what grains do i need to turn my straw pilsner into a golden lager

[fluketamer]

hi i brewed a straw colored pilsner with the following recipe.

9 lbs of briess pilsen malt
1 lb of flaked corn
.5 lbs carapils.
.5 lb of dextrose
2 oz of rice hulls
1 oz nz pacifica at 60
1 oz nz pacifica at 10
1 oz huell melon whirpool

its very good but i would like it more golden color closer to like 5 srm . i already plan to leave out the corn and dextrose but not sure what grains to color it with.

theres so many lager recipes out there that im not sure what grain to use.

for 6 gallons i was going to add about 9 lbs of 2 row. how much and what grain would make this more like 5 srm
dont care about the style just want it more yellow ./ golden
i have .25lbs of carabelge on hand but was going to make a run to the lhbs so i can basically get anything
what would you add to color your lager
munich light
vienna
caramel 60
carahell
please help
thanks

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I would use Munich or Vienna

 

[fluketamer]

thanks how much munich or vienna i dont want it too dark

 

[scrap iron]

1 pound of Munich added to the Pils malt and Carapils you have in the recipe gets 3.33 SRM. This is in line with an American lager that is 2-4 SRM. 1 1/2 pounds Munich gets it to 3.7 SRM.
If using Vienna 1 pound gets around 3 SRM and 1 1/2 pounds gets you 3.33 SRM.
I checked this out on Brewers friend recipe page.
It depends on what you what in the beer. Munich will add more malty taste and the Vienna a little less malty. I use Vienna in beers that I like a little dryer and Munich in the ones I want more malt flavor. You could use the two together too.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Agreed 400-500g of Vienna would do the job.

 

[rhys333]

hi i brewed a straw colored pilsner with the following recipe.

9 lbs of briess pilsen malt
1 lb of flaked corn
.5 lbs carapils.
.5 lb of dextrose
2 oz of rice hulls
1 oz nz pacifica at 60
1 oz nz pacifica at 10
1 oz huell melon whirpool

its very good but i would like it more golden color closer to like 5 srm . i already plan to leave out the corn and dextrose but not sure what grains to color it with.

theres so many lager recipes out there that im not sure what grain to use.

for 6 gallons i was going to add about 9 lbs of 2 row. how much and what grain would make this more like 5 srm
dont care about the style just want it more yellow ./ golden
i have .25lbs of carabelge on hand but was going to make a run to the lhbs so i can basically get anything
what would you add to color your lager
munich light
vienna
caramel 60
carahell
please help
thanks

You could also hit it with a little victory malt, say 5%, for a little je ne sais quoi.

 

[G_robertus]

I've tried a few grains in light lagers and my favourites are probably CaraHell or equivalent and Caramel 50 EBC. They soften up the beer as well if you add 2.5-5%.

Toasted malt like biscuit gives you a drier and perceivably more bitter beer. If you really want just colour you could even try adding in 0.5% Carafa Special III or equivalent at the end of the mash. I'm not sure on the amounts and what it would do for flavour though and it seems like a waste to buy it just for this.

Munich malt can make your beer seem overly malty-sweet if it's (very) dark Munich, but otherwise it adds another layer of flavour. It can dominate a bit though if you add too much to bump up the colour. If you're really ambitious you can also try decoction for added colour and flavour in a SMaSH recipe.

 

[hottpeper13]

If you're happy with the flavor ,you can add 7-14 grams of a black malt like Midnite Wheat or carafa III, Black Prince,you get the idea.
I make a 30% rice lager and use 7 grams to keep it from looking like bud lite.