Hello from a wannabe brewer.

[oldcrow]

Hi all, I am Martin. I've never brewed before. I'm planning to brew 1 gallon of Lager out of malt extract, just as an experiment to see how it goes, if I'd be able to continue in the small 1 bedroom appartment. Fermenting and lagering will happen in my kitchen fridge.

So far I reserch yeasts and hops, acquiring the basic equipment for the 1 gallon batch.

I have a very specific goal; to recreate a beer that no longer exists, I used to enjoy in my twenties; with subtle earthy and tobaccoey aroma, a shade darker and just a bit more bitter than the tipical lager.

I'm not quite sure if only hop will bring out the flavor I'm after, or malt plays a role too? For the begining I'll take Fuggle hop and Bohemian Lager yeast and see where it goes.

Suggestions very welcome.

 

[lumpher]

Welcome, Martin. Do you remember the name of the beer you want to recreate? If so, we might be able to help.

 

[Sammy86]

Welcome to the community! Good luck with your quest!

 

[AlexKay]

Hi all, I am Martin. I've never brewed before. I'm planning to brew 1 gallon of Lager out of malt extract, just as an experiment to see how it goes, if I'd be able to continue in the small 1 bedroom appartment. Fermenting and lagering will happen in my kitchen fridge.

So far I reserch yeasts and hops, acquiring the basic equipment for the 1 gallon batch.

I have a very specific goal; to recreate a beer that no longer exists, I used to enjoy in my twenties; with subtle earthy and tobaccoey aroma, a shade darker and just a bit more bitter than the tipical lager.

I'm not quite sure if only hop will bring out the flavor I'm after, or malt plays a role too? For the begining I'll take Fuggle hop and Bohemian Lager yeast and see where it goes.

Suggestions very welcome.

If you're starting with extract and 1-gallon batches in the kitchen, you could give some serious thought to dry yeast, for cost and convenience. You can pitch part of a pack of dry yeast and save the rest for future batches. W34/70 isn't the perfect yeast for every type of lager, but it's easy to use and it gets out of the way.

Subtle earthy and tobacco notes sounds like Fuggle to me, and that would definitely be where I'd start. There are other hops I use (Vojvodina, Sybilla, Helios, HBC 472) that have some of that character too, but they're pretty obscure and it's really unlikely they'd have been in your white-whale beer. But you might want to combine Fuggle with Tettnang or Spalt or Northern Brewer or something. Try the straight Fuggle first.

I'd keep the malt very simple at first: just one type of extract (preferably Munton's over Briess if you can.) When you start adding steeping grains (you want something a little darker) try dark Munich and/or pale chocolate malts, and avoid caramel/crystal (possibly with the exception of Simpsons DRC or Briess Extra Special.)