Need help with Light American Psuedolager

Randy Stoat

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I need to brew an all grain lager around 4.7% ABV for my daughter, son in law and their friends but have neither the desire or patience to wait 8 weeks for a quality product. My latest brew is a cosmic punch NEIPA that I think is my best to date but they won't touch it. Yes they are BMC snobs. I have a few pouches of S04 and US05 that I'd like to use before they get too old but not averse to buying a lager yeast if it will make a more lagerlike beer.

Is it even possible to take a faux lager from grain to tap in two weeks? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Yup I was even thinking blond ale using the 05 ferment 17-18c on the cold side for three days of fermentation then bump a degree per day till 20c hold until krausen drops then crash down and rack to keg next day.
Add geletin to keg to help speed finning process.

Fermentis 34/70 is good at 18c too
Ozarks does a pretty nice blondie that's crushable.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/550872/blondie
That's my copied version.
You can use minute rice or flaked rice.
 
Yup I was even thinking blond ale using the 05 ferment 17-18c on the cold side for three days of fermentation then bump a degree per day till 20c hold until krausen drops then crash down and rack to keg next day.
Add geletin to keg to help speed finning process.

Fermentis 34/70 is good at 18c too
Ozarks does a pretty nice blondie that's crushable.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/550872/blondie
That's my copied version.
You can use minute rice or flaked rice.
I've used US--05 for this sort of brew as well. Although two weeks is pushing it. @Trialben recommendations should get you close. Next time, if you have four weeks, it will be a bit better..
 
Welcome to the forum Randy!

I just brewed a New Glarus Spotted Cow clone using this recipe: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/edit/1217342. First time I've brewed it but it had lots of likes and author states it's pretty close to the real thing. Who knows, maybe this would be a gateway beer for the BMC crowd and point them towards beer with flavor!

Have to ask...Are you...
  • Named "Randy Stoat"?
  • Named "Randy" and are a stoat?
  • A stoat who is randy?
:p
 
S-04 made a very convincing "lager" for me a couple of times this year, and at room temperature. I'd try that one again in a heartbeat.
It’s a great yeast for cream ales. I just been having some trouble to get it to clear, don’t know if it’s me or the yeast.
 
Well with only 2 weeks, you better get brewing, today!
The beers mentioned above will work, but getting the beer finished, carbed and clear, start to finish will be a tall task.
I'd suggest an American Wheat with a nice fruity hop like Amarillo or even Mosaic on the cold side.
This won't be expected to be clear and will be ready to drink in 2 weeks and is a crowd pleaser.
~1.040
~ 17 IBU
~ 4.3%
my 2 cents
Good Luck!
Brian
 
You can totally pull it off in 2 weeks, assuming you keg and have reasonable temp control. Recipe needs to be simple - 90% Pilsner or 2 row, 10% Vienna, noble hops, pretty much nothing else. @The Brew Mentor 's specs are the right target - definitely stay below 1.050 OG and below 20 IBU
Day 0 - Brew. Use Whirlfloc. Cool wort to 60, oxygenate and pitch 2 packets of rehydrated S-23 or 34/70 or K-97 per 5 gallons.
Day 1 - Confirm fermentation activity...should fully krausen within 36 hours
Day 3 - Confirm that fermentation is slowing down but still active.
Day 4 - Check gravity...should be around1.020, with krausen falling. Raise temp to 68 over the course of the day.
Day 5 - Check gravity...should be within a couple of points of FG, if not completely done.
Day 7 - Check gravity to confirm FG
Day 8 - Check gravity to confirm FG If possible, chill to 35 degrees.
Day 9 - Transfer to keg along with a tablespoon of Biofine per keg, pressurize to 40 lbs through the "out" connection and rock the keg for 2 -3 minutes if chilled or 3 to 4 minutes if room temp. Put in kegerator without CO2 connected.
Day 10 - Top up pressure to 30 lbs (using in connection), Leave CO2 disconnected.
Day 11 - Connect CO2 as usual, set pressure to serving level and pour off 2-3 pints of sludge until beer runs clear. Set pressure for desired CO2 volumes and leave CO2 connected.
Day 12, 13 - Pour off a pint or so to check for clearing.
Day 14 - Serve clear, clean lager style beer.

If you're stuck with either S-04 or US-05, you'll have a very clean American Blonde/Cream Ale and your BMC'ers won't have any problem with it. Just change the initial fermentation temp to 64 for S-04 and 66 for US-05.
 
Leave CO2 disconnected
Why? I generally leave it connected, since as the CO2 dissolves the pressure drops, possibly more than would be best.
 
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Why? I generally leave it connected, since as the CO2 dissolves the pressure drops, possibly more than would be best.
Generally, yes. When it's at high pressure, though, it can over carb in the course of overnight in the kegerator. Charging to 30 or 40 PSI and disconnecting and letting that be absorbed and repeating a few times allows for quick overnight carbing. It can be left connected at the desired pressure once that absorption takes place, usually after around 24 hours.
The other issue with leaving a system connected at high pressure is that you can get leaks that wouldn't normally happen at more common lower pressures.
 
Welcome to the forum Randy!

I just brewed a New Glarus Spotted Cow clone using this recipe: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/edit/1217342. First time I've brewed it but it had lots of likes and author states it's pretty close to the real thing. Who knows, maybe this would be a gateway beer for the BMC crowd and point them towards beer with flavor!

Have to ask...Are you...
  • Named "Randy Stoat"?
  • Named "Randy" and are a stoat?
  • A stoat who is randy?
:p
New Glarus is good. The missus calls it Stoopid Cow, not Spotted Cow. Have done that a few times, both extract and all-grain. Get a better color all-grain. I liked the all-grain better, but maybe it was because it was a lot more work.

Like Barbarian said, I think you'll be pushing it under two weeks, but if you pressure ferment, that MIGHT make a difference. If you're kegging, you don't have the wait for conditioning/finishing. I've read a few things about speeding up lagers using pressure fermenting, but don't remember any that came in under 4 weeks. It's the cold fermenting that's gonna make it lager. Not sure there's a real way around it. But, for a good ale, might try the Leffe Abbey blond. If they're BMC drinkers (like my son-in-law), ales are going to tend to be a little heavy for them. I quit offering him any of my brews because he was dumping more of it than he was drinking. I'm the other way 'round. I go BMC when there's NOTHING else.
 

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