About This Course

This course includes 64+ minutes of video

In this 64-minute video course, cofounder and brewmaster Josh Pfriem lays out their intentional approach to crafting adjunct-based lagers that are more flavorful than industrial brands yet are every bit as drinkable. Along the way, he discusses:

  • considerations for a quality pilsner-malt base
  • nuanced hopping for balance
  • dialing in your water profile
  • deploying a classic multistep mash
  • the hot-side steps to take for better, clearer wort
  • ensuring a viable yeast pitch and proper oxygenation for healthy fermentation
  • dialing in pH for a crisp lager
  • sulfur as a desirable trait, treated as an adjustable ingredient
  • polishing and carbonation targets
  • considerations when choosing your mash adjuncts
  • pairing the adjunct with the pilsner base and dialing in grist percentages
  • balancing and accentuating the delicate flavors
  • the cereal-mash process at pFriem, step by step
  • why foam matters, and how to promote it in adjunct lagers
  • advice on making adjustments for foam, shelf stability, and clarity
  • how pFriem prioritizes quality control and service

And more.


Instructor

Since its 2012 founding in Hood River, Oregon, pFriem Family Brewers has become one of the most consistently decorated breweries in the United States, with numerous medals from the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, European Beer Star, and more. Best known for its range of consistently excellent lagers—including its flagship pFriem Pilsner—what’s driven the success is a potent combination of meticulous brewing and reverence for traditional European styles. In recent years, however, pFriem has looked beyond Europe for lager-brewing inspiration, including Japanese- and Mexican-style lagers brewed with rice and maize, respectively.

Josh Pfriem

Cofounder and Brewmaster, pFriem Family Brewers

Course Curriculum

  • 01

    Introduction

    Show Content
  • 02

    The Lager-Brewing Process at pFriem

    Show Content

    • International Lagers and the Pilsner Malt Base

    • Hops, Water, Yeast, and the Step Mash

    • Lauter, Boil, Whirlpool, Fermentation, Spunding, and Lagering

    • Dialing In pH, Sulfur, Clarity, and Carbonation
  • 03

    Brewing with Adjuncts

    Show Content

    • Which Mash Adjuncts, and How Much?

    • Adjuncts, Hops, and Pilsner Malt: Balancing the Delicate Flavors

    • How to Cereal Mash: The Basics

    • The Cereal Mash at pFriem, Step by Step
  • 04

    Fine-Tuning

    Show Content

    • Trial and Error, and Promoting Foam in Adjunct Beers

    • Fine-Tuning “Naked” Beers: Hop Products, Shelf Stability, QC, Clarity, and Service
  • 05

    Parting Thoughts, Further Reading, Listening & Recipes

    Show Content

    • Thank You, and Happy Brewing

    • Podcast Episode 82: pFriem Family Brewers’ Josh Pfriem: Nuance and Subtlety is the Key in Everything from Pilsner to Wood-Aged Sours

    • Pick Six: Josh Pfriem’s Magical, Mystical Mystery Tour

    • Homebrewing, Rice & Easy: Brewing a Crisp Rice Lager with Extracts

    • Recipe: pFriem Japanese Lager

    • Recipe: pFriem Mexican Lager

    • Bonus Recipe: pFriem Kölsch-Style Ale

    • Bonus Recipe: pFriem Lemon Zest Farmhouse Ale

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