All Grain To Serve To Mates

[drew9242]

Honestly if you are going to treat a lager yeast like that, aren't you better off just using us05 at 18?

 

[Nick JD]

Honestly if you are going to treat a lager yeast like that, aren't you better off just using us05 at 18?

No. US05 doesn't make beer that tastes like a lager. The lager characters are not there. IMO, a lager with USO5 tastes more like a Kolsch.

If you think commercial breweries that make lagers lager them for a month ... think again.

If you think it's not doable - try it, and report back.

 

[Bribie G]

Nick's right. There is another AHB member who has intimate knowledge of how megaswill lagers are produced. Nudge Nudge Wink Wink.

I've been gleaning his comments over the years and it goes like this:

Single infusion mash of plain base lager malt such as BB or JW lager. Mash at 63 then raise to mashout.
POR to 20 IBU or thereabouts.
30% of fermentables to come from plain old sugaz. (I use maltose syrup for a bit of smoothness)

Secret is in the fermentation. Use Wyeast Danish Lager yeast. Who do you think Fosters turn to when they have yeast renewal requirements? Yup they ring Copenhagen.
Wyeast isn't the same strain but close cousin.

Start fermentation at 14 then let it rise over a few days to late teens.
Fine the **** out of it and lager for a whole 10 days, but a week is fine if you can hover it around freezing

Keg and serve.
I took my last bottle of this recipe to PUBS club meeting tonight. Good reception.

Otherwise my American wheat described above hits a similar spot, but using the lager yeast gives that slight metallic twang and hint of sulphur you get from VB or CD .

Edit: the wheat is based on Murrays Whale ale and if finished with NZ Cascade I'd challenge you to do a taste off with mine. However even Whale Ale is probably a bit of an ask for a VB drinker so if you have a couple of weeks I'd go the Aussie Lager for authenticity.

 

[drew9242]

What yeast do you normaly use? I always arse about starting up liquid yeast for a few days witch becomes a pain, plus the longer ferment time means I don't normaly worry about lagers (although I did just put a pils in the fermenter). Might give a dried yeast a go and compare results.

 

[Bribie G]

I find liquid yeasts swell pretty quickly. If you smack the pack 2 days before the brew then save some wort on brewday itself and immediately chill that small sample and pitch the yeast in the starter at say 24 it will be crawling out of the jar in half a day. Do you no chill or flash chill?

Starting the brew at 14 you will only need one smack pack.

The Danish yeast is WY 2042

 

[drew9242]

Im a cheap arse and split a smack pack 3 ways do I step it up a couple times and it seems good to go. I usually use a bit of the brew day wort in the starter. I also no chill most of the time, it suits my schedule better and works well. Well I actually have Danish lager in the fridge so I might just try a Aussie lager clone and see how close it gets.

Edit: to stay on topic I would go with the blonde ale. Looks good might have to try it myself.

 

[Batz]

No. US05 doesn't make beer that tastes like a lager. The lager characters are not there. IMO, a lager with USO5 tastes more like a Kolsch.

If you think commercial breweries that make lagers lager them for a month ... think again.

If you think it's not doable - try it, and report back.

That's correct but most of the recipes posted here are more like pale ales than lagers. I wonder if mega swill drinkers would have a sip and say " Hey this is a pale ale not a lager"

I was more suggesting a pale ale with US05 because it could be turned out quicker than a lager.

 

[Nick JD]

That's correct but most of the recipes posted here are more like pale ales than lagers. I wonder if mega swill drinkers would have a sip and say " Hey this is a pale ale not a lager"

I was more suggesting a pale ale with US05 because it could be turned out quicker than a lager.

Tis true. I find swill drinkers (lager) are a bit put off by the cleanness of US05. They're used to more yeast (being abused) character.

Running US05 at 18C and S189 at 14C have the same speed to FG ... might even put a wager on S189 finishing first if it's pitched in the early 20s.

IMO, the lager will be clear without finings earlier than the ale (US05 is a floatie bugger) at < 4C.

Fast lagers can be great beers, especially if your audience is used to fast lagers. And anyone who's beer of choice is an Aussie Lager really doesn't deserve a lagered lager.

 

[punkin]

I try to give people a tastier beer than they would normally have ever tried, but still one they'll drink Also it needs to be remembered that it will have to be still one you'd drink after they go.

To this end i'll always have something a little lighter in colour, but still with a hop profile, like Ross's Summer Ale or some such on tap.

Mates drop round, they are not expecting to get a can of tTooheys at my place, but they'll ask for something 'lighter'.


Nearly all will drink Summer Ale, SNPA, Smurto's Golden etc. They may not always go and buy it from then on, but occasionally one will

 

[bullsneck]

You could use Nottingham. I made a Stone and Wood clone using Nottingham. The hops were wasted as the yeast stripped most of them out but the result was a clean, pale, quaffable beer that was finished pretty quickly.