I recently brewed my first American Lager & last night I absolutely had to know how it was going.
It’s been lagering for only 1 week, but I just couldn’t stand waiting.
It tasted great!
I’m so happy with it!
I was originally VERY skeptical, since the Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager yeast had a sulfur character that I was certain would never diminish.
Thanks to Bryan Rabe’s lagering tips…I had great results.
Here’s the recipe I concocted…Simple, but effective:
5# 2-Row
3# Flaked Corn
1# Munich
A couple handfulls of Rice Hulls
.5 zo Northern Brewer 8.5% - 60 Min
.5 oz Northern Brewer 8.5% - 2 Min
R/O water
1 tsp Calcium Chloride - Mash
1 tsp Gypsum - Mash
1 tsp Irish Moss - 15 min
It’s always gratifying when a plan comes together. Just an FYI. It will be even better in a couple of months. Though they never seem to last that long. Cheers!!!
A friend of mine stated that this can’t be a Standard American Lager, due to the use of Munich & Bohemian Lager yeast.
Is this true?
I was under the impression that small amounts of specialty grains & different yeast strains can be used, as long as the beer meets the criteria established by the BJCP guidelines.
Anyone???
(FWIW…Foster’s is listed as a Standard American Lager & I was told that they aren’t using American yeast.)
Like Denny says, if it tastes like an American lager, it is.
That said, your beer might not be a Standard American lager according to the BJCP guidelines. The Bohemian lager yeast might give it a slight hint of diacetyl, the Munich malt might make it too dark and too chewy for the style, and the hop aroma and bitterness might be a bit too pronounced. Looking at the guidelines, you’ll notice that the commercial examples for SAL include things like PBR and Coors Original.
If you were to enter in competition, the closest category for it might be Dark American Lager (4A), although it actually sounds more like a “Pre-Pro Amber American Lager” along the lines of Sam Adams Boston Lager or Brooklyn Lager.
Cheers!!!