Help! A California Lager or Steam Beer recipe?

Hi there!

I'd like to brew a relatively light colored beer on a all grain formulation, preferably using Wyeast 2112 California Lager yeast and Cascade and/or Amarillo hops. I think my base malt will be two-row pilsener malt, but I also have Maris Otter pale ale malt in stock.

What I would like is your recipes or recommendations on speciality malts and a your opnion on wether I should use dry hopping, which I havn't tried yet.

Best regards,

Christian Rahbek, Denmark

Here's my recipe for an Anchor Steam Beer clone. It's pretty popular with the natives.

Panhandler Common

A ProMash Engineered Recipe

BJCP Style Guidelines: 7B - Amber Hybrid Beer, California Common Ale

Min OG: 1.048 Max OG: 1.054
Min IBU: 30 Max IBU: 45
Min Clr: 8 Max Clr: 14
*Note: Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (USG): 6.00 Wort Size (USG): 6.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 12.50
Anticipated OG: 1.056 (13.8P)
Anticipated SRM: 8.0
Anticipated IBU: 36.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Fermentables:

8.00lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
2.50lbs. Weyermann Vienna
1.00lbs. Briess Victory
0.63lbs. Weyermann CaraAmber
0.38lbs. Muessdoeffer Caramel Pils

Hops:

0.50ozs. Northern Brewer (Pellet) 8.5%AA [90]
0.33ozs. Northern Brewer (Pellet) 8.5%AA [30]
1.04ozs. Northern Brewer (Pellet) 8.5%AA [15]
0.63ozS. Perle (Pellet) 6.6%AA [EOB]

Extras:

1.00 Unit(s) Whirlfloc Tablet (Fining) [15]
1.00tsp. Gypsum (CaSO4) (Boil) [60]
1.00tbsp. 5.2pH Stabilizer (mash/boil) [60]

Yeast: White Labs #WLP810~San Fransisco Lager

Water Profile: Marin County, USA
Profile known for: San Francisco Lagers a.k.a. Steam Beer

Calcium (Ca): 12.0 ppm
Magnesium (Mg): 10.0 ppm
Sodium (Na): 15.0 ppm
Sulfate (SO4): 17.0 ppm
Chloride (Cl): 13.0 ppm
biCarbonate (HCO3): 74.0 ppm

pH: 8.31

Mash Schedule: Fix's Modified 2-Step Mash (Domestic)

Protein: 117-122F [15-20]
Saccharification: 145-148F [45-60]
Mash Out: 165-168F [5]

Do you think I could work out a steam beer recipe similar to the one above that would use 2 row and munich malts instead of pilsner and vienna? I have a good source for the former malts, but would have to order in pils and vienna at higher cost (and time). Any idea on how changing those malts would affect flavor and/or correctness of style?

i don't think using the two malts you already have ample supply of would really change the flavor all that much. at least i can't really tell the difference between a standard 2 row pale malt and pilsner malt, but i'm crass and unsophisticated

D-brewmeister said:

Do you think I could work out a steam beer recipe similar to the one above that would use 2 row and munich malts instead of pilsner and vienna? I have a good source for the former malts, but would have to order in pils and vienna at higher cost (and time). Any idea on how changing those malts would affect flavor and/or correctness of style?

Click to expand...

go to www.beertools.com. they have a recipe formulator that you can use to make what you want. each category has a easy to use drop down menu. once you finish, it will give all the stat's, measurements, and let you know if your within that style guideline.

Cheers!
DeRoux's Broux

Here is the recipe I used a few weeks ago. The beer is amazing. Even better than anchor steam imho. This is for a 5 gallon batch.

10 lbs Pale Malt 2 row
1 lb 90L Caramel Malt
2 oz Northern Brewer whole hops (bittering)
2 oz Northern Brewer whole hops (aroma)
1 tsp irish moss
San Francisco Lager Yeast

OG was 1.052. FG was .008

Mashed @ 149 for 60 minutes. Sparged @ 170 for 20 minutes.
Boiled w/ 2oz hops for 60 minutes. Added irish moss and boiled for another 15 minutes. Turned off heat and added 2oz hops. Steeped for 10 minutes. Cooled and fermented.