India Pale Lager

[Motabika]

I have tried a few IPLs and love the crispness and how the hops stand out so much.

Looking at brewing one and after a few pointers.

Firstly I am looking to use about 75% Pale ale malt, 10% each of munich and vienna and 5% Caramunich. Does this look ok?

Also am thinking about this as a hop schedule



Is two vials of yeast and a 3L starter enough?

Which yeast should I use?

Sorry for all the questions but this will be my first lager

 

[manticle]

While malt backbone is good in a lager and I love a blend of pale, munich and vienna in an alt, I reckon simplify the grist a bit to let the clean, crisp lager profile complement the hops.

I really like the munich lager and czech pils wyeasts but they do throw a bit of diacetyl so you need a good ferment schedule and plenty of healthy yeast.
2 fresh packs + 3-4 L starter in normal gravity, single batch volume should be ok off the top of my head. Otherwise look at drauflaussen.
Pitch cool.

 

[Motabika]

While malt backbone is good in a lager and I love a blend of pale, munich and vienna in an alt, I reckon simplify the grist a bit to let the clean, crisp lager profile complement the hops.

I really like the munich lager and czech pils wyeasts but they do throw a bit of diacetyl so you need a good ferment schedule and plenty of healthy yeast.
2 fresh packs + 3-4 L starter in normal gravity, single batch volume should be ok off the top of my head. Otherwise look at drauflaussen.
Pitch cool.

Thanks Manticle.

Would say 95% pale and 5% vienna be a better grain bill?

Looking a OG of 1.066

 

[manticle]

That sounds good.
Best check a yeast calc for the required amount of yeast. I'm a guesstimate kind of guy, usually 6L, active starter, same wort is what I do but lagers get better results when yeast is calulated rather than guessed. Plenty of aeration/oxygenation too.

 

[Blind Dog]

Have you read the article in BYO November 2013: https://byo.com/hops/item/2875-india-pale-lager-roundtable

Lots of pointers and opinions from pro Brewers

 

[manticle]

American brewing always seems to use 80 ingredients to achieve what you can with 6.

 

[Motabika]

Think I may go with this malt bill, sound ok?

 

[hoppinmad]

I have tried a few IPLs and love the crispness and how the hops stand out so much.

Looking at brewing one and after a few pointers.

Firstly I am looking to use about 75% Pale ale malt, 10% each of munich and vienna and 5% Caramunich. Does this look ok?

Also am thinking about this as a hop schedule

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1428099922.825609.jpg

Is two vials of yeast and a 3L starter enough?

Which yeast should I use?

Sorry for all the questions but this will be my first lager

With regards to the hop schedule... it seems sacrilege to waste mosaic on a single bittering addition. It contributes amazing tropical fruity aromatics when added late and is great in combination with amarillo. Do you have any clean high alpha bittering hops that you could put in its place? Add 30g Mosaic in the whirpool and you'll be blown away :icon_drool2:

I would probably just go with a simple 80 base, 15 munich/vienna, 5 light crystal grain bill personally

edit... oh and if you can get your hands on some s-189 lager yeast (AKA Swiss Lager) I would go with a couple of sachets of that. Very clean and allows hop aromas to shine. I made an all Nelson Sauvin lager with it and it worked out really well

 

[Motabika]

With regards to the hop schedule... it seems sacrilege to waste mosaic on a single bittering addition. It contributes amazing tropical fruity aromatics when added late and is great in combination with amarillo. Do you have any clean high alpha bittering hops that you could put in its place? Add 30g Mosaic in the whirpool and you'll be blown away :icon_drool2:

I would probably just go with a simple 80 base, 15 munich/vienna, 5 light crystal grain bill personally

l

I too love mosaic, but have some that had been in the freezer a bit too long so figure I will use it for bittering.

In terms of the malt I was trying to avoid using crystal, but if it needs it it needs it

 

[hoppinmad]

l

I too love mosaic, but have some that had been in the freezer a bit too long so figure I will use it for bittering.

In terms of the malt I was trying to avoid using crystal, but if it needs it it needs it

It doesn't need it... it's just my preference. I tend to like using about 200g of light crystal (say for example caramunich I at 40L) in a beer that has a substantial hop bill. It just seems to provide a little more balance to the beer. It will still allow you to get the beer nice and dry and clean but will just take any of the sharp edges off.

 

[Motabika]

It doesn't need it... it's just my preference. I tend to like using about 200g of light crystal (say for example caramunich I at 40L) in a beer that has a substantial hop bill. It just seems to provide a little more balance to the beer. It will still allow you to get the beer nice and dry and clean but will just take any of the sharp edges off.

I might run with 5% Caramunich I I thinks,

Thanks for the help, much appreciated

 

[Motabika]

So I am going to brew this finally on the weekend, I have gotten my hands on S-189 and will go with the malt bill above, I really undecided on the hop schedule though, I want it to be full on hop flavour but want it to be unbalanced, how does this look?

 

[Motabika]

Anyone #tumbleweeds

brewing this tomorrow, rolling with hop schedule above unless someone convinces otherwise

 

[Dae Tripper]

Good luck with the brew champ. Looks like a wild hop schedule. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Motabika]

Good luck with the brew champ. Looks like a wild hop schedule. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks Dae Tripper, fingers crossed.