Tell me what you think about my fake American lager's progress.
8 lbs. pilsner
1.5 lbs. flaked corn
12 oz. crystal 10L
Magnum hops all the way; 27 IBU.
34/70, one packet
Fermented at around 65.
My OG was 1.050. I am now at 1.015. My notes from making this in the past are not great. Evidently, one batch got stuck at 1.020 and then went to 1.012 after I threw in a Beano tablet.
In 4 days, the current batch has gone from 1.017 to 1.015. I think it will probably go lower. It's only 9 days old.
If Beano only pushed this beer to 1.012 in the past, maybe it won't get there again with plain old yeast. I am thinking I should hope for a couple of more points and then keg it. Next time, bigger starter. I used WLP840 in the past. Perhaps that should be taken into account. I don't know how active or persistent it is. I tried 34/70 because I wanted to find out if I can avoid the hassle of making starters. Then I found out people recommended starters for dry yeast, so I guess the only benefit is skipping oxygenation.
Opinions about the beer's current status?
I really love this stuff. The smell reminds me of the cheap American beer men used to drink around me when I was a kid. The smell is the only good thing about beers like Pabst and Schlitz, in my opinion. It smells wonderful. The big difference is that this beer actually has hops in it, and at least to me, that turns it from a beer style people make fun of into something which is a real pleasure to drink.
I think American-style lager can be fantastic. I believe the big brewers won't try to make it because it would cost two cents more a gallon and they have trained generations of Americans to dislike good beer.
8 lbs. pilsner
1.5 lbs. flaked corn
12 oz. crystal 10L
Magnum hops all the way; 27 IBU.
34/70, one packet
Fermented at around 65.
My OG was 1.050. I am now at 1.015. My notes from making this in the past are not great. Evidently, one batch got stuck at 1.020 and then went to 1.012 after I threw in a Beano tablet.
In 4 days, the current batch has gone from 1.017 to 1.015. I think it will probably go lower. It's only 9 days old.
If Beano only pushed this beer to 1.012 in the past, maybe it won't get there again with plain old yeast. I am thinking I should hope for a couple of more points and then keg it. Next time, bigger starter. I used WLP840 in the past. Perhaps that should be taken into account. I don't know how active or persistent it is. I tried 34/70 because I wanted to find out if I can avoid the hassle of making starters. Then I found out people recommended starters for dry yeast, so I guess the only benefit is skipping oxygenation.
Opinions about the beer's current status?
I really love this stuff. The smell reminds me of the cheap American beer men used to drink around me when I was a kid. The smell is the only good thing about beers like Pabst and Schlitz, in my opinion. It smells wonderful. The big difference is that this beer actually has hops in it, and at least to me, that turns it from a beer style people make fun of into something which is a real pleasure to drink.
I think American-style lager can be fantastic. I believe the big brewers won't try to make it because it would cost two cents more a gallon and they have trained generations of Americans to dislike good beer.
