Let me answer the above questions, as best I can:
No, never had any beers analyzed. But in a direct comparison of a commercial brewed Helles, mine was substantially higher IBU. My 5D is quite bitter too, certainly on the high end of the scale. More bitter than I recall any of the beers on draft in Mainz and Frankfurt.
Living in North Texas, the elevation is around 700 feet above sea level. We do factor that in.
The beer brewed with the following recipe is quite good. It hits the marks in the BJCP guidelines for a 5D. But the bitterness, while not off-putting, is a tad on the high side based on my personal taste.
Like the above article stated, I guess an adjustment will have to be made, based on my past experience.
Water:
Ca = 40
CaCO3 = 99
Mg = 4
SO4 = 56
Total Hardness = 117
Total Alkalinity = 92
German Pils 5D
10 gallons
10 lbs Weyermann Pilsner
10 lbs Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner
12 oz Weyermann Carafoam
Mash -
Double decoction
Mash in at 139 for 30 minutes
1st decoc 5 minute boil - now 152 for 15 minutes
2nd decoc 5 minute boil - now 162 for 20 minutes
Mash out @ 170
8 gallons mash water, filtered city tap.
9 gallons sparge water, filtered city tap.
Hops - IBU target 39
3.8 oz Tetnanger 5.9% AA (90 minutes)
90 minute boil
The wort is rapidly chilled, getting to 100 F in about 15 minutes, and to 70 in about 45 minutes. But the wort is not run off until a good well defined cold-break is apparent. This may take an hour total time. Sometimes a little longer, summertime. At the end of chilling, the wort is brilliant clear, and the cold-break and all proteins get filtered out in the hop bed (whole cone hops).