First Lager Need Recipe

[billf2112]

Hi Fellow Brewers,

With my third brew in the secondary (blueberry wheat) for the next month, I wanna move on to my fourth brew.

Little history, only been brewing for a few months first 2 were simple brewers best kits, the third was a modified (very modified) HBS kit that was converted to a partial.

With the cold weather here, I thought a Lager would be possible. I been searching for a nice amber lager with a lower IBU (prefer around 15-20).

Not afraid of a partial mash, so if you have any recipes you are will to share, please do. I have scanned the recipe data base here and nothing really hits the spot in the extract or partial ones I have found. Maybe someone could help be modify a full grain.

I ferment in a basement closet (basement is heated) that is staying around 54 F with the door closed. Thin that would work for the initial fermenting of a lager then put it in a large tub with water and frozen 2 little water bottles to get it down into the 40-44 F range.

Looking forward to your input.

Thanks

 

[Yooper]

My maibock is pretty good. (Recipe posted under my avatar). It's easy, and really tasty!

 

[petep1980]

I really spent some time trying to develop a house pilsner which I think is a great style to work on. You can serve it to beer fraidy-cats, and it's very good to stock up on bulk ingredients. All you need is pilsner malt, saaz hops, and a lager yeast. Kolsch yeast worked well for me too in the high 50s, but it doesn't flocc as well as a true lager strain.

It's also a fairly dry style, so you can even save money with a low OG and still get something you like.

It's also cool, my homemade Pilsner comes in around 3.75-4% alcohol which is lower than even a miller lite I think, but you can get a much bigger malt flavor homebrewing it than you'd think.

 

[SwampassJ]

I just did my first lager last month. Unfortunately I'm one of those knuckle heads that skipped extract/partial and went AG from the start.

You can try just using an all Munich SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) to see what happens. Or try brewing an ale you know you liked and try it with a lager yeast.

Download Beersmith (free trial 30 days?) and play around with it. I just made
7.5lb Pilsner
1.5lb Munich
.25lbs Carapils
1oz 5.5% saaz at 60
.2oz 5.5% saaz at 5minutes

just to see what would happen.

 

[maltbarleyhops]

ive got a pils going now that should be very good.

11# pilzen malt
mash at 170 for 70 min.

80 min boil

2 oz hersbrucker plugs at 60 min
2 oz czech saaz at 10 min
irish moss at flame out

saflager s23

**has been fermenting at 54 deg f for 9 days and is winding down - guessing 6 more days.

if no diacetyl taste (and i dont expect any) rack to steel fermenter and lager 6-8 weeks

og - 1.058
f.g. ??? expected 1.011-1.016

if this comes out as tasty as i expect, ill have a house lager.

easy simple perfect.

 

[smp1]

Something simple, good, and easy?
Charlie Papazian's "Rocky Racoon's Crystal Honey Lager" has given many new brewers the encouragement they were looking for:

Rocky Raccoon's Crystal Honey Lager (Original)

3 1/2 lbs plain extra light DME
2 1/2 lbs light clover honey
1 1/2 oz Cascade or 2 oz of Saaz if you want a pilsnerlike character
1/2 oz Cascade (finishing)
American lager or pilsener type yeast