Mid Strength Lager

[mobrien]

Hi guys,

I'm on a diet having to loose around 10kg - not that I'm overweight, its just my damn knee is screwed and until I get the op I need the Dr said the best thing would be to get to the low end of reccomended BMI for someone of my size.

Given this is a long term change, I need to get more mid strength beers on tap - the belgian doubles and double IPA's certainly are off limits for the next little while!

I already do an amber that I like - thats always on tap. But I want to add a cystal clear lager to the mix - in the 3 to 3.5% range.

Anyone got a tried and tested winner for me to use as a starting point? I plan to mash high (68 or so) and use a well attenuated yeast, but want to ensure I have that full strength taste.

So bring it on!

M

 

[Adamt]

Hops, hops, hops!

I've just done a fairly basic sorta house lager, and it went something like this:

95% galaxy, 5% caramalt (can drop this or use carapils but i wanted some colour)
1g/L B saaz flowers for FWH
1g/L B saaz flowers at 5

S-189 yeast at 10C.

It's currently fermenting at the moment, so it's not tested yet.

It did end up around OG1.052, but there's no reason you couldn't drop the grain bill and adjust to 90% galaxy, 10% carapils for extra body (according to beersmith you can use up to 20% carapils in low-alc beers).

English mild is also a very tasty mid-strength style.

 

[Chris]

I agree,

lots of good hops and use good malt (weyermann pils) with maybe 5% melanoidin or 10-20% munich.

I quite frequently brew a Pils style OG=1.040 and IBU 35-30 with good continental hops. turns out about 3.8% ABV and very popular.

Dont mash high, you will mask the husky-grainy sweetness of the malt and spicy flavour of the hops.

Also, 1g/L at 15M and 1.5G/L at 0-5m of excellent Aroma hops, dont forget a low co-humulone hop for bitterness 15m after the start of the boil.

This should give you a tasty, delicate continental lager.

Cheers

 

[Pat Casey]

1. Up the caramel malt, say 10 to 15%, and mash low.
2. Technique: Mash 3.5 kg in about 20 litres, add about another 8 litres of boiling water to mash out, run out the sweet wort without sparging. A thinner mash will convert in about 30 minutes it also produces a more fermentable wort, so mash at "normal" temperature to compensate. Should get about 20 or so litres in the fermenter with an OG of about 1032 and lots of flavour. Extract effeciency isn't great, but then high effeciency usually comes at the cost of flavour anyway. Like this you should be able to produce the wort in about 3 hours.

Pat
Absolute Homebrew