Sam Adams Lager Clone w/ Wyeast Cal. Lager

[Crashola]

I don't have a lagering setup, but I thought I'd take advantage of our cool temps to do an almost-lager using the ingredients listed in Northern Brewers John Q. Adams recipe. The recipe uses Wyeast California Lager yeast and purports to obtain lager-like results fermenting at lower ale temps. My crawl space under my house has been a very consistent 57 degrees and it shouldn't fluctuate much more than that over the next couple of months.

Anyone ever tried this? Thanks.

 

[BridgewaterBrewer]

No, but I don't think you'll go wrong.

 

[mooshimanx]

Sounds good, but I'm imagining the result will end up tasting a lot more like Anchor Steam than Sam Adams.

 

[Crashola]

Back with a review. I brewed Northern Brewer Sam Adams clone recipe using the California Lager yeast. I'm very happy with the results. It was my first all-grain attempt and I had some early issues with temp control in the mash, so it's a tad sweeter than Sam Adams -- but not decidedly so. I fermented in my crawl space where it was about 55-57 degrees and the results were a very clear and very clean beer. In fact, this was easily the clearest beer that I've ever transferred from primary to secondary. And the result is a nice, enjoyable clone that closely resembles the real thing.