Help with Lager

Hello folks,
I want to clone a local favorite but need help with a few things. This beer is a pilsner with heavy New Zealand Southern Cross hop additions. It is light bodied, malty with a crisp clean finish and not particularly strong (6.5-7%). The hops add a STRONG, but not piney, citrus flavor and aroma.

First, I have no experience with lagers. I don't know what recipe to start with, Czech, German, American? Another major concern is the yeast. I do not have a fridge or otherwise suitable storage available to properly lager. I'm thinking about using a tub with water and frozen water bottles, have seen this done online.

Second, I cannot find Southern Cross hops in small quantities. Can anyone suggest a good alternative?

Thanks in advance for comments and info!

Rambus

Do you have a cool room to ferment in? I do my lagers at 12C. If you don't have the ability to chill during fermentation, nor the time to sit around and wait about 3 months, then just do a pale ale or something.

I don't know what beer you are trying to clone so I can tell you which origin to start with. A good bet is Czech, or German.

I use SafLager S-23 Dry Lager Yeast and that seems to work great. As far as the southern cross hop question, a more experienced brewer may chime in. Maybe Pacific Gem may work? Its a quite popular New Zealand hop. In most of my pilsners I use Saaz, Hallertauer and Willamette hops. Although this last Pilsner I made I tossed some kent golding leaf hops in at the end of the boil 5 min as an experiment.

If the alcohol content is that high (are you sure it's that high? 6.5-7% is pretty out there for a pilsner), it must be closer to a Czech style since German Pils tends to be a little lower in gravity than the original.

I was just informed (no one here) that I may not have the intelligence level necessary to brew this beer. Apparently, I do not understand the concept of "looking", otherwise know as "searching". I may need to re-evaluate my abilities before attempting any further brewing. Thank you.

Rambus

LowBrewer said:

I was just informed (no one here) that I may not have the intelligence level necessary to brew this beer. Apparently, I do not understand the concept of "looking", otherwise know as "searching". I may need to re-evaluate my abilities before attempting any further brewing. Thank you.

Rambus

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WTF? Whoever said that to you is a total a$$hole! F**k them, make your beer!

wailingguitar said:

WTF? Whoever said that to you is a total a$$hole! F**k them, make your beer!

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Apologies...I was beating myself up. It was pointed out to me where I could find a lot of the info needed. A simple internet search gave me the starting point for grains and hop additions. Had I looked to begin with....