First 'real' Lager - Review

[waggastew]

My fourth homebrew and my first attempt at a proper lager yeast. Lager/pilsener style made to the following recipe:

1 x Morgan's Blue Mountain Lager
1kg Coopers BE1
12g Czech Saaz Hops Pellets (stewed in a cup of boiling H2O then all in)
S189 Swiss Lager Yeast

Brewed at ~12 degC for 3 weeks (OG 1040/FG 1012). Let it warm up to 18degC for the last few days just to finish it off. Bottled in PET straight from primary with 4.6g sucrose (a level teaspoon). Has been in the bottle at room temp since 1/6/10, making it a bit over 2 months old.

Tasting Notes: Tasted initially after a month but was undercarbed and still sweet. After two months it is much improved. Good carb with fine bead and good head, nice light colour. Very floral aroma, almost a bit soapish, maybe this is a fresh Saaz thing? Good balance on the palate with medium dry bitterness and a vague sweetness in the after taste that is not unpleasant. I am also getting a slight CO2 'bite' when in the mouth but the carb seems fine?

Overall a nice summer beer. Would also be a very good base for further experimentation with different hops styles. Next winter I might try the same recipe but with a different yeast (Cal Lager has been recommended) to see if the yeast is contributing anything to the profile.

Stew

 

[BjornJ]

Looks great!
Good foam/head as well. I am making a couple of lagers and mine seem to end up with little or no foam.

Bjorn

 

[milestron]

wierd - my situation is almost the same - 3rd brew and i've done a similar recipe
Blue Mountain Lager
BE1
Hallertau hops (prepped same as above)
s-23 Lager yeast
200g dextrose
measured OG a bit over 1040

after a 2 weeks my yeast seemed to stall so I pitched the kit yeast as well and gave it a swirl- i figure this way it's 3/4 'real lager'

having a bit of trouble getting the it to finish fermenting though - been 4 weeks now and although it seems to be bubbling (very slowly) - it's sat at about 1012 for about a week. 1012 seems like it's ready to bottle (i see that's what yours finished at), but it's just wierd that it's still bubbling (maybe every 15 mins?)

anyway i'll update when it's drinkable - probably be good to have a comparison with a very similar recipe just different hops

 

[Parrothead]

Stew -

Thats a GREAT looking beer!!! I like the looks of the recipe, too. Might have to give that one a go. Thanks for sharing!

 

[rendo]

Steep some carapils mate....say 200g....(300g tops!) It made a BIG difference to the head/foam in my lagers.....

rendo

(PS...good to see you back after the wedding & travel. I SO want to get in the nsw xmas case swap..but the stars arent lining up for me so I will give a it a miss....maybe this year just needs to be a write off for me re: club meets, case swaps etc....getting into BIAB will have to be enough for now and maybe next year I can get out from under the rock)

Looks great!
Good foam/head as well. I am making a couple of lagers and mine seem to end up with little or no foam.

Bjorn

 

[rendo]

Stew....great brew mate, better than great, its marvellous....here is a tip. I have done alot of experimenting around the sorts of recipe you have posted. Try this....instead of using 1kg of coopers BE1, BE2, dextrose etc:

- use 1kg of Light Dry Malt powder. OR
- 750g of light dry malt and 250g of wheat malt powder. the wheat malt will do wonders for head rentention

Try it, dont be a chicken it took me FAR too long to try this and I have never looked back since. It wont make your beer dark and it wont make it really malty etc, in fact it will make it GREAT... !!!

Money back guarantee mate.. try it!

Also, the soapy thing, I know what you mean, I had the same thoughts when I first used Saaz....so yeah it is Saaz kinda thingy ....I have never used Swiss Lager yeast, but I have used lager yeast such as WLP830 (liquid german lager yeast [white labs])...so I cant really comment on S189....but anyway....experiment and share here on AHB

try the malt suggestion mate....ALSO since the winter is going and you are going to give the lager yeasts a rest, try using US-05...a really good clean fermenting ALE yeast that will give you fake lager type results...so there you go mate...your next recipe could be:

1 x Morgan's Blue Mountain Lager
1kg Light Dry Malt powder[LDME] (or 750g LDME and 250g of wheat malt powder)
12g Czech Saaz Hops Pellets (stewed in a cup of boiling H2O then all in)
US-05 Yeast

I am super impressed that you let it brew that long, so many people dont have the patience, WELL DONE!!

endo

My fourth homebrew and my first attempt at a proper lager yeast. Lager/pilsener style made to the following recipe:

1 x Morgan's Blue Mountain Lager
1kg Coopers BE1
12g Czech Saaz Hops Pellets (stewed in a cup of boiling H2O then all in)
S189 Swiss Lager Yeast

Brewed at ~12 degC for 3 weeks (OG 1040/FG 1012). Let it warm up to 18degC for the last few days just to finish it off. Bottled in PET straight from primary with 4.6g sucrose (a level teaspoon). Has been in the bottle at room temp since 1/6/10, making it a bit over 2 months old.

Tasting Notes: Tasted initially after a month but was undercarbed and still sweet. After two months it is much improved. Good carb with fine bead and good head, nice light colour. Very floral aroma, almost a bit soapish, maybe this is a fresh Saaz thing? Good balance on the palate with medium dry bitterness and a vague sweetness in the after taste that is not unpleasant. I am also getting a slight CO2 'bite' when in the mouth but the carb seems fine?

Overall a nice summer beer. Would also be a very good base for further experimentation with different hops styles. Next winter I might try the same recipe but with a different yeast (Cal Lager has been recommended) to see if the yeast is contributing anything to the profile.

Stew

 

[roverfj1200]

wierd - my situation is almost the same - 3rd brew and i've done a similar recipe
Blue Mountain Lager
BE1
Hallertau hops (prepped same as above)
s-23 Lager yeast
200g dextrose
measured OG a bit over 1040

after a 2 weeks my yeast seemed to stall so I pitched the kit yeast as well and gave it a swirl- i figure this way it's 3/4 'real lager'

having a bit of trouble getting the it to finish fermenting though - been 4 weeks now and although it seems to be bubbling (very slowly) - it's sat at about 1012 for about a week. 1012 seems like it's ready to bottle (i see that's what yours finished at), but it's just wierd that it's still bubbling (maybe every 15 mins?)

anyway i'll update when it's drinkable - probably be good to have a comparison with a very similar recipe just different hops

I find that with S-23 I never get down under 1010 and most times 1011. Seems S-23 want finish off below this, so it also helps with body..

Cheers

 

[waggastew]

Stew....great brew mate, better than great, its marvellous....here is a tip. I have done alot of experimenting around the sorts of recipe you have posted. Try this....instead of using 1kg of coopers BE1, BE2, dextrose etc:

- use 1kg of Light Dry Malt powder. OR
- 750g of light dry malt and 250g of wheat malt powder. the wheat malt will do wonders for head rentention

Try it, dont be a chicken it took me FAR too long to try this and I have never looked back since. It wont make your beer dark and it wont make it really malty etc, in fact it will make it GREAT... !!!

Money back guarantee mate.. try it!

Also, the soapy thing, I know what you mean, I had the same thoughts when I first used Saaz....so yeah it is Saaz kinda thingy ....I have never used Swiss Lager yeast, but I have used lager yeast such as WLP830 (liquid german lager yeast [white labs])...so I cant really comment on S189....but anyway....experiment and share here on AHB

try the malt suggestion mate....ALSO since the winter is going and you are going to give the lager yeasts a rest, try using US-05...a really good clean fermenting ALE yeast that will give you fake lager type results...so there you go mate...your next recipe could be:

1 x Morgan's Blue Mountain Lager
1kg Light Dry Malt powder[LDME] (or 750g LDME and 250g of wheat malt powder)
12g Czech Saaz Hops Pellets (stewed in a cup of boiling H2O then all in)
US-05 Yeast

I am super impressed that you let it brew that long, so many people dont have the patience, WELL DONE!!

endo

Thanks for the tips Rendo.

On the malt thing I did consider using malt but I was concerned it would give the lager too much body? Its great that you did not find this so I will definitely give the malt thing a go next time. I have used all malt for an IPA and will be doing a LCPA clone with all malt for my next brew. U have read of some people using a bit of wheat malt in the LCPA clone so I might try 250g in the next beer.

As for yeast my first beer a CPA I used US05 instead of the kit yeast. It was a nice beer although I thought the USO5 was a bit too dry for the PA style. Having said that it would suit a 'psuedo' lager as you suggested. As I don't have a ferment fridge I could not brew a true lager yeast in summer but could get away with US05 at 18degC.

Steeping some grains is also the next obvious step for my beers. Have been trying to keep it simple but the great homebrew gods just slowly suck you in until in five years time I will no doubt have $5K worth of stainless steel in the garage!

Stew

 

[waggastew]

wierd - my situation is almost the same - 3rd brew and i've done a similar recipe
Blue Mountain Lager
BE1
Hallertau hops (prepped same as above)
s-23 Lager yeast
200g dextrose
measured OG a bit over 1040

after a 2 weeks my yeast seemed to stall so I pitched the kit yeast as well and gave it a swirl- i figure this way it's 3/4 'real lager'

having a bit of trouble getting the it to finish fermenting though - been 4 weeks now and although it seems to be bubbling (very slowly) - it's sat at about 1012 for about a week. 1012 seems like it's ready to bottle (i see that's what yours finished at), but it's just wierd that it's still bubbling (maybe every 15 mins?)

anyway i'll update when it's drinkable - probably be good to have a comparison with a very similar recipe just different hops

Bubbling may be due to CO2 coming out of solution. As you know I bottled at 1012 and the carb is fine, definitely not overcarbed or anything. You could try letting it warm up a bit for a few days. It is common to do this with lagers, it is called a diacetyl rest and helps the yeast clean up unwanted flavours. Certainly will not do any harm.

 

[rendo]

I cant tell you enough the difference a brew fridge has made to my beers. I am sure a ton of brewers here will say just the same. Given you have a garage you then automatically have the perfect spot for a brew fridge that doubles as a party fridge etc etc. Get yourself a temp controller from one of our sponsors or ebay and away u go......I am very happy with the one I got from ebay, wired it up myself as I am familiar with wiring up stuff

Do ittttttt lagers anytime of the year, cold crashing (this clears your beers so well), 18deg constant for ale yeast in summer...its the bomb!!!

rendo

Steeping some grains is also the next obvious step for my beers. Have been trying to keep it simple but the great homebrew gods just slowly suck you in until in five years time I will no doubt have $5K worth of stainless steel in the garage!
Stew

 

[waggastew]

Will put an application into the Minister for Family Finances for inclusion in the 2010/11 budget. Unfortunately it may be given a lower priority than nappies, high chairs and other assorted paraphernalia for our 4 month old daughter. If only I could get a 'baby' angle on the fridge......storing expressed breast milk......frozen teething rings......

 

[rendo]

Will put an application into the Minister for Family Finances for inclusion in the 2010/11 budget. Unfortunately it may be given a lower priority than nappies, high chairs and other assorted paraphernalia for our 4 month old daughter. If only I could get a 'baby' angle on the fridge......storing expressed breast milk......frozen teething rings......

EXACTLY!! I have the same challenges. 2yr old son & 6mth old daughter. Here is what I did....we were planning a party for the boy when he was turning 1....We use to have a fridge in the garage that died some time ago, it was really handy for parties etc etc. Since we had the party coming up, I saw a good fridge for sale on gumtree ($100, similar fridges on ebay sell for $300+)....so I told her about it and how I could resell (and make a profit)after the party if we really didnt want it anymore.....and the rest is history.. mrs loves the spare fridge...but mainly its mine Another $35 to buy the temp controller to make what is essentially a temperature controlled extension lead, that the fridge plugs into, everybody is happy and I convinced the mrs that it will make better beer that we CAN serve at parties. The problem with that is that it was TRUE....people LIKE my beer now, relos demand it...far out...!! haha, but seriously its wonderful to share the beer u make and have people go "WOW...U made that".....

Good luck...a spare fridge in the garage is always handy....Mine is a fridge/freezer, the freezer has come in handy when I (or the mrs) buy too much to fit into the main freezer. If any of these ideas help you in your quest for a fridge then I have done my job well

Rendo

 

[kierent]

Will put an application into the Minister for Family Finances for inclusion in the 2010/11 budget. Unfortunately it may be given a lower priority than nappies, high chairs and other assorted paraphernalia for our 4 month old daughter. If only I could get a 'baby' angle on the fridge......storing expressed breast milk......frozen teething rings......

I second the notion that a brew fridge is awesome. I actually use a dodgy old fridge off the side of the road and one of those 24 hour timers you can get from Big W. It just makes the fridge come on for 15 minutes every few hours and gives me a good constant temp. I'll get around to getting a proper temp controller which will make it even easier. This fridge isn't particularly economical but it only runs for a couple of weeks at a time each brew. I guess it depends how often you brew and how much you drink.

About justifying it to the Mrs, I got a decent fridge to put keg taps in and having the 2nd freezer has been great with 3 kids, frozen meals, bread, breastmilk, you know the drill. Just the second freezer was enough for us! The fridge section is reserved for kegs and beer lines