409: NZ Pilsner in Perspective with Paweł Lewandowski of Mount Brewing
While hop-forward lager may be a relatively new phenomenon in the States, New Zealand brewers have been brewing their own version of pilsner for decades using homegrown hops. Yet threading the needle in a precise style with hops that can have strong notes, such as mineral and diesel, is no small feat.
In this episode, Paweł Lewandowski, the award-winning head brewer at Mount (https://mountbrewingco.com) in Mount Maunganui, on the North Island, walks us through the creative and technical process behind their “beer geek pilsner”—a beer that multiple brewers recommended to us as a standout example of the style. Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, and Riwaka work together in a golden ratio with two pilsner malts, wheat malt, actively managed fermentation temperatures, and concise lagering to produce a pilsner with 45 IBUs and a full body that expresses the more structured side of the country’s signature hops.
During the episode, Lewandowski discusses:
the style’s origin, beginning with Emerson’s (https://emersons.co.nz) in the 1990s
building a heftier body with pilsner and wheat to support strong hopping
his experiments with step-mashing that led back to single-infusion
using Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, and Riwaka at various points during the boil, whirlpool, and dry hop
year-over-year flavor variation in New Zealand hop varieties
balancing selection criteria to work across a range of styles
warmer lager fermentation, with a 24-hour temperature drop early on
lower pH and shorter lagering times for bright, hop-forward pils
contrasts between New Zealand and West Coast pils
using the “golden ratio” for hop blends
And more.
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