.
After main fermentation is done let temperature rise to room temp. Let total fermentation go a total of 2 weeks.
Chill and add gelatin after a couple days in the fridge.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.044 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.60 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
Brewing Notes
1/3/2025 Picked up ingredients. Weird coincidence... There was a NL Pils at Dry Dock named "Tazmen Pils". Copy cats. Their beer turned out great. Mine will be better.
1/12/2025 Brew day in the garage today. Got started around 7 today. Don't a vitality starter with wort from the mash chilled with ice. Seems to be starting up fine. It was harvested from Decemberfest, making it about a month old. It's around 9:15 and I'm about to squeeze the bag.
1/12/2025 Preboil was 1.038 at 6.5 gallons. Added about .5 lbs sugar. This put gravity at 1.045 ... Pretty much the planned pre-boil. Boil started around 9:45, and everything went as planned. Used hop spider. Got to 56 with just ground water. OG 1.047.
1/13/2025 Bubbling started sometime overnight. Tilt says 1.046 at 55 degrees. Controller is set at 54 right now.
1/14/2025 Bumped up the temp control to 55 last night. Bubbling strong. Tilt says 1.026 at 56 degrees.
1/15/2025 Still bubbling, but slowing down a bit. Tilt says 1.017 at 56. Controller at 56 now.
1/16/2025 Bubbling still going, but really slowed down. Tilt says 1.012 at 57. I'm going to pull the hop magnet later today to drop the dry hops.
1/17/2025 I dry hopped yesterday afternoon. Bubbling has slowed down to one bubble every few seconds. Tilt says 1.009 at 60. I raised the controller temp to 60 this morning. I think I'll unplug the pump either later today or tomorrow.
1/18/2025 Tilt says 1.008 at 61. Unplugging the pump. Not sure when I'll keg. Probably next weekend but I may go ahead and do it sooner since I have a spot open in the Beer Fridge.
1/24/2025 Tilt has continued to fall and is now at 1.005 at 63 degrees. Need to get this kegged tomorrow Sunday. Not sure why, but the Raspberry PI is having trouble staying connected. Regardless, the fermentation profile is on the facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15vQiJnDSa/" target="blank">https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15vQiJnDSa/</a>
1/25/2025 Kegged into floating dip tube. A bit hazy but not too bad. Pale. Maybe light gold. Added a crushed campden tablet dissolved in about half a cup of water. I'm hoping this fights oxidation and preserves the hop aroma longer. The flavor is perfect. Great crisp cracker malt flavor with tropical hops in flavor and aroma. Maybe a bit on the bitter side, but I really like the sample. Calling the FG 1.006, which is lower than expected but pretty much matched the Tilt.
1/28/2025 Added half a tsp of gelatin into half a cup of water and then into keg. I added the gelatin to cold water and then heated it up, which actually seems to make it dissolve better. I'll have to remember to do this next time I use gelating. Hoping to give Tasman Devil a try before the weekend.
1/30/2025 First pour from the tap. Not as clear as I was thinking it would be with the gelatin and the float-it. Carbonation is pretty good, but will probably get better. Very pale. Nice little crackery malt flavor. Awesome hop flavor. Citrus, mostly lime. Sweet tropical fruit. Touch of pineapple? I'm really going to love this beer. Not sure it will last real long.
2/1/2025 Very clear now. The lime zest flavor really comes through nicely today. Crisp and clean. Firm bitterness like a good German Pilsner. Yummy 😋
2/2/2025 Even more clear. Crystal clear. Even more crisp. Love the citrus lime hop flavor.
2/6/2025 Took the website photo. It is truly remarkable how crystal clear this beer is. Love the crisp clean malt and the fruity hop flavor and aroma.
2/15/2025 Such a wonderful beer. Beautiful. Pale. Crisp. Wonderful fruity hops. Love the tropical lime. I have to use Motueka hops more.
2/27/2025 Checked into untappd. Still wonderfully crisp and clean malt bill. The tropical lime is still great but maybe could be a bit more. Love the beer.
3/2/2025 After getting ingredients for Kemosabe and King Fergus, I was at Dry Dock. They still had Tasman Pilsner on tap so I got a crowler to compare to my Tasman. Both are crystal clear. Mine is crisper and considerably lighter in color. It is more nicely hopped. Dry Dock's has more body. The Beer Model simply said that mine was better. I agree, but to be fair I wonder if theirs is past it's prime.
3/8/2025 Such a yummy beer 😋 Love it so much
3/14/2025 Still pretty proud how brilliantly clear this beer is. Such a crisp clean pilsner base and the hops are wonderfully fruity with mostly tropical lime flavor. Great balance. I think if I make this again, I'll probably add another ounce of dry hop.
3/22/2025 Such a beautifully clear beer. Such delightful hop character. Crisp. Clean. Wonderful beer. My favorite on tap at the moment.
4/1/2025 Yummy. So yummy. Can read through the beer. Crisp. Clean. Refreshing. Great tropical fruit hop flavor ... Mostly lime. Yummy 😋
4/5/2025 Think the keg kicked while pouring a glass for the Beer Model. It has a floating dip tube in which sometimes makes it seem like it blew before it's empty. We will know for sure next time I try to grab some. Regardless, great beer while it lasted.
4/8/2025 Hmmm ... apparently I was wrong as I was just able to pour a full pint. Such a beautiful crisp refreshing lager. Still loving the Motueka hop finish.
4/18/2025 Still going. Crisp and clean. Fragrant hops. Crystal clear. Such a wonderful beer 🍻
1/3/2025 Picked up ingredients. Weird coincidence... There was a NL Pils at Dry Dock named "Tazmen Pils". Copy cats. Their beer turned out great. Mine will be better.
1/12/2025 Brew day in the garage today. Got started around 7 today. Don't a vitality starter with wort from the mash chilled with ice. Seems to be starting up fine. It was harvested from Decemberfest, making it about a month old. It's around 9:15 and I'm about to squeeze the bag.
1/12/2025 Preboil was 1.038 at 6.5 gallons. Added about .5 lbs sugar. This put gravity at 1.045 ... Pretty much the planned pre-boil. Boil started around 9:45, and everything went as planned. Used hop spider. Got to 56 with just ground water. OG 1.047.
1/13/2025 Bubbling started sometime overnight. Tilt says 1.046 at 55 degrees. Controller is set at 54 right now.
1/14/2025 Bumped up the temp control to 55 last night. Bubbling strong. Tilt says 1.026 at 56 degrees.
1/15/2025 Still bubbling, but slowing down a bit. Tilt says 1.017 at 56. Controller at 56 now.
1/16/2025 Bubbling still going, but really slowed down. Tilt says 1.012 at 57. I'm going to pull the hop magnet later today to drop the dry hops.
1/17/2025 I dry hopped yesterday afternoon. Bubbling has slowed down to one bubble every few seconds. Tilt says 1.009 at 60. I raised the controller temp to 60 this morning. I think I'll unplug the pump either later today or tomorrow.
1/18/2025 Tilt says 1.008 at 61. Unplugging the pump. Not sure when I'll keg. Probably next weekend but I may go ahead and do it sooner since I have a spot open in the Beer Fridge.
1/24/2025 Tilt has continued to fall and is now at 1.005 at 63 degrees. Need to get this kegged tomorrow Sunday. Not sure why, but the Raspberry PI is having trouble staying connected. Regardless, the fermentation profile is on the facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15vQiJnDSa/" target="blank">https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15vQiJnDSa/</a>
1/25/2025 Kegged into floating dip tube. A bit hazy but not too bad. Pale. Maybe light gold. Added a crushed campden tablet dissolved in about half a cup of water. I'm hoping this fights oxidation and preserves the hop aroma longer. The flavor is perfect. Great crisp cracker malt flavor with tropical hops in flavor and aroma. Maybe a bit on the bitter side, but I really like the sample. Calling the FG 1.006, which is lower than expected but pretty much matched the Tilt.
1/28/2025 Added half a tsp of gelatin into half a cup of water and then into keg. I added the gelatin to cold water and then heated it up, which actually seems to make it dissolve better. I'll have to remember to do this next time I use gelating. Hoping to give Tasman Devil a try before the weekend.
1/30/2025 First pour from the tap. Not as clear as I was thinking it would be with the gelatin and the float-it. Carbonation is pretty good, but will probably get better. Very pale. Nice little crackery malt flavor. Awesome hop flavor. Citrus, mostly lime. Sweet tropical fruit. Touch of pineapple? I'm really going to love this beer. Not sure it will last real long.
2/1/2025 Very clear now. The lime zest flavor really comes through nicely today. Crisp and clean. Firm bitterness like a good German Pilsner. Yummy 😋
2/2/2025 Even more clear. Crystal clear. Even more crisp. Love the citrus lime hop flavor.
2/6/2025 Took the website photo. It is truly remarkable how crystal clear this beer is. Love the crisp clean malt and the fruity hop flavor and aroma.
2/15/2025 Such a wonderful beer. Beautiful. Pale. Crisp. Wonderful fruity hops. Love the tropical lime. I have to use Motueka hops more.
2/27/2025 Checked into untappd. Still wonderfully crisp and clean malt bill. The tropical lime is still great but maybe could be a bit more. Love the beer.
3/2/2025 After getting ingredients for Kemosabe and King Fergus, I was at Dry Dock. They still had Tasman Pilsner on tap so I got a crowler to compare to my Tasman. Both are crystal clear. Mine is crisper and considerably lighter in color. It is more nicely hopped. Dry Dock's has more body. The Beer Model simply said that mine was better. I agree, but to be fair I wonder if theirs is past it's prime.
3/8/2025 Such a yummy beer 😋 Love it so much
3/14/2025 Still pretty proud how brilliantly clear this beer is. Such a crisp clean pilsner base and the hops are wonderfully fruity with mostly tropical lime flavor. Great balance. I think if I make this again, I'll probably add another ounce of dry hop.
3/22/2025 Such a beautifully clear beer. Such delightful hop character. Crisp. Clean. Wonderful beer. My favorite on tap at the moment.
4/1/2025 Yummy. So yummy. Can read through the beer. Crisp. Clean. Refreshing. Great tropical fruit hop flavor ... Mostly lime. Yummy 😋
4/5/2025 Think the keg kicked while pouring a glass for the Beer Model. It has a floating dip tube in which sometimes makes it seem like it blew before it's empty. We will know for sure next time I try to grab some. Regardless, great beer while it lasted.
4/8/2025 Hmmm ... apparently I was wrong as I was just able to pour a full pint. Such a beautiful crisp refreshing lager. Still loving the Motueka hop finish.
4/18/2025 Still going. Crisp and clean. Fragrant hops. Crystal clear. Such a wonderful beer 🍻