The reason I brew Light American Lagers is that they are about the most difficult to get perfect, as you can't hide behind complex flavors any of your flaws. It is the difficulty that makes brewing this style difficult to master.
I'm a fellow traveler.
I wasted the 90s trying to turn big into bigger into huger into massive-ist. It eventually dawned on me that even the village idiot could turn 16lbs of grist and a half pound of hops into something tasty. I've spent the last 20 years doing the majority of my brewing below 1.045. It lets you have a beer with dinner during the workweek and a couple on the weekend. Best of all, it's
so rewarding when you make a candy-inna-can swiller's eyes go wide when they find out that your vividly flavored beer is about 4%.
Here are two of my favorite American lager recipes. First, a light American lager, then an American lager. I'll concede that both cheat by using German pils. Also, "Panther Piss" is my father's preferred appellation for beer of inferior quality.
Grist percentages will not add up to 100%. I've rounded off to the nearest whole number, as these recipes were written for my rig, not yours.
Panther Piss: An Aquatic Odyssey
This is a light American lager.
OG: 1.040
IBU: 11.4
SRM: 2.7
65% German Pils
20% Rice
15% Corn
Hochkurz mash 60/60/20--rests extended for dryness
6.9 IBU Magnum @90
5.5 IBU Tettnanger @10
1oz Saaz @ 0min, immediately turn on your IC, do not hop stand
34/70 @ 50F following the modern lager schedule, ferment at 55F if you want a bit of yeast character
Notes: This recipe is all about the balance between the corn and the rice. There should be just enough corn to provide an American flavor, the rest of the adjunct is rice which serves to dry the beer out as much as possible while preserving the corn flavor. Replace the corn with rice for an even dryer finish, but the beer will skew away from "American" and more toward "International." Or just plain boring.
Panther Piss: A Fizzy Yellow Odyssey
This is a standard American lager that makes everyone happy. It tastes big, is refreshing, but lingers in the mouth.
OG: 1.048
IBU: 15
SRM: 3.2
73% German Pils
18% Corn
10% Rice
Hochkurz mash 60/60/20min
10 IBU Magnum @90
4 IBU Tettnang @20
1.1 IBU Tettnang @10
.6 IBU Tettnang @5
34/70 @ 50F, don't try an elevated fermentation on this beer. The grist is aiming at as much flavor as possible, anything the yeast contributes will be too much.
Notes: This beer trades the dryness of rice for the flavor of corn and boosts the gravity a mere .008 points. The difference is amazing. Aquatic is a flavorful crusher, but Fizzy Yellow will withstand a bit of thoughtful glaring at your pint. It even holds up well to pointed eyebrows. This is a real beer that bears thinking about.