Will this work?

[Morrey]

I wanted to try putting my own extract recipe together so I could build my own kit vs buying a preassembled one. The better LHBS I use is 1.5 hours away so I don't make too many trips. I went in to find the owner's daughter working since Rick had surgery and was out for a week or two. She had little clue of anything in there but she did at least know how to run the grain mill.

I wanted a light, fresh lager to be ready by the hot months of summer, and my goal was a light refresher with fairly low IBU's. Since the owner was not there to consult, I had to fly solo as I selected ingredients for a 5G brew.

I almost don't know what this will turn out like, but I bought:

WLP800 Pilsner Lager Yeast
6# Breiss Light Pils DME
1# Rice Syrup Solids
12 oz crushed Carapils steeping grains
1 oz Hallertau Hops

Again, I am trying for a lager with a good lacy head, light and refreshing, low IBU's. Will this do the job for me?

I also considered adding .5 oz hops at beginning boil and other .5 end boil, any suggestions? All DME at beginning with rice solids? Or some late addition DME?

Thanks!!

 

[jekeane]

What AA are the halertau? I would assume around 3.5%. With only 1oz splitting up your hops may result in very little bitterness. Do you have any other random hops at home that might work for a late aroma addition?

 

[Morrey]

What AA are the halertau? I would assume around 3.5%. With only 1oz splitting up your hops may result in very little bitterness. Do you have any other random hops at home that might work for a late aroma addition?

You are on the money. Hallertau is Alpha 3.8% on the pack I bought. I do have one other pack in my fridge with is AU Topaz but that is some high AA stuff....16.5%. I could use the full ounce of Hallertau for full boil bittering, then add maybe 1/4 oz of this Topaz at 5 min left for aroma. Thoughts?

 

[signpost]

If you just want a crisp, refreshing lager, you might not need any late addition hops. You could just do the full ounce of Hallertau for 60 minutes and be done with it. With the rice solids, you'll have a pretty dry and crisp beer. No need for messing with adding extra hops, IMHO.

I have to ask, though. Do you have temp control for the lager fermentation? Just want to make sure.

 

[Morrey]

If you just want a crisp, refreshing lager, you might not need any late addition hops. You could just do the full ounce of Hallertau for 60 minutes and be done with it. With the rice solids, you'll have a pretty dry and crisp beer. No need for messing with adding extra hops, IMHO.

I have to ask, though. Do you have temp control for the lager fermentation? Just want to make sure.

Would I be best served to add all the DME and the rice solids (hops too) at the beginning of the boil and let it go at that?

Yes, I have a pretty good setup for lagering. I have a full size refrigerator with a Thermostar temp controller that I use for lagering kegs at 35F. I have an additional small chest freezer with an Inkbird that I use for fermentation only. That way I can bump the temps around for fermentation and resting, while not disturbing the other kegs I have cold conditioning.

 

[kombat]

The bitterness issue jumped out at me, too. I agree with the suggestion of adding all the Hallertauer at the beginning of the boil, and avoiding any late additions entirely. The rest of the recipe looks fine, just make sure you make a nice, big starter for that yeast. Lagers need twice as much yeast as ales, and a single vial of liquid yeast is generally inadequate for 5 gallons of an ale anyway (depending on production date, wort gravity, etc.).

What's your aeration/oxygenation plan? What temperature do you plan to ferment at?

Regarding your question about when to add the extract, I'd add 1/3 to 1/2 of the Light Pils DME at the beginning of the boil (lower the flame and stir well to avoid scorching, then turn the flame back up), then add the rest (including the rice syrup) at the end of the boil, just after flameout (again stirring well).

 

[signpost]

Yeah, splitting the extract and adding only half of it at the beginning and then adding the rest at the end of the boil is what I would do.

 

[Morrey]

The bitterness issue jumped out at me, too. I agree with the suggestion of adding all the Hallertauer at the beginning of the boil, and avoiding any late additions entirely. The rest of the recipe looks fine, just make sure you make a nice, big starter for that yeast. Lagers need twice as much yeast as ales, and a single vial of liquid yeast is generally inadequate for 5 gallons of an ale anyway (depending on production date, wort gravity, etc.).

What's your aeration/oxygenation plan? What temperature do you plan to ferment at?

Regarding your question about when to add the extract, I'd add 1/3 to 1/2 of the Light Pils DME at the beginning of the boil (lower the flame and stir well to avoid scorching, then turn the flame back up), then add the rest (including the rice syrup) at the end of the boil, just after flameout (again stirring well).

Thanks, Kombat. These responses have helped me finalize my brewing plans:

Make large starter on stirplate in 2L flask. Refrigerate/decant spent wort before pitching.

I have a boil kettle large enough for full boil 5G. Steep carapils grains, bring wort to boil after steeping, add 3# DME (1/2 of DME) and full oz Hallertau hops. Boil 50 min, reduce flame, add 3# DME and rice syrup boil 10 min. Add Whirfloc tab with 5 min til flameout.

Chill as low as IC will take it. Place FV in fermentation chamber and bring to 50F. Stir (like crazy) with a restaurant sized SS sanitized wire whisk until my arms are exhausted. Pitch decanted yeast while yeast temp is a couple of degrees cooler than wort, say 48F. Cover with lid/airlock and set fermentation chamber at 50F after testing for OG. Ferment for 10-14 days at 50F before checking to see if I am about 75% down to FG. Bring temp to 62F for two days for diacetyl rest. Rack to keg, cold condition at 35F for 6-8 weeks. Appx 10 weeks total time to tap.

If you see any flaws in my approach, please point this out so I can adjust.

THANKS!!

 

[kombat]

Sounds perfect! Update us after brew day and let us know how everything went.

 

[SanPancho]

i'd use a high AA hop at the start of boil to give you ~15 ibus or so, then use the hallertau at 10 and 5 for flavor. or if you like nice hoppy flavor beer, lower your boil to a slow roll and use half at 10, and the other half in dry hop once you've gotten to within 5pts of final gravity.

otherwise you're gonna get a bud light clone if you use it all at the beginning, it;ll be low ibus, but also no flavor. with that light of a grain bill and no hop flavor, you're gonna get malt water.

by using late you'll get nearly zero alpha acids since its so low to begin with, but you should get lot of its flavor. it will be a hoppy beer in terms of flavor/aroma, not bitterness.

 

[signpost]

I disagree with using the higher AA hops. I think Morrey's plan looks really good and should make a nice crisp, refreshing beer. And it should have way more flavor than BMC. You don't need late hop additions to have a good flavor.

 

[Morrey]

I disagree with using the higher AA hops. I think Morrey's plan looks really good and should make a nice crisp, refreshing beer. And it should have way more flavor than BMC. You don't need late hop additions to have a good flavor.

I was just looking at some numbers on BeerSmith per Kombat's suggestion. I honestly feel that I will have adequate IBU's from one ounce of Hallertau from the full boil of 60 minutes. Considering it is 90 miles to a LHBS, and I plan to brew this weekend, I'll go with what I have and I truly think I'll be happy. Maybe not real HOPPY but probably real HAPPY!!! LOL

 

[jekeane]

Good Luck!

 

[SanPancho]

You don't need late hop additions to have a good flavor.

seriously? are you hoarding your hops or something? any "flavor" you are going to get from a 60 min addition are going to be muted and weak compared to late addition, and thats if you can even detect them at all. 0-1 on a scale of 10.

OP says he doesnt want "bitter"- which is not the same as hoppy. now if he doesnt want bitter --or hoppy either--- fine. but he said he doesnt want bitter. which is why late additions- flavor/aroma, negligible IBUs.

if im wrong and he wants neither, then i guess that leaves you with yellow, fizzy malt water-- something along the lines like bud, miller, coors, corona, tecate, pabst, tsingtao, sapporo, kingfisher, molsen, etc. with the rice solids, i'd guess a sapporo/tsingtao taste mixed with german yeast.

dry, crisp, but no real discernable hop flavor. just some IBUs to cleanse the palate.

if the man wants lawnmower beer, that's what he wants.

 

[boydster]

I think it looks like a nice, refreshing brew with just the Hallertau. Between the DME and the added CaraPils, you should have a malty and very quaffable beer on your hands.

Hop flavor is nice to have, but beer flavor != hop flavor and hops certainly don't need to have a starring role in every recipe. And knowing what this recipe tastes like the way you have designed it will give you a nice base to use for trying all sorts of late hop combos later on if you want to start playing with that kind of thing.

 

[signpost]

There are flavors in beer other than just hops.

 

[kombat]

Hope you've already got your yeast starter going!

 

[Morrey]

Hope you've already got your yeast starter going!

Pitching starter tonite! Brewing Sunday afternoon.

 

[Morrey]

I think it looks like a nice, refreshing brew with just the Hallertau. Between the DME and the added CaraPils, you should have a malty and very quaffable beer on your hands.

Hop flavor is nice to have, but beer flavor != hop flavor and hops certainly don't need to have a starring role in every recipe. And knowing what this recipe tastes like the way you have designed it will give you a nice base to use for trying all sorts of late hop combos later on if you want to start playing with that kind of thing.

I find your evaluation of my goal very flexible and understanding. Of course I published this recipe for critique and that is the way I learn. For my thinking it's important to remember that my tastes don't necessarily need to translate into the tastes of everyone I know. Or their tastes shouldn't always dictate my tastes. Baskin Robbins makes 31 flavors for a reason!

I kinda burned out on heavier ales with deep hop profiles over the winter. I just wanted to try my hand creating my own recipe, shooting from the hip so to speak, and seeing what I came up with on the lighter side. I may hit the target squarely, or it may be a complete miss. No matter the result, I'll learn a lot and be proud no matter how it goes.

I am reading, learning, studying and really enjoying my brewing experiences. The ingredients I buy now are head and shoulders above the ingredients I bought in the 80's. Creating my own extract recipes, lagering/temp controlling and learning the BIAB AG method is a rewarding hobby to me. Thanks for all the support, feedback and great advice!!

 

[Lefou]

One of my first dark beers was a Franken-mess of Carafa III, rice, oats, dark and wheat LME fermented with WLP300 yeast. It didn't quite turn out like the Dunkelweizen I expected.

I realize now it was an issue of adjunct overkill and enthusiasm.

Oh wait ... this is isn't about dark beer. Never mind.

 

[signpost]

One of my first dark beers was a Franken-mess of Carafa III, rice, oats, dark and wheat LME fermented with WLP300 yeast. It didn't quite turn out like the Dunkelweizen I expected.

I realize now it was an issue of adjunct overkill and enthusiasm.

Oh wait ... this is isn't about dark beer. Never mind.

Well said.