Bighorn Riffle Brown Trout Pilsner

Golden trout over cold green cobbles

A 5.2% Czech pilsner for the Bighorn River, bready and crisp with Saaz spice, for the cooler after a long day of wading.

Brewed to order

Bighorn Riffle Brown Trout Pilsner shows two brown trout holding over river cobbles beneath a green bank and tan hills. The label runs in teal water, olive cottonwoods and a butter-yellow band.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 35
Colour: 14SRM
OG to FG: 1.0531.013

Czech pilsner, 5.2% ABV
Saaz hops at three additions
35 IBU with a dry, crisp finish
Two brown trout over river cobbles
Teal, olive and butter-yellow label

In the glass

A glass of Czech Pilsner: brilliant pale gold, thick white head.

14SRM

Bready malt and soft caramel, peppery Saaz, a firm bitter bite and a clean, dry finish

Serve: 45°F in a tall glass with a thick white head
Alongside: Grilled sausages, rye bread and sharp mustard

Two brown trout hang in teal water, fins spread, spots dark on gold flanks. A smaller fish drifts above them. Up top, cottonwoods lean over the bank and the hills glow tan in late light.

It pours deep gold toward amber under a tall white head. Bread crust and a little caramel up front, then peppery Saaz and a firm, clean bite. Open one when the rods are broken down and the sun sits low on the water.

Saaz goes in three times, and it carries the whole beer. Use it fresh and keep the bag cold, because that soft pepper fades fast once the hops sit warm.

The numbers

5.3%Alcohol by volume

(1.053 − 1.013) × 131.25

35Bitterness, IBU

Bitterness only means anything against the style. This one is a Czech Pilsner.

14Colour, SRM

The swatch above is this number on the standard reference ramp, not an impression of it.

Gravity1.053 down to 1.013 — 75% apparent attenuation.

Named for the Bighorn River

South-central Montana · MT

The water it is named for

Water type: Tailwater

Details

River: Bighorn River
Style: Czech Pilsner
ABV: 5.2%
Tasting notes: bready malt, soft caramel, peppery Saaz, firm bitterness, dry finish
Colors: butter yellow, teal, olive green, tan, brown

Make it yourself

A home brew day set up in a garage: kettle steaming on a burner, mash tun and chiller beside it.

At a glance

Style: Czech Pilsner
Gravity, OG → FG: 1.053 → 1.013
ABV: 5.3%Derived from OG and FG
Bitterness: 35 IBU
Colour: 14SRMdeep amber
Difficulty: Practised handa lager needs steady cold control for weeks.
First pint: 35 daysFrom brew day, including conditioning
Brew day: 2 h 40 minKettle on to kitchen clean. The rest is the yeast.
You supply: brew kettle, mash tun, wort chiller, fermenter with airlock, temperature-controlled fridge, hydrometer, thermometer, sanitiser, kegging or bottling gear
Written for: 5 gal (18.9 L)
Efficiency assumed: 72%Brew-in-a-bag, full-volume. House guidance

Grain bill

4 malts · 10.13 lb for 5 gal

Piles of pale, amber and dark malted barley on a wooden bench beside a scale.

Milled grain, weighed for each batch size. The percentage is each malt's share of the grist and stays the same at every size.

Malt	% of grist	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Bohemian Pilsner malt	74.1%	1.88 lb (0.85 kg)	7.5 lb (3.4 kg)	22.5 lb (10.21 kg)
Munich	14.8%	6 oz (170 g)	1.5 lb (0.68 kg)	4.5 lb (2.04 kg)
CaraMunich II	9.9%	4 oz (113 g)	1 lb (0.45 kg)	3 lb (1.36 kg)
Carafa Special II	1.2%	0.5 oz (14 g)	2 oz (57 g)	6 oz (170 g)
Total grain	100%	2.53 lb (1.15 kg)	10.13 lb (4.59 kg)	30.38 lb (13.78 kg)

Hop schedule

3 additions · 90 min boil

Whole green hop cones and hop pellets on slate, one cone split to show the yellow lupulin.

Pellet hops, weighed in grams. Boil times count down to the end of the boil, so 60 minutes means the first thing in the kettle.

Hop	Use	Time	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Saaz	Boil	60 min	14 g (0.5 oz)	57 g (2 oz)	170 g (6 oz)
Saaz	Boil	20 min	11 g (0.38 oz)	43 g (1.5 oz)	128 g (4.5 oz)
Saaz	Boil	Flameout	7.1 g (0.25 oz)	28 g (1 oz)	85 g (3 oz)

Yeast and pitch

Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager · 1 liquid pack for 5 gal

Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager. Pitch at 48°F.

Yeast	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager	1 liquid pack	1 liquid pack	3 liquid packs

One pack per 5 gal, and one more above 1.060 OG in a batch over 3 gal. Never fewer than one. House guidance

Water

8.69 gal into the mash for 5 gal

Full-volume brew-in-a-bag: all the water goes in at the start and there is no sparge. Volumes are the total to heat, so the kettle has to hold the mash and still leave room to boil: the 12-pack kit sells a 5 gal stockpot and the 12×12 kit a 30 gal kettle for that.

Water	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Into the mash	2.35 gal (8.9 L)	8.69 gal (32.9 L)	20.3 gal (76.9 L)
Boiled off	0.75 gal (2.8 L)	1.88 gal (7.1 L)	1.88 gal (7.1 L)
Held by the grain	0.2 gal (0.8 L)	0.81 gal (3.1 L)	2.43 gal (9.2 L)
Left as trub	0.15 gal (0.6 L)	1 gal (3.8 L)	1 gal (3.8 L)
Into the fermenter	1.25 gal (4.7 L)	5 gal (18.9 L)	15 gal (56.8 L)

Boil-off, grain absorption and trub are typical figures for a stovetop pot and a propane kettle, not measurements of your own gear. Brew once, note what you end up with, and adjust. House guidance

Water profile Very soft, low-mineral water with only a touch of calcium lets the malt and Saaz speak.

Mash

150°F · 60 min

The mash turns starch into sugar. Hold the temperature steady and the beer finishes the way the recipe intends.

Rest150°F for 60 minutes
Strike waterHeat to 160°F; the grain cools it to the rest temperature. House guidance
Mash-outRaise to 168°F and hold 10 minutes, then lift and drain the bag. House guidance

Mash ina cooler rest keeps the finish dry and crisp

Boil

90 min · 3 hop additions

Hops go in on a countdown from the end of the boil. Early additions give bitterness; late ones give aroma.

Length90 minutes
60 minSaaz
20 minSaaz
FlameoutSaaz
15 minA kettle fining (whirlfloc or Irish moss) clears the beer if you have one. House guidance

Boilthe long boil drives off the cooked-corn note pilsner malt can carry
Chillto 48°Flager yeast wants cold wort from the first hour

Fermentation

3 steps · first pint in 35 days

A glass fermenter of amber beer with foam on top and an airlock.

The recipe's own schedule, in order. Temperature control matters more than almost anything else on this page.

12 days at 50°F
2 days at 60°F for a diacetyl rest
3 weeks at 34°F

First pint 35 days from brew day.

Packaging and carbonation

2.4 volumes CO₂ · bottle or keg

Plain aluminium cans and a small keg on a workbench beside a priming-sugar measure.

Target 2.4 volumes of CO₂.

Bottling	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Corn sugar to prime	0.94 oz (27 g)	3.78 oz (107 g)	11.34 oz (321 g)
12 oz bottles it fills	12	50	144

Dissolve the sugar in a little boiled water, stir it gently into the beer, then bottle. The amount is worked out for 60°F, the warmest the beer got while it fermented.

Kegging Set the regulator to 10.2 psi at 38°F.

Kegging instead Skip the bottles with 3 × 5 gal ball-lock kegs, 1 × 5 lb CO₂ tank, 1 × dual-gauge regulator, 1 × gas and beer lines with picnic taps: the kegging upgrade for the 15 gal home brewery, $594.

Brewer's notes

3 tips

Pitch a big, healthy starter; cold lager yeast needs the numbers.From the recipe
Taste for butter before you drop to 34°F, and extend the warm rest if it lingers.From the recipe
Keep the Carafa Special II to the gram; it deepens the colour without roast.From the recipe

A fermenter, airlock, siphon, hydrometer, thermometer and bench capper. — The kit

Every kit size

Ingredients only

Ingredient kit · 12-pack batch

$26.42

$2.20 a bottle

Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 12 caps, for 1.25 gal.

Includes Bohemian Pilsner malt · Munich · CaraMunich II · Carafa Special II · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 12 items

Ingredients

Bohemian Pilsner malt$4.291.88 lb (0.85 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$0.976 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
CaraMunich II$0.724 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$0.090.5 oz (14 g) · Milled to order
Saaz (60 min)$214 g (0.5 oz)
Saaz (20 min)$1.5011 g (0.38 oz)
Saaz (flameout)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager$11.991 pack · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.360.9 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Ingredient kit · 12×12 batch

$181.30

$1.26 a bottle

Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 144 caps, for 15 gal.

Includes Bohemian Pilsner malt · Munich · CaraMunich II · Carafa Special II · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 12 items

Ingredients

Bohemian Pilsner malt$51.5322.5 lb (10.21 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$11.664.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
CaraMunich II$8.673 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$1.086 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
Saaz (60 min)$23.94170 g (6 oz)
Saaz (20 min)$17.96128 g (4.5 oz)
Saaz (flameout)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager$35.973 packs · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$4.5211.3 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown caps$6144

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery

Complete home brewery · 12-pack batch

$220.24

$18.35 a bottle

Bought separately $241.78 · you save $21.54

All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 1.25 gal. Works on a kitchen stove.

Includes 5 gal stainless stockpot · Fine-mesh brew bag · 1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung · 3-piece airlock · and 22 more

Every item in this kit · 26 items

Equipment

5 gal stainless stockpot$49.991
Fine-mesh brew bag$9.991
1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung$17.991
3-piece airlock$2.491
No-rinse sanitizer, 4 oz$12.991
Hydrometer and test jar$15.991
Digital probe thermometer$14.991
Mini auto-siphon with tubing$13.991
Spring-tip bottle filler$5.991
12 oz amber bottles$16.9912
Wing capper$19.991
Brewery wash, 1 lb$9.991
0.1 g kitchen scale$14.991
Long stainless spoon$8.991

Ingredients

Bohemian Pilsner malt$4.291.88 lb (0.85 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$0.976 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
CaraMunich II$0.724 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$0.090.5 oz (14 g) · Milled to order
Saaz (60 min)$214 g (0.5 oz)
Saaz (20 min)$1.5011 g (0.38 oz)
Saaz (flameout)$1.507.1 g (0.25 oz)
Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager$11.991 pack · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.360.9 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery · 12×12 batch

$1,277.30

$8.87 a bottle

Bought separately $1,399.08 · you save $121.78

All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 15 gal. You supply a propane tank and water.

Includes 30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer · 72 · 30 gal brew bag · 50 ft copper immersion chiller · and 25 more

Every item in this kit · 29 items

Equipment

30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer$3991
72,000 BTU propane burner and stand$991
30 gal brew bag$44.991
50 ft copper immersion chiller$1291
7.9 gal fermenting buckets with lids and airlocks$89.973
No-rinse sanitizer, 32 oz$32.991
Brewery wash, 4 lb$34.991
Hydrometer and test jar$15.991
Refractometer$29.991
Digital thermometer$24.991
½" auto-siphon with tubing$24.991
Bottling buckets with spigots$55.982
Bottle filler$5.991
12 oz amber bottles (6 cases)$119.94144
Bench capper$59.991
Mash paddle$24.991
Digital scale$24.991

Ingredients

Bohemian Pilsner malt$51.5322.5 lb (10.21 kg) · Milled to order
Munich$11.664.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
CaraMunich II$8.673 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$1.086 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
Saaz (60 min)$23.94170 g (6 oz)
Saaz (20 min)$17.96128 g (4.5 oz)
Saaz (flameout)$11.9785 g (3 oz)
Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager$35.973 packs · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$4.5211.3 oz · Primes to 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Crown caps$6144

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

The creator

John

@john

Tight line, quiet feet, zero slack.

See everything by @john

Remixes

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Where this came from

river beer · made September 16, 2026

1 save

8 — from 1 save, at the Derby's published weights, since September 16, 2026. Views are not counted.

czech pilsner
bighorn river
brown trout
saaz
lager
fly fishing
trout
homebrew recipe
pilsner
montana river