Name: Working Draft Beer Companys Wurkvar Recipe
Cook time: 24 h
Total time: 24 h
Yield: 20 servings
Cuisine: Czech
Ingredients: 5.5 kg Pilsner malt (2-row pale pilsner); 0.5 kg Light Munich malt; 0.25 kg Carapils / Dextrine malt; 0.25 kg Rice syrup solids (or flaked rice) - optional for extra crispness; 25 L Brewing water (target ~10–12 °dH, soft to moderate mineral content); 2 tsp Gypsum (calcium sulfate); 1 tsp Calcium chloride; 28 g Saaz whole hops (or Tettnang/Saaz T-90 pellets); 10 g Saaz hops (aroma/late addition); 1 package Czech lager yeast (Wyeast 2278 Czech Pils or White Labs WLP800 / WY Imperial Lager); 1 tsp Dry yeast nutrient (optional); 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc (for kettle fining); 120 g Priming sugar (for bottling) or CO2 for kegging

Lewiston Lager

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

Originally brewed for our 6th Anniversary. This Pale Lager was inspired by another Czech lager we love and admire, Budvar.

Heat ~18 L of brewing water to 74 °C to allow a mash-in temperature of 64 °C (target mash temp). Adjust water volume to yield approximately 23–24 L pre-boil depending on boil-off rate.

Measure & Heat

Add the crushed Pilsner malt, Light Munich, Carapils and rice syrup solids (if using) to the mash tun and stir thoroughly while pouring in the hot water to reach a stable mash temperature of 63–65 °C. Aim for 64 °C. Hold this temperature for 60 minutes to develop fermentable sugars and a clean profile.

Mash In

Raise the mash to 76 °C for 10 minutes (mash out) to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering if desired.

Mash Out

Sparge with ~6–8 L of 75–78 °C water (adjust quantity to reach ~23–25 L pre-boil volume). Collect runnings until you reach the desired pre-boil volume. Target pre-boil gravity ~1.043–1.046 (adjust grain bill or volume if needed).

Sparge

Prepare brewing water before mash. Dissolve gypsum (2 tsp) and calcium chloride (1 tsp) into the strike water and sparge water to bring chloride:sulfate balance slightly toward sulfate for dry, crisp finish while keeping chloride to enhance malt character. Aim for moderate calcium (50–100 ppm) and sulfate around 100–150 ppm. Adjust with a water calculator as needed for your source water.

Bring the wort to a vigorous rolling boil once you have the pre-boil volume. Start timing a 60-minute boil once the wort reaches a full boil.

Bring to a Rolling Boil

With 60 minutes remaining in the boil, add 28 g Saaz hops (bittering). This gives a mild bitterness appropriate for a Czech-style pale lager. Expect an IBU in the ~20–26 range depending on wort gravity and hops alpha acids—adjust quantity if your alpha is significantly different.

Bittering Addition

Add Irish moss or Whirlfloc with 15 minutes left in the boil to help protein precipitation and get a clearer beer.

Kettle Fining

Add 10 g Saaz hops at 5 minutes left in the boil for noble hop aroma without floral or citrus intensity.

Late Aroma Addition

At flameout, cool the wort quickly using a plate chiller or immersion chiller to ~10–12 °C (if performing a direct-pitch lager fermentation) or to 12–14 °C for a diacetyl rest schedule with lager yeast. If using a cool fermentation schedule with diacetyl rest, target initial pitch temperature around 10–12 °C and adjust accordingly.

End of Boil / Chill

Aerate or oxygenate the chilled wort thoroughly. Rehydrate or prepare your Czech lager yeast according to the manufacturer instructions. Pitch the yeast into the wort once it is at the target fermentation temperature (10–12 °C for Czech lager strains). If using dry yeast, add yeast nutrient as directed.

Oxygenation & Pitching

Ferment at 10–12 °C for about 10–14 days or until specific gravity has dropped steadily near the expected terminal gravity (~1.008–1.012). Monitor fermentation activity and temperature. If fermentation is sluggish, maintain temperature and allow yeast time to finish.

Primary Fermentation

Once active fermentation is mostly complete and gravity is within 10–20% of final expected gravity, raise temperature to 16–18 °C for 48 hours to allow the yeast to clean up diacetyl and other off-flavors.

Diacetyl Rest

After diacetyl rest, crash-cool the beer gradually to 0–2 °C and lager for 4–8 weeks for clarity and flavor smoothing. Longer lagering (6–8 weeks) will produce a more authentic Czech-lager profile resembling Budvar inspiration.

Lagering (Cold Conditioning)

If bottling, warm the beer slightly to 12 °C, then prime with 120 g of priming sugar (dissolved in a small amount of boiled and cooled water) for a 500–700 mL bottle yield that targets ~2.5–3.0 volumes of CO2 typical for a Czech pale lager. Gently mix priming solution into the beer and bottle. Condition at room temperature for 2 weeks, then cold condition for another 1–2 weeks before serving.

Carbonation & Bottling

If kegging, force-carbonate to ~2.5–3.0 volumes CO2 at 0–4 °C or carbonate naturally in the keg. Serve bright and cold (4–7 °C) in a chilled glass.

Kegging

Pilsner malt (2-row pale pilsner)

Light Munich malt

Carapils / Dextrine malt

Rice syrup solids (or flaked rice) - optional for extra crispness

Brewing water (target ~10–12 °dH, soft to moderate mineral content)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate)

Calcium chloride

Saaz whole hops (or Tettnang/Saaz T-90 pellets)

Saaz hops (aroma/late addition)

Czech lager yeast (Wyeast 2278 Czech Pils or White Labs WLP800 / WY Imperial Lager)

Dry yeast nutrient (optional)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (for kettle fining)

Priming sugar (for bottling) or CO2 for kegging

Wurkvar

ALASKA LINGS

HAND – MADE MEDITERRANEAN

Draff SABOR

Working The Mexico

REGIO

Including burgers, brats, potato salad, and more.

Above Ground Pool Party

Make Wurkvar Recipe in just 24h . Originally brewed for our 6th Anniversary. This Pale Lager was inspired by another Czech lager we love and admire, Budvar.

Wurkvar Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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