Lager with MO

[Nicks90]

I've got the itch to get another brew on - 8 in 2 months - and fancy taking advantage of the cooler weather and a consistent cool cellar to do a lager.
But I have only got Maris otter...well actually Minch hook, but it's basically the same.
Can I use this with a squidge of caramalt and some saaz or Nelson for hops, brew at 12-14c with a proper lager yeast and still get something lager-ish?

Or would I be better just sucking it up and doing it with safale s05 at 18c and add some cascade and do an APA?

 

[An Ankoù]

Go for it Nicks. Use the Saaz if you want lager. Then tell us how it turned out.
Your second option is dead safe- live dangerously!
What have you got to lose? If you can brew, it might not be lager, but it'll be good.

 

[chthon]

Bock is (mostly) Munich malt with a lager yeast. Maris Otter pale malt (or pale ale malt) is kilned a little bit more than pilsner or lager malt. What you are basically making would be a kind of helles bock. What ABV are you going at? A bock would be starting with an OG of 1.066, and bitterness would be between 18 and 28 IBU.
I am pretty sure you can tweak these for lower ABV and a bit more bitterness, maybe moving towards a German pilsner. And no problem with caramalts, I always use 5% to 10% of them in my bocks.

 

[Cwrw666]

I may be wrong but Minch Hook PM seems considerably paler and less roasted than Maris Otter.
Grind my own by hand - there's a definite difference.

 

[An Ankoù]

Et puis voilà! Knock it up as lager then. I've got a bag from the homebrewcompany and I haven't tried it yet. I think a SMASH is called for just to see what this malt actually is.

 

[BeerCat]

MO makes a great lager. 100% is fine

 

[aamcle]

Do it, it might not be classical lager but it should be good!

 

[marshbrewer]

I'd also say go for it, it will probably just end up a bit more Vienna-ish, which is no bad thing.

 

[Nicks90]

Awesome. Going to get some lager yeast ordered tomorrow then!
Am I right in thinking I need double the normal amount if I'm brewing at 12c-ish?

 

[marshbrewer]

I would. My next two brews will be with lager yeasts, like you to take advantage of the last of the cooler weather, and I'm going to use Mangrove Jack M76 Bavarian lager yeast for both. It has a temp range recommendation of 8-14°, so I'll set the temp control for 11° and pitch 2 packs.

 

[An Ankoù]

I would. My next two brews will be with lager yeasts, like you to take advantage of the last of the cooler weather, and I'm going to use Mangrove Jack M76 Bavarian lager yeast for both. It has a temp range recommendation of 8-14°, so I'll set the temp control for 11° and pitch 2 packs.[/QUOTE
I've never, ever, used two sachets, but I ALWAYS rehydrate the yeast before pitching. Chris White (and Z) in their book on Yeast say that sprinkling the yeast directly on the wort kills about half of it. They should know, and in my experience they're right. I use MJ's M84, though.

 

[cheshirehomebrew]

I have done a Lager ish brew with MO before, it was pretty good too