I like big lagers and...

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Bigbre04

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I cannot lie.

So i was listening to a podcast this morning and they were talking about a double pilsner(New Glarus). That would be a nice easy beer that would go well with the coming beach weather.

I am gonna work up a few recipes, shooting for around 7-7.7% probably in the 30-35 ibu range.

This is very similar to my standard golden lager.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1553506

I would love feedback! I might be able to brew this at the end of next week. It could also shift into the dark golden/light amber sphere.
 
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This one would be pretty interesting, it has a tiny amount of Spec X in it. I have done this before and it adds a really interesting background flavor to a normal clean beer, while staying in the "golden" Color range.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1553541

A version with Vienna and Rye instead of Spec X and M2

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1553544

Last version for now, Vienna, Rye, and Spec X...getting crazy!

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1553546

Hops are all the same, I could add some cashmere or a small amount of Sabro?
 
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Maibock! Your whirlpool hopping and flaked additions probably push it more towards an "Imperial Blonde" ale but no reason it won't be a hit. If it was me, I'd keep it as simple as possible and push the big, clean malt flavor. I like the idea of using a larger percentage of Vienna and less other stuff for color and flavor, though once you're pushing 8 % ABV, bigger flavors and mouthfeel won't hurt anything.
 
J A said:
Maibock! Your whirlpool hopping and flaked additions probably push it more towards an "Imperial Blonde" ale but no reason it won't be a hit. If it was me, I'd keep it as simple as possible and push the big, clean malt flavor. I like the idea of using a larger percentage of Vienna and less other stuff for color and flavor, though once you're pushing 8 % ABV, bigger flavors and mouthfeel won't hurt anything.
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I'm fairly limited on my abv. To get much over 7.5-8% I have to start adding sugar. Got the tripel up to 9.2 because the yeast is a beast and I added 20#s of dextrose.

I guess this would make it a maibock.

The small spec x addition is actually really cool in golden lagers. Iv done it with spec x, choc, and black prinz. It adds a really nice subtle flavor on the back end of the beer. You really only get it on the exhale. A slight hit of something beyond just malt. Does that make sense?

I could do the first recipe and reduce the flaked products down?
 
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Bigbre04 said:
I'm fairly limited on my abv. To get much over 7.5-8% I have to start adding sugar. Got the tripel up to 9.2 because the yeast is a beast and I added 20#s of dextrose.

I guess this would make it a maibock.

The small spec x addition is actually really cool in golden lagers. Iv done it with spec x, choc, and black prinz. It adds a really nice subtle flavor on the back end of the beer. You really only get it on the exhale. A slight hit of something beyond just malt. Does that make sense?

I could do the first recipe and reduce the flaked products down?
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I get what you mean about the subtle note on the back end. Some breweries try to keep ingredient inventory to a minimum and will get just a little color with a really dark malt so they can make a single bag of one ingredient do the work of several bags of various ingredients. Pretty often I find a lager or blonde that has just a hint of toast/roast/very faint smokiness in the finish. In most cases it doesn't detract but I always notice and don't prefer it.

Re the flaked stuff, maybe just the wheat and not the oats. Seems like the wheat will add body and head without any slickness in the mouthfeel or finish. You might even try some wheat malt to give good DP and fermentability and add a little protein for the head while you're at it.

This is a style that likes a smooth start with a little something extra to counteract the alcohol hit and then a full-flavored but crisp finish without any lingering stickiness. Big beers like strong Belgians or DIPAs can tend to hang on the palate and that's great for the style but a strong lager should give it all up in the front end and let the finish be short and (not too) sweet. I'd watch out for lingering hop bitterness, too. IBUs are nice to balance out any sweetness but you don't want to detract from the big malt/light caramel flavor.

This is making me want to max out my mash tun and put something with some octane in the pipeline. :)
 
Interested.

If it were me, I’d like to see Vienna at about 15-18% and rye around 10-12%.

I actually brew a lot with rye and it takes a bit more work when the content goes up but I think it’s worth it. With the strong 2 row backbone here, I think you’ll want some prominence from the Vienna and the rye in the background, but in sufficient amount to give the beer nerds something to talk about.
 
Dave Y said:
Interested.

If it were me, I’d like to see Vienna at about 15-18% and rye around 10-12%.

I actually brew a lot with rye and it takes a bit more work when the content goes up but I think it’s worth it. With the strong 2 row backbone here, I think you’ll want some prominence from the Vienna and the rye in the background, but in sufficient amount to give the beer nerds something to talk about.
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Ill work on the recipe on monday and see where things go. my setup does not love super high %s of flaked/wheat/rye so i try to keep it to a medium amount.

I think its a cool concept and might make a fun interstesting strong beer while still being cheap to produce(compared to big double Juicies.

J A said:
I get what you mean about the subtle note on the back end. Some breweries try to keep ingredient inventory to a minimum and will get just a little color with a really dark malt so they can make a single bag of one ingredient do the work of several bags of various ingredients. Pretty often I find a lager or blonde that has just a hint of toast/roast/very faint smokiness in the finish. In most cases it doesn't detract but I always notice and don't prefer it.
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I have a good selection on hand, I actually really like the interesting addition you get from some lagers it fun to try and figure out what would give that interesting almond/chocolate flavor on the backend of a beer.
J A said:
Re the flaked stuff, maybe just the wheat and not the oats. Seems like the wheat will add body and head without any slickness in the mouthfeel or finish. You might even try some wheat malt to give good DP and fermentability and add a little protein for the head while you're at it.
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I could certainly drop the oats and maybe add some White wheat/rye(depending on which recipe you are looking at?)
J A said:
This is a style that likes a smooth start with a little something extra to counteract the alcohol hit and then a full-flavored but crisp finish without any lingering stickiness. Big beers like strong Belgians or DIPAs can tend to hang on the palate and that's great for the style but a strong lager should give it all up in the front end and let the finish be short and (not too) sweet. I'd watch out for lingering hop bitterness, too. IBUs are nice to balance out any sweetness but you don't want to detract from the big malt/light caramel flavor.
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This is a tough one to balance. I will do another pass on the hops and see if i can stay in the 35ish ibu range while keeping them as a background. so maybe a bittering(columbus since that is my bittering hop) and a bigger 10 min add of loral with nothing following it? keep it in the flavor/light aroma range while getting that bitterness to balance out the booze?
J A said:
This is making me want to max out my mash tun and put something with some octane in the pipeline. :)
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Right! I heard them talking about it i thought it sounded really cool!

Yeast wise i was thinking maybe using the Mexican lager yeast that i have on hand and doing a proper cold fermentation(53-55f?) since i have all of my lines full at the moment and wont need this for a while, it can get some legit lagering time in. Along with a nice long cold fermenation.

I have my mexican lager crashing today and ill carb it and pack it tomorrow. im interested to compare that to my warm lager fermentation for my standard golden lager.
 
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So i think that i will brew this on thursday, dont have a draft line opening anytime soon, BUT that give this puppy plenty of time to lager. I have an empty slot for it if i need the tank space! might even get a month of lagering in on it!
 
Bigbre04 said:
So i think that i will brew this on thursday, dont have a draft line opening anytime soon, BUT that give this puppy plenty of time to lager. I have an empty slot for it if i need the tank space! might even get a month of lagering in on it!
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I dare you. I don’t think you’ll do it. ;)
 
Dave Y said:
I dare you. I don’t think you’ll do it. ;)
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lol i would lager all of my "lagers" if i could, but im staring down the summer on the beach...gonna get my ass kicked. i have 4 unis and 8 draftlines. each holds 4 kegs with 2 additional spots for overflow. each batch is 4 kegs...we are currently kicking roughly 6-8 kegs a week....its not even summer yet.... ;(

im also the only one brewing, carbing, etc. i have a guy who helps me get rid of grain and cleans kegs for me sometimes.
 
Bigbre04 said:
lol i would lager all of my "lagers" if i could, but im staring down the summer on the beach...gonna get my ass kicked. i have 4 unis and 8 draftlines. each holds 4 kegs with 2 additional spots for overflow. each batch is 4 kegs...we are currently kicking roughly 6-8 kegs a week....its not even summer yet.... ;(

im also the only one brewing, carbing, etc. i have a guy who helps me get rid of grain and cleans kegs for me sometimes.
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:D:D:D
 
I did a German beer that I really liked. I went about 6, and that is about as high as I think a beach beer should be. Mixing big beers and sun, yikes unless you are still in your 20s.
I liked it with 8% Munich and 18% Vienna. The rest was Pils, but you could use your 2-Row as we have had that discussion. 34/70 was good in that beer fermented on the cool side, and I used the traditional German Hallertauer Mittlefrueh.
 
Sandy Feet said:
I did a German beer that I really liked. I went about 6, and that is about as high as I think a beach beer should be. Mixing big beers and sun, yikes unless you are still in your 20s.
I liked it with 8% Munich and 18% Vienna. The rest was Pils, but you could use your 2-Row as we have had that discussion. 34/70 was good in that beer fermented on the cool side, and I used the traditional German Hallertauer Mittlefrueh.
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You have no idea how many people from Cleveland come in and order the biggest beer on the menu and chug it. Doesnt matter on the style. I have watched people get my 9.2% tripel and in one sitting pound 3 10 oz pours. thankfully my bartenders generally wont pour more then 3 of these unless you are pacing yourself(or they know you). You can see people who dont drink big beers like that overestimate the amount they can handle very quickly.
 
Bigbre04 said:
You have no idea how many people from Cleveland come in and order the biggest beer on the menu and chug it. Doesnt matter on the style. I have watched people get my 9.2% tripel and in one sitting pound 3 10 oz pours. thankfully my bartenders generally wont pour more then 3 of these unless you are pacing yourself(or they know you). You can see people who dont drink big beers like that overestimate the amount they can handle very quickly.
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When I keg up for a party, I don't like to have anything over 5% running. Sometimes one will be a little over but most are closer to 4.5. That way everyone can keep their glass full and nobody's likely to go too far off the rails.
I'd be constantly worried about that with a taproom situation. I'd definitely be tempted keep anything over 7% in 12 oz pours and anything 9% or more in 6 or 8 oz pours. For one thing, it might keep the price per pull the same across different beer styles which is easier to keep up with but mainly might slow down the more enthusiastic patrons and avoid dangerous overindulgence.
 
J A said:
When I keg up for a party, I don't like to have anything over 5% running. Sometimes one will be a little over but most are closer to 4.5. That way everyone can keep their glass full and nobody's likely to go too far off the rails.
I'd be constantly worried about that with a taproom situation. I'd definitely be tempted keep anything over 7% in 12 oz pours and anything 9% or more in 6 or 8 oz pours. For one thing, it might keep the price per pull the same across different beer styles which is easier to keep up with but mainly might slow down the more enthusiastic patrons and avoid dangerous overindulgence.
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Only so much that you can do. We do 10 oz pours for over a dollar more for anything over 7.5% and more for Double IPAs since they cost us so much to produce. luckily we dont have too many people come and get smashed. most people ride golf carts and bikes on the island anyway so there is far less danger to others atleast lol.
 
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