Mexican Lager! First try!

As-is, the recipe doesn't suggest a Mexican Lager to me. Much more like an American Cream Ale.
Mexican Lager should be essentially the same as a German lager but with the addition of corn, IMO. The Vienna Lager versions might translate best in terms of customer approval, I would think. I wouldn't put oats of flaked wheat in this style at all. Maybe some malted wheat for head retention but for the most part, they're light-bodied and crisp. Fairly plain bittering with nobel or nobel-cross hops would be appropriate. A little hop presence from late additions isn't a bad thing but they mostly just malty with enough bittering to balance.
It's a fairly yeast-driven flavor profile, though very clean and comparatively neutral. The Novalager should work, though I think it's a pretty different strain from the actual Mexican lager yeasts.
 
Bigbre04 said:
Shit that was the wrong recipe lol this is it

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1550148
Click to expand...
That's more like it!!! :D
Leave the lime out...it goes from a great all-around crowd-pleaser of a beer to a novelty immediately. There's nothing like a cold Pacifico in a frosted salt-rimmed glass with a lime garnishing the top. :)

As an aside...When it comes to salt and lime, it's not just for flavor. In the heat it makes great sense. I've aged into a metabolism that loses electrolytes pretty drastically when I'm out in the heat for long and I realized that salt alone doesn't have the same effect as salt and lime (or other citrus, I guess) together. Turns out that the citric acid plays a role in the body's uptake of minerals and electrolytes. I notice instantly when I'm really bad off due to electrolyte loss that salt and lime together while I'm rehydrating has a huge effect. More so than drinks that are specifically for electrolyte replacement.
Dang, it...just talking about it makes me want to head over to the nearest Mexican restaurant right now for a dose of the good stuff!!! :)
 
gonna brew a single of it next week to test out the Apex Mexican lager yeast!

Im on the beach. Open containers are totally allowed on the whole island. I need to get better at making novelty beer for the tourists from Ohio lol. I generally brew traditional beers, but stupid tourists from Ohio want fad beers lol.
 
mine is already rolling. You have literally >2x the corn as Vienna. I use corn a bit conservatively and for my targeted 5.5 finished gallons- about 6 in the fermenter, I am using 2# Vienna and 1# corn and the percentage looks high --to me--.

so mine is IIRC
3#Pils
3# 2 row
2# vienna
1# corn

I’ve used 2# of corn in a Kentucky Common and I got some good feedback on that recipe so I don’t want to take the residual sweetness too far.

This is observational, not critical. I don’t use corn a lot so I may be a bit more hesitant.

Mine started Sunday at 1.049, sitting at 1.020 right now and yeah got to have something the neighbors will drink handy.
 
Dave Y said:
mine is already rolling. You have literally >2x the corn as Vienna. I use corn a bit conservatively and for my targeted 5.5 finished gallons- about 6 in the fermenter, I am using 2# Vienna and 1# corn and the percentage looks high --to me--.

so mine is IIRC
3#Pils
3# 2 row
2# vienna
1# corn

I’ve used 2# of corn in a Kentucky Common and I got some good feedback on that recipe so I don’t want to take the residual sweetness too far.

This is observational, not critical. I don’t use corn a lot so I may be a bit more hesitant.

Mine started Sunday at 1.049, sitting at 1.020 right now and yeah got to have something the neighbors will drink handy.
Click to expand...
I've used up to 20%. If you're using flaked maize, the flavor isn't in your face. If you used cooked grits or cooked cornmeal, it might start to interfere with the malt. If you get good attenuation, it seems to work out.
 
J A said:
I've used up to 20%. If you're using flaked maize, the flavor isn't in your face. If you used cooked grits or cooked cornmeal, it might start to interfere with the malt. If you get good attenuation, it seems to work out.
Click to expand...
Great info, thanks! I’d need go back and check my KC, it may have been about 20% or close to it, and I gravitate towards flaked maize. I would like to experiment with that blood red corn but that’s another topic. I got really good extraction here and hoping for good attenuation as well.
 
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I guess it is a matter of taste, I like the corn closer to 8% in my beers, but that is because it won't ferment worth a shit much higher than that in my bag. I might try mashing a little lime. Not much, but just enough to taste it a little.
 
I would like to hear how that turns out too.
 
I have used corn in several batches. I need to dig out my binders and look at usage rates. i just chucked this together while i had a min yesturday.
 
Bigbre04 said:
hey all,

here is a different version compared to V1. let me know if this is more better im gonna brew this tomorrow i think.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1551226
Click to expand...
Mash bill looks ok to me tough to go wrong with 2 row and pils/vienna. Mine have always been a little higher pils/vienna than the corn, but there’s a lot of wiggle room on this mash bill for the style.

IBU’s are right in the lane, mine was calculated to be 18-19ish and it’s cold crashed now. Tastes like you’d expect from a clear bottled, pale lager south of the border. When I go back on mine, I’m going to bring the IBU’s up into the low 20’s.

A point of question:

1 oz Yakima Chief Hops - Columbus LupuLN2 (Cryo)$ 1.22 / oz
$ 1.22Lupulin Pellet24.5 Boil 60 min6.3214.3%6 oz Yakima Chief Hops - Loral LupuLN2 (Cryo)$ 1.20 / oz
$ 7.20Lupulin Pellet20.1 Boil at 212 °F 15 min15.4385.7%7 oz / $ 8.42

is the ibu value for the Columbus correct? I suspect so based on the size of your batch but I just want to be sure.
 
Dave Y said:
Mash bill looks ok to me tough to go wrong with 2 row and pils/vienna. Mine have always been a little higher pils/vienna than the corn, but there’s a lot of wiggle room on this mash bill for the style.

IBU’s are right in the lane, mine was calculated to be 18-19ish and it’s cold crashed now. Tastes like you’d expect from a clear bottled, pale lager south of the border. When I go back on mine, I’m going to bring the IBU’s up into the low 20’s.

A point of question:

1 oz Yakima Chief Hops - Columbus LupuLN2 (Cryo)$ 1.22 / oz
$ 1.22Lupulin Pellet24.5 Boil 60 min6.3214.3%6 oz Yakima Chief Hops - Loral LupuLN2 (Cryo)$ 1.20 / oz
$ 7.20Lupulin Pellet20.1 Boil at 212 °F 15 min15.4385.7%7 oz / $ 8.42

is the ibu value for the Columbus correct? I suspect so based on the size of your batch but I just want to be sure.
Click to expand...
so i keep shifting the second recipe around. I am leaning towards closer to even amounts of Vienna/corn 8/10 maybe i will flip that and do 10/8.

hops wise:
I buy 11lb boxes of cryo hops. most of my prices are up to date as are the AAs(the boxes have data readouts on them). the columbus is fairly old and may have degraded some over time, but its still potent as hell.

cryo hops are generally about twice the AA of t90s.

want some sticker shock hop wise? this is the IPA that is on draft right now and is not my hoppiest by far.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/1548818
 
Jayzus. that’s a lot of cabbage for a lot of hops.
 
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