HAPPY DRINKER

Pils

THE JACK RIPPER

THE HONEST LANTER Pils

THE HONEST LANTER

Combine 0.5 cup honey and 0.5 cup water in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring until the honey fully dissolves. Do not boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate if not using immediately (keeps 2 weeks).

Make syrup

Chill a Collins or highball glass by filling it with ice and setting aside, or placing in the freezer for a few minutes.

Prepare glass

Add 2 oz vodka, 0.75 oz elderflower liqueur, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice, 0.5 oz honey simple syrup, and 2 dashes orange bitters into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cap and shake vigorously for 10–12 seconds until well chilled.

Shake base ingredients

Discard ice from the chilled glass, then double-strain the shaken mixture into the glass over fresh ice. Top with 2 oz chilled club soda, pouring gently to preserve effervescence.

Strain and top

Express the oils of a grapefruit twist over the drink by holding the twist skin-side down above the glass and giving it a quick squeeze, then drop the twist into the glass. Slap the mint sprig once between your palms to release aroma and rest it on top. Serve with a short stirring straw. Enjoy immediately.

Garnish and serve

Adjust honey syrup to taste if you prefer sweeter or drier. Substitute elderflower with elderberry or a lighter aperitif for variation. Use chilled ingredients and fresh juices for best brightness.

Notes

plain vodka

elderflower liqueur (e.g., St-Germain)

fresh lemon juice

grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)

honey simple syrup (1:1 honey:water)

orange bitters

club soda (or sparkling water), chilled

grapefruit twist or wheel

fresh mint sprig

honey

water

Heat approximately 18 liters of your treated brewing water to 74°C (165°F) to allow for grain absorption and to reach a mash temperature of 62°C (144°F) when grains are added.

Heat strike water

Add the crushed Pilsner, Munich and Carapils malts to the mash tun and slowly pour the strike water while stirring to avoid dough balls. Target mash temperature: 62°C (144°F) for a classic dry, crisp Pils profile.

Mash-in

Hold the mash at 62°C (144°F) for 60 minutes. Stir or recirculate gently after 15–20 minutes to ensure even temperature and conversion. Perform an iodine test near the end to confirm starch conversion.

Saccharification rest

Raise the mash temperature to 75°C (167°F) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort flow.

Mash-out

Sparge the grains with water at 75°C (167°F) until you collect about 25 liters of wort in the kettle (adjust based on your system losses). Aim for pre-boil gravity around 1.044–1.048 (for this grain bill in a 20–23 L batch).

Bring the wort to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add the bittering hops (15 g) and start a 60-minute boil.

With 15 minutes left in the boil, add the flavor/aroma hops (30 g). With 5 minutes left, add a small portion (10 g) if desired and any yeast nutrient. Do not overdo late hop additions — Pils should remain delicate and noble-hopped.

Boil additions

After flameout, cool the kettle to about 80°C (176°F) and add the whirlpool hops (20 g). Stir gently to create a whirlpool and let sit for 15–30 minutes to extract delicate noble aromatics. Then chill the wort quickly to pitching temperature (see below).

Whirlpool / Hop stand

Cool wort rapidly to 10–12°C (50–54°F) using an immersion chiller, counterflow chiller or plate chiller. Transfer the chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving hop/trub behind if possible.

Aerate the wort well (oxygenate to ~8–10 ppm dissolved O2 for lagers) and pitch a healthy, well-propagated lager yeast starter or a properly rehydrated packet. If using a 1-pack packet, consider making a starter to ensure sufficient cell count for a clean lager fermentation.

Ferment at 10–12°C (50–54°F) until primary fermentation is mostly complete (typically 7–10 days). Gravity should drop steadily toward the expected final gravity ~1.010–1.012.

Optionally perform a diacetyl rest: raise temperature to 16–18°C (61–64°F) for 48 hours after active fermentation signs diminish, then allow for 24 hours before crashing.

Lagering / cold conditioning: After fermentation and diacetyl rest, gradually lower temperature to 0–2°C (32–36°F) and lager for 3–6 weeks (longer for cleaner profile). This step clarifies and rounds the beer.

If bottling, dissolve the priming sugar (120 g dextrose) in 200 ml boiling water, cool, and add to a sanitized bottling bucket. Rack the beer gently on top of the priming solution, mix carefully to distribute without introducing oxygen, and bottle. Cap and condition at room temperature for 2 weeks, then cold condition for best clarity.

If kegging, carbonate to 2.5–2.8 volumes CO2 by force-carbonation or set at appropriate pressure and temperature, then lager at cold temperatures for a week before serving.

Serve chilled in chilled Pilsner glasses at about 4–7°C (39–45°F) to showcase a crisp, clean profile and delicate noble hop aroma.

Pilsner malt (light)

Munich malt (10°L) or Vienna malt

Carapils / Dextrin malt (for head retention, optional)

Brewing water (treated low-mineral profile preferred)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) - optional, for hop accentuation

Calcium chloride - optional, for malt roundness

Saaz hops (or Tettnang/Spalt) - bittering (4% AA)

Saaz hops - flavor/aroma (3.5% AA)

Saaz hops - late aroma/noble whirlpool

Lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager or White Labs WLP830)

Yeast nutrient (optional)

Isinglass or gelatin (optional, for clarity)

Corn sugar (dextrose) for priming

Place a coupe or chilled cocktail glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you build the cocktail to cool it down.

Chill glass

In a mixing glass add 2 oz London dry gin, 0.75 oz sweet vermouth, 0.5 oz light-bodied red wine, 0.25 oz cherry liqueur, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, and 0.25 oz simple syrup.

Combine base ingredients

Add 2 dashes Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters to the mixing glass. Fill the mixing glass with plenty of fresh ice (enough to come near the top).

Add bitters and ice

Stir the mixture briskly for 20–30 seconds (about 30–40 full revolutions) until the outside of the mixing glass feels well chilled and slightly frosted. The goal is dilution of about 20–25ml and a silky texture.

Stir

Discard the ice water from the chilled glass (if used) and strain the cocktail through a Hawthorne or julep strainer into the chilled coupe or cocktail glass.

If you want a dramatic layered appearance, slowly pour an additional 0.25–0.5 oz of the same red wine over the back of a bar spoon held just above the surface of the cocktail so it floats as a thin dark layer. This step is optional—the wine already in the mix provides the flavor.

Float red wine (optional theatrical touch)

Garnish with a luxardo or maraschino cherry on a pick and a lemon twist expressed over the surface (twist the peel to release oils, then drop or rim the glass). Serve immediately.

London dry gin

Sweet vermouth

Red wine (light-bodied, e.g., Pinot Noir)

Cherry liqueur (Amaretto or Cherry Heering works)

Fresh lemon juice

Simple syrup (1:1)

Angostura bitters

Orange bitters

Garnish: Luxardo cherry or maraschino cherry

Garnish: Lemon twist

If using municipal water, treat 20–25 L with a crushed Campden tablet (1 tablet per 20 L) to remove chlorine/chloramine. Adjust mineral profile with a small addition (about 5 g total) of brewing salts: aim for low sulfate and moderate chloride for a soft, rounded pils character. Heat strike water to target mash temperature.

Water Treatment

Heat 16–18 L of strike water to approximately 72°C to achieve a mash temperature of 64–65°C when grains are added. Mash in the crushed Pilsner malt, Vienna, Carapils and Munich (if using) and hold at 64–65°C for 60 minutes. This moderately cool single infusion mash promotes a clean fermentable wort with enough body for a pils. Stir gently and recirculate/run off clear wort once conversion is complete. Perform an iodine test to confirm starch conversion.

Mash

Raise mash to 75–78°C for a 10 minute mash out to stop enzymatic activity (optional). Vorlauf until runnings are clear then lautering: sparge with ~7–9 L of water at 75°C to collect approximately 23–24 L of pre-boil wort (target about 23–25 L depending on boil-off and batch size).

Mash Out and Lauter

Bring wort to a vigorous boil and boil for 60 minutes. Add 30 g Saaz at start of boil (60 min) for bittering. Add Irish moss or Whirlfloc with 15 minutes left in the boil. At 10 minutes left, add 25 g Saaz for flavor. At flameout, turn off heat and add 15 g Saaz into the whirlpool/steep and allow to stand for 15–20 minutes while cooling slightly to extract delicate aroma without harsh bitterness.

Boil and Hop Additions

Rapidly chill wort to 10–12°C (for lager yeast) or 14–16°C if planning a diacetyl rest soon after. Use an immersion or plate chiller. Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter leaving hop debris behind. Top up with water to reach total batch volume of 20 L if necessary. Aerate or oxygenate wort to approximately 8–10 ppm O2 for healthy lager fermentation.

Cool and Transfer

Pitch an appropriate amount of lager yeast (make a starter or use a large/rehydrated packet) into the wort at 10–12°C. Maintain fermentation temperature at 10–12°C until active fermentation subsides (7–12 days). Monitor gravity: expect attenuation typical of the yeast strain used.

Pitch Yeast and Primary Fermentation

Once primary fermentation activity has slowed and gravity is near terminal (usually after 7–10 days), raise temperature to 16–18°C for 48–72 hours to allow yeast to clean up diacetyl and other off-flavors.

Diacetyl Rest

After diacetyl rest, slowly drop temperature to 0–2°C over 2–4 days and hold at 0–2°C for 4–6 weeks to clarify and mellow the beer. This lagering step is critical for a clean, crisp Pils character.

Lagering (Cold Conditioning)

If bottling, prime with 150 g of dissolved priming sugar (boil in 250 ml water for 5 minutes, cool) and gently mix with the beer, then bottle and cap. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.5–2.7 volumes CO2. Condition bottles at 18–20°C for 1–2 weeks for carbonation, then cold condition for another week before drinking.

Packaging

Serve well chilled (4–7°C) in a pilsner glass to showcase a pale golden color, crisp mouthfeel and noble hop aroma. Expect an estimated original gravity ~1.048–1.050 and final gravity ~1.010–1.012, ABV around 4.8–5.2% depending on efficiency.

Serving

Pilsner pale malt (2-row)

Vienna malt

Carapils / dextrin malt

Light Munich malt (optional small accent)

Saaz hops (bittering)

Saaz hops (flavor/aroma)

Saaz hops (whirlpool / late aroma)

Yeast - Lager strain (Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager, White Labs WLP830, or SafLager W-34/70)

Water

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional, clarity)

Priming sugar (for bottle conditioning)

Campden tablet (optional, to remove chlorine / chloramine)

Water salts (e.g., calcium chloride and gypsum) - adjust for soft water pils profile

Combine 1/2 cup honey with 1/2 cup hot water and 1 tablespoon peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger. Stir until honey dissolves, let steep 15–30 minutes, then strain out ginger. Refrigerate. Yields roughly 10–12 oz; use 0.5 oz for this recipe.

Prepare honey-ginger syrup (make ahead)

Chill a coupe or martini glass in the freezer or with ice and water. In a cocktail shaker add 2 oz gin, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, 0.5 oz lemon liqueur (or lemon syrup), 0.5 oz honey-ginger syrup, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, and 2 dashes orange bitters. Add plenty of ice (about 4 oz by volume) to the shaker.

Build and shake

Secure the shaker lid and shake vigorously for 12–18 seconds until the shaker exterior is very cold and slightly frosted — this both chills and slight-foams the citrus/honey mixture.

Shake

Discard ice/water from the chilled glass if used. Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe using a Hawthorne and fine-mesh strainer to remove ice shards and any pulp.

Strain

Express the lemon twist over the drink by holding the peel over the surface and giving it a sharp twist so oils spray onto the cocktail, then rub peel around the rim and drop it into the glass.

Float a piece of candied ginger or a thin slice of fresh ginger on top as a visual and aromatic accent.

Serve immediately. The Honest Lantern is best enjoyed cold and consumed within 10–15 minutes before dilution changes the balance.

Happy Drinker

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The Jack Ripper

The Honest Lanter Pils

The Honest Lanter