American Premium Lager vs. Dortmunder Export

[DaveSeattle]

What is the difference between an American Premium Lager made with European ingredients and a Dortmunder Export? My recipe is mostly pilsner malt with some corn and rice and noble hops, fermented with clean lager yeast, which seems to fit the ingredient description for both styles. It is in the gravity, bitterness and color ranges for both styles. So what is the difference between the styles, and is the beer a Premium Lager or a Dortmunder for competition purposes - or is it possible to fit both styles well?

Good news is that the beer's delicious, even after only two weeks of lagering . Super crisp, just the right amount of flavorful, and very drinkable. So now I want to see what the judges think.

 

[helibrewer]

I've never seen a Dortmunder Export recipe that uses adjuncts.

 

[DaveSeattle]

Ah great call, thanks. I was going on flavor descriptors more than ingredients, but the corn sweetness is probably too strong to be in style for Dortmunder (though the guidelines do say some sweetness is allowed). I've never had a Dortmunder so I'm not sure what they're supposed to taste like. Part of my problem is that this beer tastes so good that it's hard to believe it's in the same category as Corona .

 

[stpug]

There's a fair amount of difference in the style descriptions, particularly in IBUs, hop aroma, hop flavor, malt character, and, of course, ingredient choice.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style01.php

If you get some decent pilsner malt character along with a moderately-firm bitterness and noticeable hop aroma/flavor then I'd say you've got a DE. If, on the otherhand, those things are minimal than you are probably closer to a PAL.

 

[DaveSeattle]

Yep, there are obvious differences between the two ranges, but there is a middle ground at the top of the PAL range and bottom of the DE range, where I wound up. Of course most PALs are made with American malt and hops, but mine uses European ingredients because they taste better (and that's still in style as I understand it). I've got a balance towards the bitter and good pils flavor, but I think my beer has too little hop flavor and too much corn sweetness to be a DE. But I may enter it as both to see what happens .