Name: Elephant & Castles Carlsberg Recipe
Cook time: 108 h
Total time: 108 h
Yield: 42 servings
Cuisine: Danish
Ingredients: 5 lbs Light Pilsner malt (or 2-row pale malt); 0.5 lbs Munich malt; 0.1 lbs Acidulated malt (optional, small % for mash pH); 0.75 oz Hallertau or Saaz hops (bittering); 0.5 oz Hallertau or Saaz hops (aroma/late boil); 0.25 oz Hallertau or Saaz hops (dry hop/whirlpool aroma); 1 packet Liquid lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager or White Labs WLP830); 3.5 oz Corn sugar (dextrose) for priming; 3.5 gal Water (brewing/top-up); 2.5 gal Water for mash (separate from above); 0.5 tsp Campden tablet (optional, to remove chlorine); 0.5 tsp Whirlfloc or Irish moss (kettle finings, optional)

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Clean and sanitize all equipment (fermenter, stirring spoon, airlock, siphon equipment, bottling gear). If using chlorinated tap water, treat with Campden tablet (crushed) at roughly 1/2 tsp per 5 gallons or follow manufacturer instructions; let sit 20 minutes before brewing.

Sanitation and water treatment

Heat 2.5 gal (mash water) to about 162°F (72°C). Add the crushed pilsner malt, Munich malt, and acidulated malt to the water and stir to reach a stable mash temperature of 150°F (65.5°C). Hold the mash at 149–152°F (65–67°C) for 60 minutes for a clean, moderately fermentable wort (target slightly more fermentable for a dry lager). Stir occasionally and check temperature; insulate mash tun to maintain temp.

Mash

Raise mash temperature to 170°F (77°C) for 10 minutes (mash out) by adding near-boiling water or direct heat if your system allows. Vorlauf until runoff runs clear, then sparge with enough 168–170°F (76–77°C) water to collect ~3.5 gallons of wort in the brew kettle (adjust volume to system losses).

Mash out and sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous boil and start 60-minute timer. Add 0.75 oz Hallertau/Saaz at 60 minutes (bittering). With 15 minutes left, add 0.5 tsp Whirlfloc or Irish moss. Add 0.5 oz Hallertau/Saaz at 5 minutes left for late-hop flavor/aroma. At flameout, add 0.25 oz Hallertau/Saaz and steep for 10–15 minutes (whirlpool) to capture delicate herbal aroma.

Boil and hops schedule

Rapidly chill the wort to about 50–55°F (10–13°C) using an immersion chiller or plate chiller. Aim to minimize time in the danger zone (120–80°F). Once cooled, transfer wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving trub behind. Top up with additional water if needed to reach approximately 5 gallons (or your target batch size) — note ingredient quantities assume ~5 gal batch.

Cooling

Aerate the wort by shaking or purging with oxygen for 60–90 seconds, or vigorously stir to incorporate oxygen. Pitch a healthy lager yeast (use a properly prepared starter if using liquid yeast). Maintain fermentation temperature around 48–54°F (9–12°C). Expect active fermentation to begin in 24–72 hours. Ferment for 7–14 days until activity slows and gravity is near target final gravity.

Pitching yeast and primary fermentation

After primary fermentation (when gravity is approaching final), raise temperature to 62–68°F (17–20°C) for 2–3 days to allow yeast to clean up diacetyl. Then gradually cool to near-freezing (32–40°F / 0–4°C) over several days and lager (cold condition) for 4–6 weeks to develop clarity and crispness typical of a Danish pilsner.

Diacetyl rest and lagering

If bottling, dissolve 3.5 oz corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool, and add to sanitized bottling bucket. Siphon beer onto the priming solution, mix gently to evenly distribute. Fill and cap bottles. Condition at 65–70°F (18–21°C) for 2 weeks, then cold condition in the refrigerator for a week before drinking. If kegging, carbonate to 2.5–2.8 volumes CO2 and serve cold.

Packaging (bottle conditioning)

Serve chilled (38–45°F / 3–7°C) in a clean 16 oz glass. Pour gently to leave light sediment behind, aiming for a small white head and a crisp, slightly grainy malt character with floral/herbal noble hop notes reminiscent of a Danish pilsner.

Carlsberg

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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