Well you see, I’m a Cubs fan, and that means that my default baseball-watching beer is Old Style. I’d like to get a head start on next year’s march to the world series, and am trying to find a clone for the beer. It’s a typical light lager, but I’d like to think it’s a step above BMC. I’ve heard it compared to Rolling Rock (meh… dunno about that one). Thanks!
You’re a brave, brave soul, for posting that.
I don’t have a recipe for you, but I respect the balls you have just exhibited.
I hope someone has a serious recipe, rather than the usual answer…
“Drink a 12-er of ____ & pee in a bottle.”
I’m an Old Style fan, if for no other reason than my gramps used to deliver it.
I discovered a taste for it at an early age.
Oh…And, Rolling Rock isn’t even close.
I’ll take a real wild stab at a generic light lager recipe that might help you out.
The most important thing of all is the water. Use distilled water. Second most important thing is, well okay, it’s got to be all-grain. Trust me on this. Third most important thing is a long vigorous 90 minute boil (or more) to eliminate DMS.
For 5 gallons, try about 7.5 pounds of pilsner malt – maybe half American and half German or something like that – as well as a half pound of corn sugar and a half ounce of any kind of “old style” hops such as Tettnanger or Hallertauer added in the boil. Mash the grains at 150 F for an hour, boil for 90 minutes, and chill and ferment in the upper 40s for a month with whatever lager yeast you like (2308 or 2042 or whatever should be fine for this), and that’s it, in a nutshell. If it doesn’t turn out quite right, try watering it down a little with more distilled water. Yes, seriously! I believe this is how the big boys do it anyway – to make BMC, it’s been rumored that they actually make a high strength pilsner but then water it down to make the light American lager that sells so well. This probably saves a bundle on energy and transportation costs for them.
So anyway… if this recipe isn’t precisely right for Old Style, it will get you in a pretty close ballpark. Good luck. :cheers:
Hey, THANKS! This seems easy enough; in case anyone’s conscience needs clearing, as I mentioned I’m brewing this for next year’s season (plan to bottle) and want it more for an authentic ‘ballpark experience’ for my non-American baseball fan friends. Baseball is pretty big in France, believe it or not, but they’ve still got a ways to go before they ‘get it:’ they don’t serve beer at games, and they server -hamburgers- of all things at the concession stand. Horrors! In addition to these Old Style knockoffs I’m also planning on doing “homebrew” vienna beefs.
I do an “opening day” Classic American Pilsner. Not really Old Style, but sort of a nostalgia lager for a bygone era of ballpark brew. Anyway, I’d be curious to know how your Old Style beer turns out. My old man worked at the Heileman brewery in college!
dmtaylor: distilled water? No mineral additions?
What’s your grain bill/hop allotment? I think I’ll do the straight pilsner mentioned by dmtaylor, but based on the beeradvocate reviews it sounds like there’s a bit of coriander as well as a roasty corn (DMS probably) flavor. I think I’ll probably toast some flaked maize in the oven along with a sprinkling of coriander seeds to try to get that, maybe a tsp or two. How’s it sound?
I’ll take a look at my recipe when I get home from work tonight. I know the grainbill is just German pils, flaked corn, and a little victory. Hop schedule involves German magnum for bittering and crystal for flavor/aroma. Yeast is wyeast Czech pilsner.
I can see corn in Old Style but I don’t taste anything like coriander. Of course, I only ever drink it Wrigley so there’s lots of competing flavors. I wouldn’t use that much if you do, though. Two tsps is getting close to what I use in a wit.
I agree with brewingrover. I think any coriander-like flavor is probably a byproduct of the yeast. I doubt Old Style is actually brewed with coriander.
A fine lager and there’s almost always some in my fridge.
Originally brewed with water from an artesian well, so I would think mineral additions should be called for. City Brewing bought the old Heilemann brewery and brews City Lager using the well water. City Lager was supposed to be brewed using the original recipe, IIRC. Perhaps they’d give you some pointers on a clone if you contact the brewery.
No coriander. Definitely some corn or flaked maize.
Remember, Old Style is fully krausened. Twice brewed - once for taste and once for smoothness.
Edit: Here’s the commercial description. Apparently they use rice, not corn, at City Brewing.
City Lager, Winner of the American Premium Lager Category at the 2000 World Beer Cup Competition, is a full-bodied lager, using artesian water from deep below the earth’s surface. The beer is fully kraeusened, and uses a generous supply of malt, brewer’s rice and aromatic hops, then aged 32 days in chilled lagering cellars until released by our brewmaster. 4.0% alcohol by weight and 150 calories per 12 oz. serving.
Love me some Old Style. Although I’m not liking the “new” old recipe. They call it “premium” beer now, which makes it more expensive and doesn’t come in dirty 30’s anymore. Plus, I don’t think it’s as good as the recipe they used for the last 50 years or so. Come back Old Style!
Go Cubs! R.I.P. Ron Santo…
Ah, but as you likely know, the recipe changed sometime 10 - 15 years ago (prior to the current reversion to the old version), I believe when Pabst bought it and closed down the LaCrosse brewery.
I don’t know if the current version is closer to the original, but the Old Style of my high school days is no longer. Still, you can’t beat a cold six of tall boys.
Incidentally, Old Style Light is the worst beer I ever tasted. Ever.
Okay, I did not know that. hmmm
Old Style Light is pretty bad…it’s usually on special during cubs games at my neighborhood bar/grill. Depresses me, I really wish they had the regular stuff or PBR.
No way there is coriander in that beer.
Sure, you could use rice syrup instead of the corn sugar that I specified in the recipe. Magnum hops will work fine as well, although to really go “old style”, I think you need to use old hops like Tett or Hallertau. Magnum isn’t one of the old noble varieties – not sure how old it is, but not very. My very humble opinion.
Here’s my CAP recipe. It’s not an Old Style clone, but it’s a light lager that tastes great on opening day. 
Opening Day Pilsner
2-C Classic American Pilsner
Author: Matt Schwandt
Size: 5.18 gal
Efficiency: 85.0%
Attenuation: 77.0%
Calories: 189.54 kcal per 12.0 fl oz
Original Gravity: 1.057 (1.044 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.010 - 1.015)
Color: 4.53 (3.0 - 6.0)
Alcohol: 5.77% (4.5% - 6.0%)
Bitterness: 32.9 (25.0 - 40.0)
Ingredients:
7.5 lb Pilsner Malt
2.25 lb Corn Flaked (Maize)
.25 lb Victory® Malt
.50 oz Magnum (12.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.50 oz Crystal (3.2%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
.50 oz Crystal (3.2%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
.50 oz Crystal (3.2%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
.50 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
.50 oz Crystal (3.2%) - added during boil, boiled 1 min
2 L WYeast 2278 Czech Pils
Mash @ 148
Mashout @ 165
Sparge @ 170
Thanks Matt!
Now, can someone explain to me what “Krausening” is? I know what Krausen is, but you turn it into a verb and I’ve got no idea.
Fermenting beer is added to finished beer at packaging. In the right amount,it will give the proper carbonation level and the yeast can also clean up any fermentation by products. A big production brewery always has plenty of fermenting beer on hand to prime with, if they are set up for that process.
Kai covers it on his site, and if you google Krauesening Calculators you will find those on the net.
People often confuse krauesing with the addition of speise, which is just adding wort that is not ferementing.
I’m a Cubs fan and have enjoyed an Old Style at Wrigley, albeit in 2006, as I am in Pennsylvania . I’d be interested on the final recipe you settle on to replicate the beer.
It’s my birthday soon, so I understand if you want to send me one or two for the occasion. You can PM me for my address