Recipe for Bud Light Lime clone?

Ask me why, but all my friends want me to make a Bud Light Lime clone. ug. Well, whatever. It might turn out way better anyway, so I feel like giving it a shot. Does anyone have any recipes for something like this without the lime? I'll just figure that part out myself unless someone has actually tried this before and had results. I still have an ounce of Lime Peel laying around as well as some Orange peel, so I figured I would "dry hop" that stuff or add to the boil or something.

Comparing to the Bud Light Lime, here's what I want out of it:
I feel like I want more body, a tad more hops to balance out the intense lime flavor of it. Maybe a bit more ABV, but not much. 4.6%? This is meant to be one of those light summertime beers.

Any help is appreciated. I'm only on my second 5 gallon batch so I am still referencing the Brewcraft box directions haha!

You could get a bunch of guys together to drink good craft beer and then have them pee in a keg, then add club soda and some lime....sorry I couldn't resist...

Seriously, I would do something similar to the Cream of 3 Crops recipe that can be found on this site. I think it is in Ed Wort's signature. I made it from extract early on in my brewing, and with some lime concentrate, it would be similar to, but better than Budlight lime. Crystal clear and almost flavorless to a hoppy beer drinker.

If you do a search, there is at least one thread on here that goes detail on the nuances of making this beer. Personally, I like that beer on the right occasion (when I'm going to drink 12+ beers in a day), but given the significant amount of time and money that it takes to brew any beer, I wouldn't waste my time making that one....you can buy it for about what it will cost to make (and save 5 hours of time) and there is no "wow" factor for all your effort....just my 2 cents.

The recipe I was thinking of was Biermuncher's Creme of 3 Crops:
OG: 1.040
FG: 1.005
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 13
Mash 90min @152F: 2 lb 6-row, 2 lb flaked corn, 8 oz minute rice
Then add: 2 lbs 2 oz Pilsen DME
1oz Saaz @60 mins
1 tsp rehydrated Irish Moss @15 mins / or Whirfloc Tab
US-05 @65F or lower

You could beef it up with more DME and another hop addition for higher alcohol and a little more flavor.

Hethen57 said:

The recipe I was thinking of was Biermuncher's Creme of 3 Crops:
OG: 1.040
FG: 1.005
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 13
Mash 90min @152F: 2 lb 6-row, 2 lb flaked corn, 8 oz minute rice
Then add: 2 lbs 2 oz Pilsen DME
1oz Saaz @60 mins
1 tsp rehydrated Irish Moss @15 mins / or Whirfloc Tab
US-05 @65F or lower

You could beef it up with more DME and another hop addition for higher alcohol and a little more flavor.

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Haha @ peeing I'm the keg. It would still be better than that beer I'll bet.

I'm doing an extract brew, I'm not confident enough to start AG stuff quite yet.

Maybe I'll just do a blonde ale with some lime...

I'll second Biermuncher's recipe. I brewed it as prescribed but subbed in the San Francisco lager strain (similar lager characteristics at ale temps).

With a lime in it I was very much reminded of a corona with lime or a bud light lime, but still a marked improvement over either. Not really my favorite beer in the world, but it sure was a crowd pleaser amongst my BMC drinking friends.

Yup. That's my target audience, ha..

Brew something good and tell them to deal with it. They will drink it. If they complain call them a bunch of wussies. If they can learn to like ****ty beer they can learn to like good beer. Most people don't have to learn to like good beer because it's good, but hardheaded BMCers do.

That being said, if you want a lightish beer with lime flavor, I would do a Cream Ale, Blonde Ale, or Kolsch with lime. I am about to try a Lemon Zest Kolsch, we'll see how that goes.

Edit: Forget Cream Ale since you're extract. Also, don't be scared of AG. It's easy. Just takes a good burner, a bigger pot, and a cooler. If you can get those, the process is cake.

Actually, I found my variation on Biermuncher's famous recipe...it came out great for what you are looking for. It is a partial mash, but I didn't know what I was doing and basically did a steeping in the bag mash at about 150 degrees for an hour, using my extract pot, rinsed the bag with 170 degree water (sparge) and boiled like a normal extract recipe. It's a good intro to all grain and not much different than what you've been doing for extract, just another hour for the mash, and you get to learn something new. Here's what I did: mini mash in a bag with 3# 2 Row, 3# Flaked Corn, 1# Instant Rice, with water to cover for an hour at 150 degrees. Then rinse and bring to boil, add 3.5# Light/Pale Malt Extract Syrup; hop with .5 Willamette and .5 Crystal at 60min, Whirfloc at 15 min, 1 oz Saaz, .5# honey, .25-.5# Corn sugar/dextrose at flameout. S-05 for yeast. I kegged at 10 days and carbed. It was very drinkable at 3 weeks. OG 1.056, FG 1.015. Review the partial mash sticky and you will be fine.

Great ideas! Thank you all for your input. I think I will do a cream ale (since I have a kit laying around) and see how it is. Adjust for lime if I feel like it could benefit from it. That recipe is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for that, as well as the instructions, extremelyhelpful!

Stop hanging out with donks and make friends that like silly beer.

RenoDean said:

Stop hanging out with donks and make friends that like silly beer.

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It is more for the gorgeous women I hang out with

I don't care for fruit in beer. HOWEVER I do like Corona with lime, I think if you did a regular blonde or cream ale and served with a lime wedge in it, that would work. Or just force carbonate pee.

In all honesty, it would be better to just buy the beer rather than trying to make it. For only your second beer, it would be very difficult for you to completely clone BLL. Bud Light, while not a great beer in my opinion, does take a lot of skill to brew well. Something so lightly flavored will not mask any sins in your process.

If you want to brew it for the challenge, don't hesitate to come back when you're more experienced.

That is interesting for sure. I appreciate you keeping it real. I certainly don't want to get in over my head. Think I may just wait on weirder beers for now in that case

I heard that Greg Hall at Goose Island has a pretty good clone for this. I think it's posted around here somewhere.

Bud light lime drinkers can be broken...I will admit I was once one of them...start making good beers and they will never go back to that fizzy water. My wife has even shifted from that stuff to hoppy IPA's, porters, even stouts. However, if you want to start with "baby steps" a creme ale or that Biermuncher recipe would be your best bet.

Cream ale it is!

Hethen57 said:

Bud light lime drinkers can be broken...I will admit I was once one of them...start making good beers and they will never go back to that fizzy water. My wife has even shifted from that stuff to hoppy IPA's, porters, even stouts. However, if you want to start with "baby steps" a creme ale or that Biermuncher recipe would be your best bet.

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That is tooooo easyy for the gals.... a perfect excuse to start a cider @12% or a Riesling. Broadened the brewing horizons and has been more than well received by the girl(s) ;-)