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27-06-2023, 09:40
Visit Ed's Beer Site (http://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-visit-to-plzensky-prazdroj-brewery.html)
Being back in Pilsen all I had to do was walk across a bridge to get to to the Plzeňský Prazdroj or Pilsner Urquell brewery. Someone in the group still managed to be late, but he was young enough to still enjoy the glory of oversleeping so it wasn't all bad for him.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn68x2aVw54URQiB76pPaoUVG6EY-urQcX2hfM77w8C7dzLtAzbjj3qCnVJWx2vGQigYRI91u4E7LgO t02Ig-Pb5stlmXXbYSlkXvsz9iUXBrcv3XaVLOSpZlKXLtcW5bopS1_t anKQ6WtRVxRNU-ISR0Yg521TyC7Os87igNrbX8fDhZiqo7adTpacwAj/s320/DSC03909.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn68x2aVw54URQiB76pPaoUVG6EY-urQcX2hfM77w8C7dzLtAzbjj3qCnVJWx2vGQigYRI91u4E7LgO t02Ig-Pb5stlmXXbYSlkXvsz9iUXBrcv3XaVLOSpZlKXLtcW5bopS1_t anKQ6WtRVxRNU-ISR0Yg521TyC7Os87igNrbX8fDhZiqo7adTpacwAj/s4896/DSC03909.JPG)
We were met by the head brewer.
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And a former head brewer who gave a talk for us before the tour. In a glorious bit of non-native English he said they had more of the sample beer than they could drink so we should go "full gas" when it came to drinking.
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Unlike last time I was there (https://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-visit-to-pilsner-urquell-brewery.html) we got to see the maltings. They only make Pilsner malt, no calling it extra-pale or lager malt here, with a Kolbach index of 36-37 (that's on the low side). They produce 88,000 tonnes per year, enough for all the breweries on site (as well as PU there's Gambrinus and the Proud microbrewery) and Velké Popovice.
They have two steeps at 15°C over 28 hours where the moisture rises from 13-14% to 42-45%. There will be an air rest between the two steeps so the embryo in the grain can breathe. There are eight Saladin boxes with a capacity of 212 tonnes where the barley spends six days at 15-18°C. It's turned six hours after steep out and then usually every 12 hours. There are three kilns and they're all used for each piece (batch). Kilning takes 16-17 hours with a final temperature of 75-80°C. After 21 days the malt goes to the breweries.
The barley variety is the Spring barley Bojos.
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A maltster and a Saladin box.
Then it was packaging. Lots of big machinery and bottles moving around at unfeasible speed. There are two bottling lines at 60,000 bottles per hour, a canning line at 60,000 cans per hour and a canning line at 40,000 cans an hour for specialist products (!). The bottling lines have 168 head fillers.
They flash pasteurise most products, though there's a tunnel pasteuriser for some speciality products. They mostly pack in returnable 500ml bottles so there's a bottle washer. The turn around time for bottles is around one to two months. Some 330s are filled, and some recycled cans are used. Brown bottles are used for US and UK export, the rest are in "UV protection" green bottles. Beer is carbonated to 5g/l (2.5 vols)
Next we went to see the filters. They have a kieselguhr candle filter and two 72 module cross flow filters which filter 600hl/hr of high gravity beer down to 0.45 micrometres. The filter modules are changed after 400 CIPs. Pentair is paid a fee for them by hl filtered. The cross flow filters are better quality than the kieselguhr filter but cost more.
There's also a PVPP filter.
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Cross flow
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Candle
Unlike in brewing fermentation followed after filtration for us. They have 30 x 2500hl and 40 x 800hl cyclindroconical fermenting vessels and the maturation tanks are 56 x 3200hl and 28 x 5000hl CCVs. They ferment from 6° to 9°C for 14 days and mature for 20 days at 0°C (+/-1°C). Cooling is based on the PG (Present Gravity) of the beer not the diacetyl level, which is 85ppm in pack. They have 76-77% apparent attenuation and gravity drops 0.2°P (0.8°S) during maturation.
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As you might expect there were lots of pipes and automated mix proof valves.
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One's gone red
Our hosts were thorough so se even got to see the cooperage:
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And then be got to the brewhouse. Or rather brewhouses, this is the old, disused one:
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There used to be 30 sets of vessels.
This is the new brewhouse:
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Wort kettles
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10.5m diameter lauter tuns and 10.5 tonnes of malt per batch. Loading is 150kg/m2 and lautering takes 2.5 hours. OG is 12.2°P (1.049).
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd7LFyhlivB936Z2T5KgUpwXCqwPiDMR-vc8l967qCOwLMHqZqEeLURvZBtSzRJzDFo1QSvRyEj_zZziNR-NwXyKtx2q9_cmJNOfqlEQTAsJyWKEIuvxvNeUlpiIIiLgbP1Gv 7lt1o61lOBMuMCk9R5xZQwiJyXTrPrxC6tyXpjL5YPTAonD4Tx gePul-/s320/DSC03975.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd7LFyhlivB936Z2T5KgUpwXCqwPiDMR-vc8l967qCOwLMHqZqEeLURvZBtSzRJzDFo1QSvRyEj_zZziNR-NwXyKtx2q9_cmJNOfqlEQTAsJyWKEIuvxvNeUlpiIIiLgbP1Gv 7lt1o61lOBMuMCk9R5xZQwiJyXTrPrxC6tyXpjL5YPTAonD4Tx gePul-/s4896/DSC03975.JPG)
mash kettles
Brewlength is up to 625hl. They do 24 x 600hl brews per day, running 24/7 making 5.2 million hl a year. Saaz/žatec, sladek and premiant hops are used. There three additions at the start of the boil and 60 and 80 minutes in to it. From which I'm going to infer it's a 90 minute boil. I'm sure I heard they still use whole hops too, though I didn't note it down at the time.
Then it was into the cellars, there are 9km of them.
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Some beer is still fermented in open wooden fermenters and matured in wooden barrels, which I guess keeps the coopers in work. We're told they do this to ensure that the taste isn't different from when it's made in the modern vessels. I don't believe a word of this myself, firstly because fermenting and maturing in giant CCVs is definitely going to make a difference and secondly because it does actually taste different. I didn't notice any diacetyl and the bitterness came through a lot more. Lovely it was. Sadly we were running late so didn't get to go "full gas" on the beer which is a shame.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvC7M8F92LL4uUueemA6oFCkkPCoxG3FkYjn2kKEmMtO pag7PrAKhwq5Ku2uo69kOVRXyZSPDjeD82-SLl_7riHLKllHS90wbEBbeZVgmA9SDM5jhbI7D-hH244bvsm0UqDb6fb5_AWa9daa0F8hCHZQhwSj58_a2TDE8D1M lxU-_XYtW6fdWZfb3Eaghr/s320/DSC03985.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvC7M8F92LL4uUueemA6oFCkkPCoxG3FkYjn2kKEmMtO pag7PrAKhwq5Ku2uo69kOVRXyZSPDjeD82-SLl_7riHLKllHS90wbEBbeZVgmA9SDM5jhbI7D-hH244bvsm0UqDb6fb5_AWa9daa0F8hCHZQhwSj58_a2TDE8D1M lxU-_XYtW6fdWZfb3Eaghr/s4896/DSC03985.JPG)
If you want to look at the fermentation profile in wooden vats here it is:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKnSsoTwOhMmDOPJ_i9S1h8A6VlY29gNJbO28lrLRbA OevEVuoBZ1b04GvKAeGGMJxPxEIbAztk98IwWk_E0EGWI7KDjZ HzhyazIBvY22CUCES9IKVCnD-2hi2MuBBaMcpFfVk8QZrkSvkO1ANGI0rJ2bY87GmdntlvTTcVd MdT7N1Y5M1KumXfgeQAUS/s320/DSC03987.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKnSsoTwOhMmDOPJ_i9S1h8A6VlY29gNJbO28lrLRbA OevEVuoBZ1b04GvKAeGGMJxPxEIbAztk98IwWk_E0EGWI7KDjZ HzhyazIBvY22CUCES9IKVCnD-2hi2MuBBaMcpFfVk8QZrkSvkO1ANGI0rJ2bY87GmdntlvTTcVd MdT7N1Y5M1KumXfgeQAUS/s4896/DSC03987.JPG)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5T5v1mQ9C8z2oIpd6vTIpdZlU599n8wAEqvUSKnQ5Q XiU1qPEIAsQOVAqTWEBI7reLLwDHuWFu8A4B94KYXmnnxj_VXC _tiYkTHDl_bSLoM0Gs2shXwOWSdV_g1DLsnBHQPOmsqfgD-h90qLWnXCxD8kMfBKGBWYwi4388Ib2mDC5VdyTaBSlWU6Ylda/s320/DSC03988.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5T5v1mQ9C8z2oIpd6vTIpdZlU599n8wAEqvUSKnQ5Q XiU1qPEIAsQOVAqTWEBI7reLLwDHuWFu8A4B94KYXmnnxj_VXC _tiYkTHDl_bSLoM0Gs2shXwOWSdV_g1DLsnBHQPOmsqfgD-h90qLWnXCxD8kMfBKGBWYwi4388Ib2mDC5VdyTaBSlWU6Ylda/s4896/DSC03988.JPG)
They use their own lager yeast strain which is used for four generations.
As to the famous Pilsner water I'm not entirely sure what they do with it. We weren't with anyone technical when water was discussed and though I can't fault our tour guide's English I'm not sure about his technical knowledge. He said the water has its iron removed so it is deionised. Which left me confused. Was it iron or ions? Probably the former I would guess from something we learnt later in the study tour, and Pilsen water is famous low in ions anyway.
After all this we went to the onsite microbrewery but I'll leave that for later...
More... (http://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-visit-to-plzensky-prazdroj-brewery.html)
Being back in Pilsen all I had to do was walk across a bridge to get to to the Plzeňský Prazdroj or Pilsner Urquell brewery. Someone in the group still managed to be late, but he was young enough to still enjoy the glory of oversleeping so it wasn't all bad for him.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn68x2aVw54URQiB76pPaoUVG6EY-urQcX2hfM77w8C7dzLtAzbjj3qCnVJWx2vGQigYRI91u4E7LgO t02Ig-Pb5stlmXXbYSlkXvsz9iUXBrcv3XaVLOSpZlKXLtcW5bopS1_t anKQ6WtRVxRNU-ISR0Yg521TyC7Os87igNrbX8fDhZiqo7adTpacwAj/s320/DSC03909.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn68x2aVw54URQiB76pPaoUVG6EY-urQcX2hfM77w8C7dzLtAzbjj3qCnVJWx2vGQigYRI91u4E7LgO t02Ig-Pb5stlmXXbYSlkXvsz9iUXBrcv3XaVLOSpZlKXLtcW5bopS1_t anKQ6WtRVxRNU-ISR0Yg521TyC7Os87igNrbX8fDhZiqo7adTpacwAj/s4896/DSC03909.JPG)
We were met by the head brewer.
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And a former head brewer who gave a talk for us before the tour. In a glorious bit of non-native English he said they had more of the sample beer than they could drink so we should go "full gas" when it came to drinking.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDh8LLSvdu27TPOyHIf92nwRsY8jHaYJ_BpPW4LeEl-YRGNB669msAJHB2Euu9D5SPL7uxaezyqpK3HI5vMM0vVRRut8m uojLWIw3JWUfea4FzNIsQreyF6uap0KN2MinhKiFCVUUzw3jVg 9EEjcgFM26gEJu8s9So8M8So-BSIvT6sMAgFsQxWJ4ctLW/s320/DSC03916.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDh8LLSvdu27TPOyHIf92nwRsY8jHaYJ_BpPW4LeEl-YRGNB669msAJHB2Euu9D5SPL7uxaezyqpK3HI5vMM0vVRRut8m uojLWIw3JWUfea4FzNIsQreyF6uap0KN2MinhKiFCVUUzw3jVg 9EEjcgFM26gEJu8s9So8M8So-BSIvT6sMAgFsQxWJ4ctLW/s4896/DSC03916.JPG)
Unlike last time I was there (https://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-visit-to-pilsner-urquell-brewery.html) we got to see the maltings. They only make Pilsner malt, no calling it extra-pale or lager malt here, with a Kolbach index of 36-37 (that's on the low side). They produce 88,000 tonnes per year, enough for all the breweries on site (as well as PU there's Gambrinus and the Proud microbrewery) and Velké Popovice.
They have two steeps at 15°C over 28 hours where the moisture rises from 13-14% to 42-45%. There will be an air rest between the two steeps so the embryo in the grain can breathe. There are eight Saladin boxes with a capacity of 212 tonnes where the barley spends six days at 15-18°C. It's turned six hours after steep out and then usually every 12 hours. There are three kilns and they're all used for each piece (batch). Kilning takes 16-17 hours with a final temperature of 75-80°C. After 21 days the malt goes to the breweries.
The barley variety is the Spring barley Bojos.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdn-W4obyn6s2ux_fzfqIRq02tF__pMgvJqqZNxmF-jjMCxX6wlVjBMx0X2qwVrEQtZHL5nJaNLPlj0vbiNji98gpNWY tXJSV0hs1jODj-mEJ331LtIlJwFhT_ciLPfYj2UdcnIPmL0bcHiezKjmPLZBm7Cu UlAsa2FjzfO4g-i6UEDKEmMDNxqewr04n/s320/DSC03927.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdn-W4obyn6s2ux_fzfqIRq02tF__pMgvJqqZNxmF-jjMCxX6wlVjBMx0X2qwVrEQtZHL5nJaNLPlj0vbiNji98gpNWY tXJSV0hs1jODj-mEJ331LtIlJwFhT_ciLPfYj2UdcnIPmL0bcHiezKjmPLZBm7Cu UlAsa2FjzfO4g-i6UEDKEmMDNxqewr04n/s4896/DSC03927.JPG)
A maltster and a Saladin box.
Then it was packaging. Lots of big machinery and bottles moving around at unfeasible speed. There are two bottling lines at 60,000 bottles per hour, a canning line at 60,000 cans per hour and a canning line at 40,000 cans an hour for specialist products (!). The bottling lines have 168 head fillers.
They flash pasteurise most products, though there's a tunnel pasteuriser for some speciality products. They mostly pack in returnable 500ml bottles so there's a bottle washer. The turn around time for bottles is around one to two months. Some 330s are filled, and some recycled cans are used. Brown bottles are used for US and UK export, the rest are in "UV protection" green bottles. Beer is carbonated to 5g/l (2.5 vols)
Next we went to see the filters. They have a kieselguhr candle filter and two 72 module cross flow filters which filter 600hl/hr of high gravity beer down to 0.45 micrometres. The filter modules are changed after 400 CIPs. Pentair is paid a fee for them by hl filtered. The cross flow filters are better quality than the kieselguhr filter but cost more.
There's also a PVPP filter.
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Cross flow
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURxGphU535NFjWTwHB9NfDsRJ25vfSyp0TeoqONLce1 dw4dgQTRGkLfLbbEcivt1ZoiZEE3mE6mqCzKjOd9nS_1Iz-OkSAEpV3YqblJBEuTymWO40VFVTQR8NHJqf1ImfZ1rto95TW2R f-9-vTACgbMxWcwNPb4iRjPpMqibgXYBq-l80s7VbwBSQeEPX/s320/DSC03939.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURxGphU535NFjWTwHB9NfDsRJ25vfSyp0TeoqONLce1 dw4dgQTRGkLfLbbEcivt1ZoiZEE3mE6mqCzKjOd9nS_1Iz-OkSAEpV3YqblJBEuTymWO40VFVTQR8NHJqf1ImfZ1rto95TW2R f-9-vTACgbMxWcwNPb4iRjPpMqibgXYBq-l80s7VbwBSQeEPX/s4896/DSC03939.JPG)
Candle
Unlike in brewing fermentation followed after filtration for us. They have 30 x 2500hl and 40 x 800hl cyclindroconical fermenting vessels and the maturation tanks are 56 x 3200hl and 28 x 5000hl CCVs. They ferment from 6° to 9°C for 14 days and mature for 20 days at 0°C (+/-1°C). Cooling is based on the PG (Present Gravity) of the beer not the diacetyl level, which is 85ppm in pack. They have 76-77% apparent attenuation and gravity drops 0.2°P (0.8°S) during maturation.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepVYKt7l6lg_egJ-vqFT6xfdTiC_sgDcH7Vo5YD-Cql63g1MtIQbFWdz1k50AXbopV8hEoR9nQgtiPVX9CI6vHR0dG VQHqsMj0DzdJnrpdRmpWHY8EM35c_krV0srJ70qQpL-bUK0aC2MbI5ca66GbydL7c60blKc-K3qxfu6Q3JTk0Vqre8Ce6-oh-vR/s320/DSC03944.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepVYKt7l6lg_egJ-vqFT6xfdTiC_sgDcH7Vo5YD-Cql63g1MtIQbFWdz1k50AXbopV8hEoR9nQgtiPVX9CI6vHR0dG VQHqsMj0DzdJnrpdRmpWHY8EM35c_krV0srJ70qQpL-bUK0aC2MbI5ca66GbydL7c60blKc-K3qxfu6Q3JTk0Vqre8Ce6-oh-vR/s4896/DSC03944.JPG)
As you might expect there were lots of pipes and automated mix proof valves.
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One's gone red
Our hosts were thorough so se even got to see the cooperage:
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTk-S2TYnB74YkzFApwjwKzuKo1mqpB1i5epBK3QcVavz2540R5LZj w_5VfKFt3TL4Y7socHrwZx-YZ9DozJ2juBp5wlqAaxSAjZBPOfFHxgsbNjO0dOFceN577Uq3Y u6n_VEevv58Mc4aQxxOqIbUKW-_tbULXqtkrToApMfir4oshDGyOwqQYigwlvQI/s320/DSC03960.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTk-S2TYnB74YkzFApwjwKzuKo1mqpB1i5epBK3QcVavz2540R5LZj w_5VfKFt3TL4Y7socHrwZx-YZ9DozJ2juBp5wlqAaxSAjZBPOfFHxgsbNjO0dOFceN577Uq3Y u6n_VEevv58Mc4aQxxOqIbUKW-_tbULXqtkrToApMfir4oshDGyOwqQYigwlvQI/s4896/DSC03960.JPG)
And then be got to the brewhouse. Or rather brewhouses, this is the old, disused one:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC7vW4ESuCChxiPYgzUhDfw_ClQCmv4BEl8vJ6Fv2Ad mwj-5JOSjh8_SjS2NPRFGD8gsI7mwKUafNf_lAH9alsT2w6oXUp72Q fJJhSHLKGiLCYDvmpdLvcIsEugcUtcKJFLOmm3Wsj51x-qoaMIXm70F_CVHqMOUpBX3YVCKBRP6aCQFB9NuxuWWYNeaS/s320/DSC03965.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC7vW4ESuCChxiPYgzUhDfw_ClQCmv4BEl8vJ6Fv2Ad mwj-5JOSjh8_SjS2NPRFGD8gsI7mwKUafNf_lAH9alsT2w6oXUp72Q fJJhSHLKGiLCYDvmpdLvcIsEugcUtcKJFLOmm3Wsj51x-qoaMIXm70F_CVHqMOUpBX3YVCKBRP6aCQFB9NuxuWWYNeaS/s4896/DSC03965.JPG)
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirGdyFdvnX5np4_RuJR5bJ6VICPifuR_IrZMvCNUvs9 Ti-zUPeoxliiFplp-e4cj98V-3X0pEQgCYfAKjxQ7Y51c6eaSkjToh8Qb0vPonYs1_Z3ZTb9v1L sFdtbMS5tC58N1XXnHiyyjeC3hLMcCdeRGiUCQJUriW0i9yuRK RUEcBxrX_ZI0F4KiWrS-s/s320/DSC03970.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirGdyFdvnX5np4_RuJR5bJ6VICPifuR_IrZMvCNUvs9 Ti-zUPeoxliiFplp-e4cj98V-3X0pEQgCYfAKjxQ7Y51c6eaSkjToh8Qb0vPonYs1_Z3ZTb9v1L sFdtbMS5tC58N1XXnHiyyjeC3hLMcCdeRGiUCQJUriW0i9yuRK RUEcBxrX_ZI0F4KiWrS-s/s4896/DSC03970.JPG)
There used to be 30 sets of vessels.
This is the new brewhouse:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoVIm__0rry3PvM3KisoCsnt3OzoBkw2iCscn3jNvFk e-zs4Jk1DJgnBEkTBEwlbwFhEU4i9uYz7hyxaOqUJS1ozIUkVhil UPkK9ipUpKRNlMWuH7ronYZEtTaoFOXDHJibgRfaRGB4Ly0wsa UibNiheGaHb47E-hRSvLn5ZJWrvns3jX-tjm5auJwF74/s320/DSC03972.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoVIm__0rry3PvM3KisoCsnt3OzoBkw2iCscn3jNvFk e-zs4Jk1DJgnBEkTBEwlbwFhEU4i9uYz7hyxaOqUJS1ozIUkVhil UPkK9ipUpKRNlMWuH7ronYZEtTaoFOXDHJibgRfaRGB4Ly0wsa UibNiheGaHb47E-hRSvLn5ZJWrvns3jX-tjm5auJwF74/s4896/DSC03972.JPG)
Wort kettles
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq95CcxbnaBmsW5qmKxEDmIj1oNCBWxn38jcGB_2SBRQ 1JM7-tGSsABoORRpIKp4y94qR8WkKfeKhYTfGeYqa5AV-cbUeP8qeXISNHTK7-B7rfVYeECdG5y2nsMeO6cKgcqT8143r_QnDOd84RWzA9fkIoOy Tl0BRs6v8iTFsv1qU24KJGskKuZquLMZPm/s320/DSC03973.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq95CcxbnaBmsW5qmKxEDmIj1oNCBWxn38jcGB_2SBRQ 1JM7-tGSsABoORRpIKp4y94qR8WkKfeKhYTfGeYqa5AV-cbUeP8qeXISNHTK7-B7rfVYeECdG5y2nsMeO6cKgcqT8143r_QnDOd84RWzA9fkIoOy Tl0BRs6v8iTFsv1qU24KJGskKuZquLMZPm/s4896/DSC03973.JPG)
10.5m diameter lauter tuns and 10.5 tonnes of malt per batch. Loading is 150kg/m2 and lautering takes 2.5 hours. OG is 12.2°P (1.049).
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd7LFyhlivB936Z2T5KgUpwXCqwPiDMR-vc8l967qCOwLMHqZqEeLURvZBtSzRJzDFo1QSvRyEj_zZziNR-NwXyKtx2q9_cmJNOfqlEQTAsJyWKEIuvxvNeUlpiIIiLgbP1Gv 7lt1o61lOBMuMCk9R5xZQwiJyXTrPrxC6tyXpjL5YPTAonD4Tx gePul-/s320/DSC03975.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd7LFyhlivB936Z2T5KgUpwXCqwPiDMR-vc8l967qCOwLMHqZqEeLURvZBtSzRJzDFo1QSvRyEj_zZziNR-NwXyKtx2q9_cmJNOfqlEQTAsJyWKEIuvxvNeUlpiIIiLgbP1Gv 7lt1o61lOBMuMCk9R5xZQwiJyXTrPrxC6tyXpjL5YPTAonD4Tx gePul-/s4896/DSC03975.JPG)
mash kettles
Brewlength is up to 625hl. They do 24 x 600hl brews per day, running 24/7 making 5.2 million hl a year. Saaz/žatec, sladek and premiant hops are used. There three additions at the start of the boil and 60 and 80 minutes in to it. From which I'm going to infer it's a 90 minute boil. I'm sure I heard they still use whole hops too, though I didn't note it down at the time.
Then it was into the cellars, there are 9km of them.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R6n7FPv0h-BQv27afLe_OSYpkBzOYtYitJijvAo0WqT93mFd-49gMzudsmpimwZlToYNu4Dh1vCQi5YPGLNo6-8xWAYMfYKOst48FlVo4o5AdrqlfRfZJPanWeYkTqnR7SAOhsmS eymY1YNjTa93y1u-ZZJES03F3hfOcsGOWecoc9vdf1yAzZ8mJixB/s320/DSC03979.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R6n7FPv0h-BQv27afLe_OSYpkBzOYtYitJijvAo0WqT93mFd-49gMzudsmpimwZlToYNu4Dh1vCQi5YPGLNo6-8xWAYMfYKOst48FlVo4o5AdrqlfRfZJPanWeYkTqnR7SAOhsmS eymY1YNjTa93y1u-ZZJES03F3hfOcsGOWecoc9vdf1yAzZ8mJixB/s4896/DSC03979.JPG)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQko4u3g9CWYxZUg3vYV8RUCDZa5X5GRGGqI6ylIEN9 lpifu-liDFhBGLidw2xkEQZRs7VWelrRCSl7AwsrbuFf9c4iS0Q_OK6s B02vORCSO9yxSXpFqzaXF94fnWxjMnj26EMES85viCPiv8B7D3 t5kXQQQ0CoBbWBOUmGqJlrQDe1Q12YuPLIjrYiFH/s320/DSC03980.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQko4u3g9CWYxZUg3vYV8RUCDZa5X5GRGGqI6ylIEN9 lpifu-liDFhBGLidw2xkEQZRs7VWelrRCSl7AwsrbuFf9c4iS0Q_OK6s B02vORCSO9yxSXpFqzaXF94fnWxjMnj26EMES85viCPiv8B7D3 t5kXQQQ0CoBbWBOUmGqJlrQDe1Q12YuPLIjrYiFH/s4896/DSC03980.JPG)
Some beer is still fermented in open wooden fermenters and matured in wooden barrels, which I guess keeps the coopers in work. We're told they do this to ensure that the taste isn't different from when it's made in the modern vessels. I don't believe a word of this myself, firstly because fermenting and maturing in giant CCVs is definitely going to make a difference and secondly because it does actually taste different. I didn't notice any diacetyl and the bitterness came through a lot more. Lovely it was. Sadly we were running late so didn't get to go "full gas" on the beer which is a shame.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvC7M8F92LL4uUueemA6oFCkkPCoxG3FkYjn2kKEmMtO pag7PrAKhwq5Ku2uo69kOVRXyZSPDjeD82-SLl_7riHLKllHS90wbEBbeZVgmA9SDM5jhbI7D-hH244bvsm0UqDb6fb5_AWa9daa0F8hCHZQhwSj58_a2TDE8D1M lxU-_XYtW6fdWZfb3Eaghr/s320/DSC03985.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvC7M8F92LL4uUueemA6oFCkkPCoxG3FkYjn2kKEmMtO pag7PrAKhwq5Ku2uo69kOVRXyZSPDjeD82-SLl_7riHLKllHS90wbEBbeZVgmA9SDM5jhbI7D-hH244bvsm0UqDb6fb5_AWa9daa0F8hCHZQhwSj58_a2TDE8D1M lxU-_XYtW6fdWZfb3Eaghr/s4896/DSC03985.JPG)
If you want to look at the fermentation profile in wooden vats here it is:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKnSsoTwOhMmDOPJ_i9S1h8A6VlY29gNJbO28lrLRbA OevEVuoBZ1b04GvKAeGGMJxPxEIbAztk98IwWk_E0EGWI7KDjZ HzhyazIBvY22CUCES9IKVCnD-2hi2MuBBaMcpFfVk8QZrkSvkO1ANGI0rJ2bY87GmdntlvTTcVd MdT7N1Y5M1KumXfgeQAUS/s320/DSC03987.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKnSsoTwOhMmDOPJ_i9S1h8A6VlY29gNJbO28lrLRbA OevEVuoBZ1b04GvKAeGGMJxPxEIbAztk98IwWk_E0EGWI7KDjZ HzhyazIBvY22CUCES9IKVCnD-2hi2MuBBaMcpFfVk8QZrkSvkO1ANGI0rJ2bY87GmdntlvTTcVd MdT7N1Y5M1KumXfgeQAUS/s4896/DSC03987.JPG)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5T5v1mQ9C8z2oIpd6vTIpdZlU599n8wAEqvUSKnQ5Q XiU1qPEIAsQOVAqTWEBI7reLLwDHuWFu8A4B94KYXmnnxj_VXC _tiYkTHDl_bSLoM0Gs2shXwOWSdV_g1DLsnBHQPOmsqfgD-h90qLWnXCxD8kMfBKGBWYwi4388Ib2mDC5VdyTaBSlWU6Ylda/s320/DSC03988.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5T5v1mQ9C8z2oIpd6vTIpdZlU599n8wAEqvUSKnQ5Q XiU1qPEIAsQOVAqTWEBI7reLLwDHuWFu8A4B94KYXmnnxj_VXC _tiYkTHDl_bSLoM0Gs2shXwOWSdV_g1DLsnBHQPOmsqfgD-h90qLWnXCxD8kMfBKGBWYwi4388Ib2mDC5VdyTaBSlWU6Ylda/s4896/DSC03988.JPG)
They use their own lager yeast strain which is used for four generations.
As to the famous Pilsner water I'm not entirely sure what they do with it. We weren't with anyone technical when water was discussed and though I can't fault our tour guide's English I'm not sure about his technical knowledge. He said the water has its iron removed so it is deionised. Which left me confused. Was it iron or ions? Probably the former I would guess from something we learnt later in the study tour, and Pilsen water is famous low in ions anyway.
After all this we went to the onsite microbrewery but I'll leave that for later...
More... (http://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-visit-to-plzensky-prazdroj-brewery.html)