This recipe comes directly from Marc, our business developer.
The idea ? To make a crushable blonde with a distinctly hoppy and resinous character. And in just 3 to 4 weeks !
Brew our West Coast Pilsner recipe step by step :
Step 1 :
Start by pouring 17.5 liters of water into your kettle and heat it to 70°C. Once the temperature is reached, add your grains and stir thoroughly to prevent clumps.
Keep stirring until the temperature naturally drops to 66°C, then hold it steady at that level for 60 minutes to allow saccharification.
While this step is underway, heat 15.7 liters of water separately to 77°C for later use.
After the saccharification is complete, raise the mash temperature to 75°C and maintain it for 10 minutes to perform the mash-out.
Step 2 :
Once the mash-out is complete, proceed with lautering and sparging to separate the wort from the spent grains and rinse them thoroughly.
Step 3 :
Bring your kettle to a boil and maintain a rolling boil for 60 minutes.
At the very start of the boil, add the first 12 grams of Columbus hops.
With 15 minutes remaining, introduce the Cascade and the remaining Columbus hops.
If you’re aiming for a clearer final beer, you can also add 5 grams of Irish moss at this stage.
And if you’re using an immersion chiller, now’s the time to sterilize it by placing it directly into the boiling wort.
Step 4 :
Once the boil is complete, cool your wort down to 18°C.
While traditionalists might opt to ferment this beer at a classic lager temperature of 12°C—which would work perfectly well—the real strength of Novalager lies in its flexibility. At 18°C, it remains clean and neutral, and fermentation will proceed more quickly.
Take a gravity reading at this stage; it should be around 1.054. Then transfer the cooled wort into your fermenter.
Step 5 :
After one week, raise the fermentation temperature to 19°C and wait until the gravity drops to around 1.010.
If you have the equipment, perform a cold crash for a few days between 3 and 5°C.
Traditionalists might prefer a longer cold conditioning period lasting several weeks—and that’s never a bad idea.
Ideally, you’ll be using a pressure-capable fermenter, which allows you to carbonate to 2.3 volumes of CO₂ and serve the beer directly.
Otherwise, go for classic bottling, priming with 6g of sugar per liter.
Conclusion :
This ultra-crushable lager captures the West Coast spirit in a golden pour : dry, crisp, subtle yet aromatic. Beneath its apparent lightness lies a hoppy complexity that will appeal to both pilsner lovers and fans of resinous hops.
A thirst-quenching beer, yes — but one with true character.
Marc’s Tips :
If you’re brewing this recipe in high temperatures, feel free to swap out Novalager for WHC’s High Voltage strain. Sure, it leans less into the classic lager vibe, but the aroma profile stays clean—even at 30°C!
The original version of this recipe actually used Simcoe instead of aromatic Columbus. That tweak gives it a slightly fruitier edge, dialing down the West Coast punch. Don’t worry about switching the hops—it’s not heresy, just a different groove.
