First Lager Recipe Check

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DanteHicks

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Hi all,

I am experimenting with a light red lager, and this is what I have come up with so far. Can you please let me know if I am doing anything stupid here?

3.0kg Pilsner
0.5kg Vienna
0.5kg Carared
0.15kg Carapils
0.5kg Rice
CZ Saaz at 60, 40, 20 to 35 IBU - Not sure on the hopping yet, want to use CZ Saaz, Amarillo, Galaxy or Cascade as that is what I have available.
Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager in a 2L Starter.

Mash at 64 for 60 mins
Ferment at 12, up to 17 for a few days then age at 4 for about a month.

Any ideas would be most welcome, please keep in mind this is my first go at designing a recipe.

Scott
 
I brew very few lagers, but to my taste 0.65kg of Cara malts will make this rather cloying or sweet, even though you intend to mash somewhat low at 64C.
I'd rethink that aspect of your recipe.

I brewed an Alt recenly, with 0.35kg Carabohemian, and I wish now I'd cut it back to about 0.25kg. The only thing keeping it in balance is that I bittered to about 50 IBU.

Other more experienced lager specialist will hopefully give you more assistance.
 
If it's your first lager I would just go for 95% pilsner malt 5% carapils and hop with your czech saaz somewhere around the 35-40 IBU mark. ferment around 10-12 deg with 4 packs of your boh pils or make a starter. Mash around 66-67. I would agree that that much spec malt in a lager would make it out of balance.
Maybe an OG of 1.056
FG of 1.016

cheers
 
Thanks for the feedback guys,

Perhaps I should rework things a bit, however the aim here is to make a red lager. Should I go 95% pils, and 5% carared?

Or perhaps I should just get the standard lager down pat first then try with the experimenting with red?

Thanks

Scott
 
I wouldn't mind a crack at a lager but is it possible to carb in bottles? I've read conflicting accounts of that.
 
To include enough Carared for colour, how would one modify this recipe to not be too malty sweet?

To the Pink Panter tune,

Bump Bump,
Bump Bump,
Bump Bump,
Bump Bump,
Bump Bump,
Bump Bump,
Bump Bump,
Bump Bump,
Bump Bump Bump Bump.

:p
 
O.K I'll bite.

Not the most experienced lager brewer but I'd go with 96% Pils and 4% Carared. Bitter with Saaz as per your O.P. Wouldn't worry about any additiional hopping myself.

Mash at 63* for 45 mins then raise to 72* and rest 30 mins.

Perhaps most importantly go for a good long boil of 90 mins plus.
 
Thanks heaps, my apologies for the shameless bump.
I will try this as soon as the grain arrives.
Aim for 30-40 IBU?
Scott
 
thats a lot of ibu's for a lager but then again it looks kinda like an apa recipe but with pils malt and a lager yeast

my first lager was 100% pils with tettnang to ~22ibu split between 60 and 20 min additions and that turned out to be quite nice

i'd dumb it right down and from that you can decide what direction you wanna go for your next batch
 
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