Good Aussie Lager Recipe

[neo__04]

Hey all,

Getting myself a collection of recipe suggestions together to kick off my AG brewing again.

Was wondering if anyone could sugges a good aussie lager recipe. A Pure Blonde style or similar.

Any help would be great

Thanks!

 

[Nick JD]

The best way to come up with an Aussie lager recipe is to pretend you have to present it to a board meeting of twelve people who own 51% of the shares in the Brewery. They want to maximise profit and minimise expense. Suggest enzymes to dry out the beer, increase the alc % while using no extra ingredients. Suggest 20% sugar. Suggest high fermentation temps to pump it out quicker. It's the world's cheapest beer! The Aussie Lager! The consumer is a moron and can be won over with MANLY ads, not taste!

I do the recipe below. I leave out the sugar, but there's no harm putting in maybe 20% sucrose for a more authentic twang.

100% Barrett Burston Pale Malt (64C mash) and 25 IBUs of PoR at 60 minutes with S189 @15C.

You could tart it up with spec grains and late additions, but I reckon the simpler the better for an Aussie Lager. It's a bloody cheap beer to make. 40c a liter.

 

[Bribie G]

I'd cut that back to 80% malt, 20% rice or to be even more authentic, get around 25% of your gravity points from good old pure and deadly white sugaz. If you want to get that metallic Carlton twang as well, then Wyeast Danish liquid lager yeast at 14 degrees, rising to 18 degrees will do the trick, ferment for 10 days plus a 10 day lagering period.

 

[neo__04]

Awesome, quick reply!

I have a 25kg bag of Weyermann Pilsner & Weyermann Ale malt. Are either of these suitable?
Or is the BB Pale malt completely different?

Thanks heaps

 

[Bribie G]

BB make an ale malt and a pilsener malt, they are fairly similar and rather bland compared to the German variety. They are far higher diastatic than the German as they are exported to Asia where they use a lot of adjuncts - particularly rice. The Wey Pilsner is intended more for all malt Pilsners, Helles etc - but would be just fine for your Aussie, and in fact to cut the "maltiness" then I reckon the white sugar route would be the one to follow. I would imagine the Wey Ale is more intended for Alts, Kolsch maybe?

 

[Nick JD]

+1 Unless it's Weyermann's Bohemian Pilsner. I wouldn't suggest using that for an Aussie lager.

Seems like a waste of great grain though to me! I'd throw in some Saaz and Hallertau in equal quantities and make a nice Euro Lager.

 

[neo__04]

Well, lots to think about now.

So Nick..

If i was going to try a Euro Lager, Can you give be a quick run down of the ingredients and mash & hop schedule?

Thanks heaps, Im still learning all this

 

[Bribie G]

100% malt to 5% ABV
Try this infusion mash which is apparently now the most popular schedule used by German brewers:




90 min boil with Hallertau/ Saaz/ Saphir for 60 mins, and Saaz or Hersbrucke 10 mins

For a fairly quick brew, S-189 at 13 for 2 weeks and lager for 2 weeks
For a "finer" brew, Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager at 10 for 3 weeks and lager for at least a month.

The current Aussie champion (Lyall Cottam) used this yeast in his winner last year.

For a Danish or Belgian style "pils" you could use around 10% flaked maize and go heavier on the Saaz.

 

[Tanga]

Good...Aussie...Lager?

*head explodes*

 

[Nick JD]

If i was going to try a Euro Lager, Can you give be a quick run down of the ingredients and mash & hop schedule?

What Bribie says is the go. If you don't want to step up the mash temp (or only want to wait 60 minutes), mash at 65C.

 

[neo__04]

Just a quick question,

I'll go with the Saaz hops, because I can use it for both 60 min and 10 min addition, saving some cost,

Hope this doesn't sound stupid... Which Saaz is it?
On craftbrewer there is B saaz, d saaz, czech saaz, summer saaz. What's normal saaz?

 

[Florian]

You would want czech saaz for a euro lager.

 

[neo__04]

thanks heaps

 

[Nick JD]

Which Saaz is it?

Žatec is the town in Bohemia, in the Czech Republic where the hop variety originated.

Ze Germans call the town Saaz. I'm surprised with so many centuries of history that they haven't done a champange vs sparling wine thing with it.

I'm still cracking up that we've managed to swing a potential Aussie Lager into a Euro one. :lol: Neo - google BJCP Style Guidelines and print off a copy. It's a brewer's recipe bible.

 

[under]

This beer is generally a hit with the relos

Recipe: 34 - What most folks call beer
Brewer: Dazza
Asst Brewer:
Style: German Pilsner (Pils)
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 26.29 l
Post Boil Volume: 23.92 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 23.00 l
Bottling Volume: 23.00 l
Estimated OG: 1.046 SG
Estimated Color: 4.8 EBC
Estimated IBU: 19.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3.42 kg Pale Malt, Galaxy (Barrett Burston) (3.0 Grain 1 81.1 %
0.28 kg Carapils / Carafoam (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC Grain 2 6.7 %
17.00 g Pride of Ringwood (Flowers) [9.80 %] - B Hop 4 19.9 IBUs
0.51 kg Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 EBC) Sugar 3 12.2 %
1.0 pkg SafLager German Lager (DCL Yeast #S-189) Yeast 5 -

 

[neo__04]

thanks again for the replies.

Another quick questions. I have a recipe that is as follows, but Im too new to AG brewing to properly understand which product is specified. Doin an order and just need to clarify.
------------
Get 4kg ale malt (or pilsner will do)
50g of crystal
200g of wheat

Which product on craftbrewer would be the right crystal & right wheat?

Thanks heaps

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

thanks again for the replies.

Another quick questions. I have a recipe that is as follows, but Im too new to AG brewing to properly understand which product is specified. Doin an order and just need to clarify.
------------
Get 4kg ale malt (or pilsner will do)
50g of crystal
200g of wheat

Which product on craftbrewer would be the right crystal & right wheat?

Thanks heaps

Hi Mate

50g of crystal in a pale aussie style lager will only make a tiny difference. If it was me i'd drop it. But if you want it try the Caramalt Malt (Barett Burston). For the wheat try Wheat Malt (Barrett Burston).

If you have a recipe and craftbrewer don't stock the grain give them a call. The guys there give really good advice over the phone and will help you find something to substitute.

Good luck with it.

 

[bignath]

I'll go with the Saaz hops, because I can use it for both 60 min and 10 min addition, saving some cost,

You realise that bittering with saaz (czech) you'll have to use quite a large quantity, therefore i'm not sure about the cost saving....

 

[Malted]

You realise that bittering with saaz (czech) you'll have to use quite a large quantity, therefore i'm not sure about the cost saving....

To explain this a bit more:
Saaz hops could have an alpha acid content of 4% where as something like Magnum could have an alpha acid content of 14%. It's the alpha acid percent rating that determines the potential bitterness that they can contribute. The higher the percentage the greater the potential bitterness per unit of hops. You would need far less of the 'stronger' hop to make the same amount of bitterness, using less hops = cheaper. Some high alpha hops can be used as both flavouring and bitterness, Magnum is one of these and also is purported to contribute a very smooth bitterness.

Sometimes it is not about the cost, sometimes it is more about the taste... So you could say, to heng with it, I am going to use a bucket load of low alpha acid (low bitterness) hops to get the desired bitterness in my beer.
Most often people have one high alpha acid hop for bittering and another hop for flavour and aroma additions.

 

[Deebo]

Knappstein is an Australian Lager right?

I say get some Nelson Sauvin Hops (I think they are around 12% AA so you don't have to use too much for bittering, but they also have a great flavour/aroma)