Wifey is getting me a glycol chiller and a coil for my fermenter, so I will be able to embark on brewing lagers. Does anyone have any great German lager recipes they would like to share?
The recipe section of the AHA website has some good ones. Check under “pilsner”.
German pils…good pils malt to a gravity of 1.050, 35-40 IBU of noble hops, WY2124, Bru’nwater boiled Jever profile.
Another idea, Munich Helles.
German pilsner malt
5% light Munich
5-10% carapils for body
German noble hops - 21 IBU
12.4 degrees Plato (1.050).
Haven’t made this beer for a couple years. Gonna make it again this fall since I really like the style.
Did you intend 90-95% Munich?
Looks to me to be:
85-90% pils
5% light Munich
the rest (5-10%) Carapils
That’s my interpretation of the recipe.
+1
Pilsner base for Helles. I’d skip the carapils but keep the Munich. Maybe 5% carahell. But now I’m really messing with Goose’s recipe.
BrewBama, how about posting your Czech Dark on this thread?
Ah. I didn’t see the Pils. Just the Munich and Cara. LOL. I was scratching my head!
Yes, 85-90% pils I added the Carapils after brewing it the first time 'caus it was a little thin. It tasted better with the Carapils in it and won a couple medals
But you could substitute carahell and it would still be good!
Cool,
How long do most of ya’all lager for?
Until the beer is ready. The beer makes the schedule, not the calendar.
I knew Denny would say something like that. 
Yep.
FWIW, I like to lager until the beer is cleared. If I need the keg sooner I may use gelatin but I try not to.
+1
I could tell you how long I lager, but it’s something you’ll have to work out in your system. Mine is kind of arbitrary, just how my “pipeline” has evolved, but works. If you ferment to completion at your ferment temperature, including any diacetyl rest, lagering is really just about clearing it up.
I usually lager for 3-4 weeks. The time does vary based on yeast choice and other factors. My current Helles made with S-189 seems to need longer than 3-4 weeks. 34/70 and M76 clear a bit faster for me.
99% of the time the beer tastes right when it is bright.
I normally try to lager for about a month with Wyeast 2124. I sometimes have to fine it with gelatin to clear it before kegging b ut the lagering time allows the flavors to marry and the beer to mellow a bit.
Gonna try 34/70 the next time for S&G. Denny and I had a discussion about this in Portland last year and it seems the the “fast ferment” process seems to work better with 34/70 than with 2124 (I had some diacetyl problems when doing a fast ferment with 2124 even though I did a longer diacetly rest). I do not do pressure fermentations yet, something for the future here.
Vienna Lager
100% Vienna Malt for 5% ABV
Hersbucker at 60 to 28 IBU’s
I used White Labs Lager X
One of the best beers I’ve ever made.
Finally getting around to Brewing my first lager as above. Just wondering, if I do a single infusion mash at 148, is 60 minutes long enough?
Yes, 60 minutes will work at 148F. I have gone with a coarser crush lately and do 90 minutes to eek out a little more from the grist, however. Purely anecdotal - no science to back that up.