Anyone got a recipe for an ale that is in the style of a lager.

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Gavin Callaghan

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I got about 5 weeks to get a brew ready and was hoping to do a blonde ale or something refreshing like a lager. I have temp control and was going to do BIAB or mini mash. Any recipes or pointers for something like this would be greatly appreciated! I do intend to brew lagers eventually but I just dont have the time on this one. Cheers
 
I got about 5 weeks to get a brew ready and was hoping to do a blonde ale or something refreshing like a lager. I have temp control and was going to do BIAB or mini mash. Any recipes or pointers for something like this would be greatly appreciated! I do intend to brew lagers eventually but I just dont have the time on this one. Cheers
You could search this thread (don't know how to link to threads):
recommend me a light ale please on this forum and then look in the recipes section.
 
You could search this thread (don't know how to link to threads):
recommend me a light ale please on this forum and then look in the recipes section.

Ok I am aware of the search function, I didn't find anything when I last searched but I'll give it another go. Thanks anyway
 
Do you have any ingredients you need to use up? Any flavours in mind?

Indeed I do! I have some extra light DME, I have melanoidin, carapils, crystal 60, munich malt (5-10), and a munich malt which is 60-80 ebc which i bought by mistake! Hops: citra, centennial, cascade, Bavarian mandarin, ekuanot, enigma
 
Indeed I do! I have some extra light DME, I have melanoidin, carapils, crystal 60, munich malt (5-10), and a munich malt which is 60-80 ebc which i bought by mistake! Hops: citra, centennial, cascade, Bavarian mandarin, ekuanot, enigma
You've got loads of good stuff there. Is the extra light DME your base malt? What yeast have you got?
Here's a recipe for you if you can adapt it to your ingredients:
https://halffullpint.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/recipe-citra-pale-ale/
87,1% 2,7kg / 6,39 lbs – Pale Ale malt, Viking
6,5% 200g / 0,44 lbs – Pale Crystal malt, Thomas Fawcett
6,5% 200g / 0,44 lbs – Pale Wheat Malt, Weyermann
Use your DME instead of the pale ale malt

Use your crystal 60 instead of the pale crystal malt, I presume its 60 ebc and not Lovibond. If the latter, use your Munich instead, but you'll need to do a partial mash if you do. Add another 200 g DME to make up for the wheat malt, which is there mainly for head retention.
You can use any or all of the hops you've got as long as Citra is at least 50% of the hop bill.
How's that?
 
You've got loads of good stuff there. Is the extra light DME your base malt? What yeast have you got?
Here's a recipe for you if you can adapt it to your ingredients:
https://halffullpint.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/recipe-citra-pale-ale/
87,1% 2,7kg / 6,39 lbs – Pale Ale malt, Viking

6,5% 200g / 0,44 lbs – Pale Crystal malt, Thomas Fawcett
6,5% 200g / 0,44 lbs – Pale Wheat Malt, Weyermann
Use your DME instead of the pale ale malt
Use your crystal 60 instead of the pale crystal malt, I presume its 60 ebc and not Lovibond. If the latter, use your Munich instead, but you'll need to do a partial mash if you do. Add another 200 g DME to make up for the wheat malt, which is there mainly for head retention.
You can use any or all of the hops you've got as long as Citra is at least 50% of the hop bill.
How's that?

That looks majestic my friend! Many thanks, I have safale s04 but can always buy another yeast. I could maybe do all grain BIAB as a first if I can source a bag pretty soon!
 
As I just did an all citra last time (zombie dust of sorts), would you recommend another hop make up that works? for a change!
 
As I just did an all citra last time (zombie dust of sorts), would you recommend another hop make up that works? for a change!
Yep. You can do it with Centennial or Enigma, to great effect. I'm not over-fond of Cascade as the principal hop and I haven't used the others, so I don't know. But, any combination of these hops will work well, it's a case of deciding whether one is going to predominate. Don't leave your dry hops soaking for more than a couple of days to avoid grassy notes.
I'd recommend something a bit drier than S-04. US-05 would do nicely.
 
Last edited:
Yep. You can do it with Centennial or Enigma, to great effect. I'm not over-fond of Cascade as the principal hop and I haven't used the others, so I don't know. But, any combination of these hops will work well, it's a case of deciding whether one is going to predominate. Don't leave your dry hops soaking for more than a couple of days to avoid grassy notes.
I'd recommend something a bit drier than S-04. US-05 would do nicely.

Legend. Appreciate it
 
I did a brew using just normal malt and mandarin hops with a bit of crystal
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/nicks90s-brewdays.81739/page-2#post-820511

If I removed the crystal, it would have been exceptionally pale and could pass off as 'lager-ish" for the uninitiated... Only difference was it tasted nice.
In fact it was bloody awesome.
So awesome I have another 100gm mandarin coming the moment I get back from my holiday so I can do another batch.

Edited to add - it was 4 weeks from brew to drinking and it was excellent
 
Yep. You can do it with Centennial or Enigma, to great effect. I'm not over-fond of Cascade as the principal hop and I haven't used the others, so I don't know. But, any combination of these hops will work well, it's a case of deciding whether one is going to predominate. Don't leave your dry hops soaking for more than a couple of days to avoid grassy notes.
I'd recommend something a bit drier than S-04. US-05 would do nicely.
US05 would be fine, but perhaps also consider wilko gervin ale yeast? Cheap as chips, easy to get hold of, ferments clean at low temperature, attenuates and flocculates well. Makes a very reasonable pseudo lager
 
I did a brew using just normal malt and mandarin hops with a bit of crystal
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/nicks90s-brewdays.81739/page-2#post-820511

If I removed the crystal, it would have been exceptionally pale and could pass off as 'lager-ish" for the uninitiated... Only difference was it tasted nice.
In fact it was bloody awesome.
So awesome I have another 100gm mandarin coming the moment I get back from my holiday so I can do another batch.

Edited to add - it was 4 weeks from brew to drinking and it was excellent
Say no more squire. You seen this, Gavin?
 
I did a brew using just normal malt and mandarin hops with a bit of crystal
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/nicks90s-brewdays.81739/page-2#post-820511

If I removed the crystal, it would have been exceptionally pale and could pass off as 'lager-ish" for the uninitiated... Only difference was it tasted nice.
In fact it was bloody awesome.
So awesome I have another 100gm mandarin coming the moment I get back from my holiday so I can do another batch.

Edited to add - it was 4 weeks from brew to drinking and it was excellent

This looks really interesting Nicks, I must have a more detailed look at this when I get a chance! I might actually just brew it up the way you've done it actually, dont mind a bit of a darker beer.
 
This looks really interesting Nicks, I must have a more detailed look at this when I get a chance! I might actually just brew it up the way you've done it actually, dont mind a bit of a darker beer.
With your Munich #3 and a bit of gravy browning, you could knock up a decent imitation of a 1970s English stout!
 
'Technique wise' whatever ale yeast you decide to use, double it. This is a method I read you can use when making pseudo lagers. What this will do is a) suppress/minimise esters, to try to the make the beer clean and lager like. b) attenuate the beer more (more yeast cells to do the work). In general lager yeasts attenuate more than ale yeast as they can munch through sugars ale yeast cant.
 
I did a brew using just normal malt and mandarin hops with a bit of crystal
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/nicks90s-brewdays.81739/page-2#post-820511

If I removed the crystal, it would have been exceptionally pale and could pass off as 'lager-ish" for the uninitiated... Only difference was it tasted nice.
In fact it was bloody awesome.
So awesome I have another 100gm mandarin coming the moment I get back from my holiday so I can do another batch.

Edited to add - it was 4 weeks from brew to drinking and it was excellent

I did something similar with challenger and saaz and it was very lager like (and awesome). It was fermented in winter at 15C with (as mentioned above) double the amount of yeast - I just chucked a whole pack in to my usual 10L
 
If you can keep it cool during fermentation then that helps.. I've been experimenting with this (and lagering) for a while. What I've learnt so far:

1- Treat your water. Pay attention to PH.
2- Cooler fermentation = cleaner taste
3- lower mash temp = lighter body and a more fermentable wort, which means cleaner beer with the right fermentation (I strike at 72c and mash is about 60 dropping to 55).
4- this might be in my head, but a watery mash seems to help. Maybe it's because it's easier to break up all the dough balls.
5- Saaz and Hallertau Hersbrucker seem to work well. I love Saaz for lager.
6- Even if it's a beer, made with beer yeast, and beer grain, with beer hops.. it'll taste more like a lager of you lager it for 6 weeks in a fridge or somewhere cold.

I'm still very much experimenting and might prove myself wrong, but that's about what my observations have been so far. I love lager, but as much as it's fun to make it takes ages to do it right. I've been trying to figure out how to get a beer somewhere near In a few weeks for a while.

The biggest difference seems to be mash temp, 5 degrees makes a massive difference to how malty and ''full bodied' the beer tastes. This is closely followed by fermentation temp. I've found that Harris Beer yeast can be relatively clean at 18-20C, and it's cheap.
 
I've been trying to figure out how to get a beer somewhere near In a few weeks for a while.
Wheat beer. 6 days brewing, 6 days in the bottle and it was as good as at six weeks the last time. Next time I'm going to try it after 2 or 3 days. There's no need to cold crash or for the yeast to settle in the bottles and I like it.
 

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