Lawnmower Beer

Spring/Summer is coming quick!

I’m looking for a simple, light, crisp and refreshing all grain lawnmower recipe.

Does anyone have some recipes they’d care to share?

Thanks!

My house beer. 10 gallon batch, OG = 1.047, ABV = 5.3%:

English Best Bitter
14 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt, English 83.76 %
1 lbs Carastan Malt (35L) 5.78 %
12.0 oz Wheat, Torrified 4.33 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils 2.89 %
1.0 oz Carafa I -Dehusked 0.35 % (Added during sparge)
8.0 oz Lyle’s Golden Syrup 2.89 %
1.20 oz Target [11.90 %] (60 min) 28.8 IBU
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) 4.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (0 min) 
2 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04)

Kolsch is a great one (my recipe is basically 95% pils, 5% wheal, 30 IBUs noble hops, kolsch yeast, 150 degrees single infusion, 90 min boil, pitch at 58, ferment 60-62, lager 2-4 weeks.)

But a good CAP or Cream Ale is what I make every year for summer.

Alabama Shine
OG 1.048
IBU ~37
12 Gallons

15 lbs Pilsner Malt
5 lbs Yellow Corn Grits (you can sub flaked maize)

1 oz Magnum (14aa) 60 min
1oz Liberty (4 aa) 20 min
1oz Liberty (4aa) 10 min

Lager (S-189) for CAP or Ale yeast (US-05) for Cream Ale

Mash in at 150-152 for 60 min, 90 min boil.

For lager ferment at 48 degrees for Cream Ale ferment at 58

Lager 2-4 weeks.

Keith,

How many packets of S-189 would you suggest using for a 5-gallon batch?  In your experience, is it as good as liquid lager strains?

I just brewed my first CAP last weekend and am fermenting it with Wyeast 2278 Czech Pilsner.  I’m planning on pitching another one on top of the cake next weekend.

My lawnmower beer is an American Wheat with honey…

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
3 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 38.07 %
3 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 38.07 %
8.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 6.35 %
0.38 oz Magnum 12.9 [12.90 %] (60 min) Hops 19.2 IBU
1.00 oz Hallertauer 3.6 [3.60 %] (15 min) Hops 7.1 IBU
1 lbs 6 oz Honey (1.0 SRM)(added end of boil) Sugar 17.51 %
1 Pkgs American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) Yeast-Ale 
 
Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.049 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.79 %
Bitterness: 26.2 IBU
Est Color: 4.8 SRM

For a 1.050 beer 2 packets per 5 gallons - I rehydrate for lagers. be prepared for a fairly long lag on the first gen, up to 72 hours, but 2nd gen is much faster. Is it as good as liquid strains? I would give S-189 a B+ or A- as a strain all by itself. Its like the US-05 of lager strains. Very clean fermenter and lets the malt come through. I use it for simplicities sake. I have heard the argument that it makes better dunkles than pils but it is so clean that I will use it for any lager.

Didn’t you used to put some rye in your Alabama Shine?

I’ve been on this kick lately to take lager recipes and brew them with Ale yeast (works great with schwarzbier).  This is from one of Charlie’s recipes from Zymurgy, I’m going to make it with Pac-Man yeast:

American 2-row- 8.5#
Belgian Aromatic Malt- .5#
Honey Malt- .5#
Aciduated malt- .25#

Mt. Hood Pellets- .5 oz @ 60 min
Hallertau Pellets- .75 oz @ 30 min
Crystal Pellets- .5 oz @ 1 min
Crystal Pellets- .5 oz dry-hopped

It seems like a well-balanced, easy drinking brew.

I was hoping no one would notice that.  :stuck_out_tongue: Yeah, I increased the corn percentage significantly and was concerned about enzyme potential in the rye so I omitted it. I am planning to try to sub out 5-10% rye this summer for the pils to see what happens. I imagine the enzymes in the pils are more than enough to convert everything but I just haven’t had time to find out.

Sorry about that :-[  I’ve made several batches using your recipe with rye and it’s a big favorite.  Matter of fact I should look to start another batch soon!

Yeah,  I really enjoyed it as well. Just anted to get more corn flavor in the beer. Hopefully my next batch I will try will some Rye and if the conversion and end product all turns out I will definitely go back to using it.

Here’s the old grist bill if anyone is interested.

6 gallons
OG 1.050 - 1.052
IBU 34

8lbs Briess 2Row
1.5lbs unbleached, yellow corn grits
1.5 lbs Rye Malt
10oz Crystal 10L

I also tend to lean toward the kolsch but ^this recipe is appealing.
How do these beers (ALE vs LAGER) differ.
I can’t lager yet but I have friends who want a pilsner/lager. Based upon my luck with the kolsch I think I might be able to pull the wool over their eyes with the cream ale too.

[quote=“lupy, post:12, topic:1374, username:lupy”]

You could, just keep the ferm temps as low as the yeast will tolerate.  It’ll come out crisp and clean.  The BMC crowd will never know.

US-05 (or Chico in general) is a pretty clean strain. Just be sure to cool it down in to the low 60s before you pitch and try to keep the fermentation temps below 68-70 and it will be good, though if you can ferment in the low 60s it will be more “lager-like”. One thing I neglected to mention in the recipe is that you will need to boil the grits for 20 minutes or use instant grits or flaked maize.

Thanks Major.
I’ll load this one into beirsmith.

This thread is just what I needed…time to get brewing again, that lager yeast in the fridge isn’t going to pitch itself!

For me a good pils is the best summer beer.  Nothing but pilsner malt, some very light noble hopping, and a good, controlled ferment.  Years of brewing and drinking heavy, thick, or overly hopped beers made me fairly recently rediscover the simple joy of a good pils.

Nic,  I’m with ya on this one, although I have to keep an IPA around just in case. :wink:

Make mine a double IPA!  ;D

Keith,

If you use flaked maize, you just add it to the mash, right?  And by instant grits, do you mean just an instant corn meal from the supermarket?

This is a great thread; I was about to post basically the same question as the OP. I want a summer ale that is really pale like a Pils but that I don’t have to sit around waiting for it to lager (my lagering capabilities are maxed out right now with Helles and Maibock).  What if I would replace the Liberty with Saaz, which I have a lot of right now, and maybe even add another 1oz at flameout for more aroma… would this work?

-red

Sure, sub out any hops you like. I have even used Centennial before in low amounts for an interesting spin. As far as “Instant Grits”, they are actually parboiled, quick dried grits aka polenta. You may have trouble finding them depending what part of the country you are in. Grits are cheap and easy to find 'round these here parts. :wink: If you can’t find them, just spend the extra coin and get the flaked maize. I have seen some places sell it in 5 pound bulk for ~1.50 per pound or cheaper.

I am going to probably make this again very soon but with a lager yeast since I am getting ready to start up another string of lagers. Going to start with this and split between WLP830 and WLP833.