Forbidden 50/50 Lager Light

Method: All Grain
Style: International Dark Lager
Boil Time: 30 min
Batch Size: 6 gallons (fermentor volume)
Pre Boil Size: 7.45 gallons
Post Boil Size: 7 gallons
Pre Boil Gravity: 1.040 (recipe based estimate)
Post Boil Gravity: 1.042 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 80% (brew house)
Calories: 138 calories (Per 12oz)
Carbs: 14 g (Per 12oz)

Created: Wednesday April 3rd 2024

Original Gravity:

1.042

Final Gravity:

1.010

ABV (standard):

4.3%

IBU (tinseth):

15.6

SRM (morey):

50.0

Mash pH

5.6

Cost $

n/a

Fermentables

Amount	Fermentable	PPG	°L	Bill %
4 lb	Briess - Goldpils Vienna Malt4 lb Goldpils Vienna Malt	36.8	3.5	35.6%
0.63 lb	Briess - Blackprinz Malt0.625 lb Blackprinz Malt	25	500	5.6%
0.50 lb	American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt)0.5 lb Carapils (Dextrine Malt)	33	1.8	4.4%
0.50 lb	Weyermann - Carafa Special Type III0.5 lb Carafa Special Type III	29.9	525	4.4%
90 oz	Lotus Foods Gourmet Heirloom Forbidden Rice - US - Lotus Foods Gourmet Heirloom Forbidden Rice - Cooked Black Rice	22	450	50%
11.25 lbs / $ 0.00

Hops

Amount	Variety	Type	AA	Use	Time	IBU	Bill %
1.50 oz	Yakima Valley Hops - CZ Saaz1.5 oz CZ Saaz Hops	Pellet	3.2	Boil	30 min	12.8	75%
0.50 oz	Yakima Valley Hops - CZ Saaz0.5 oz CZ Saaz Hops	Pellet	3.2	Boil	15 min	2.76	25%
2 oz / $ 0.00

Show Summary View

Amount	Variety	Cost	IBU	Bill %
2 oz	Yakima Valley Hops - CZ Saaz (Pellet)		15.56	100%
2 oz / $ 0.00

Other Ingredients

Amount	Name	Type	Use	Time
17 g	Chalk	Water Agt	Mash	1 hr.
1.50 g	Baking Soda	Water Agt	Mash	1 hr.
9.82 ml	Lactic acid	Water Agt	Mash	1 hr.
2 g	Epsom Salt	Water Agt	Mash	1 hr.
0.25 tsp	Glucabuster	Water Agt	Mash	1 hr.

Yeast

Lallemand - LalBrew NovaLager™

Amount:	11 Grams	Cost:
Attenuation (custom):	75%	Flocculation:	Medium
Optimum Temp:	50 - 68 °F	Starter:	No
Fermentation Temp:	68 °F	Pitch Rate:	1.5 (M cells / ml / ° P) 357 B cells required

$ 0.00 Yeast Pitch Rate and Starter Calculator

Priming

Method: co2 Amount: 9.56 psi Temp: 40 °F CO₂ Level: 2.25 Volumes

Target Water Profile

Munich (Dark Lager)

Ca⁺²	Mg⁺²	Na⁺	Cl^-	SO₄^-2	HCO₃^-
82	20	4	2	16	320
Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator

Mash Guidelines

Amount	Type	Start Temp	Target Temp	Time
6.58 gal	Infusion	147 °F	147 °F	60 min
2 gal	Fly Sparge	170 °F	--	--
Starting Mash Thickness: 2 qt/lb Starting Grain Temp: 147 °F

Quick Water Requirements

Water	Gallons	Quarts
Strike water volume at mash thickness of 2 qt/lb	5.63	22.5
Mash volume with grains	6.53	26.1
Grain absorption losses	-1.41	-5.6
Remaining sparge water volume (equipment estimates 2.86 g \| 11.4 qt)	3.48	13.9
Mash Lauter Tun losses	-0.25	-1
Pre boil volume (equipment estimates 6.83 g \| 27.3 qt)	7.45	29.8
Boil off losses	-0.75	-3
Hops absorption losses (first wort, boil, aroma)	-0.08	-0.3
Post boil Volume (equipment estimates 6 g \| 24 qt)	7	28
WARNING: Exceeded batch size - reduce boil size
Going into fermentor (equipment estimates 7 g \| 28 qt)	6	24
Total:	9.11	36.4
Equipment Profile Used:	System Default

Batch Performance

Efficiency:

Conversion: 56.2%

Pre-Boil: 54% 15.4 ppg

Ending Kettle: 70% 19.9 ppg

Brew House: 60% 17.1 ppg

Wort Volume:

6 Gallons

Expected 6 Gallons of fermentable wort.
Expected OG: 1.042
Actual OG: 1.032

Alcohol and Attenuation:

ABV: 3.02%

Apparent Attenuation: 71.9%
Actual FG: 1.009
Calories per 12oz 138 calories
Carbohydrates per 12oz 14 g

Amount Packaged:

5 Gallons

Great job! You get to enjoy the equivalent of:

12oz bottles: 53
Pints: 40

Latest Brew Log

Date	Days	Event	Gravity	Volume	pH	Temp	Updated	Comment
9/8/2024 9:29 PM 3 months ago	+0	Mash Complete	1.021	8.25 Gallons	5.7	147 °F	9/8/2024 9:29 PM 3 months ago
9/8/2024 9:30 PM 3 months ago	+0	Pre-Boil Gravity	1.021	8.25 Gallons		147 °F	9/8/2024 9:30 PM 3 months ago
9/8/2024 9:31 PM 3 months ago	+0	Boil Complete	1.032	7 Gallons		75 °F	9/8/2024 9:31 PM 3 months ago
9/8/2024 9:32 PM 3 months ago	+0	Brew Day Complete	1.032	6 Gallons		73.3 °F	9/8/2024 9:51 PM 3 months ago	Brew day was pretty uneventful and went similarly to the last time I brewed a black rice lager. The pH was sitting at 5.7 after a 10 minute rest so I again didn't add any lactic acid. When I started to recirculate I noticed that it was moving fine and the volume in the sight glass wasn't dropping drastically so I decided not to use any Glucabuster. It was very much not needed, the mash actually recirculated fantastically. Unfortunately like last time, the pre-boil volume was almost a gallon more than predicted and as a result, the pre-boil gravity was considerably low. I, again, had to boil for a full hour, vigorously, to drop the volume down. I did end up with 6 gallons in the fermenter so that was spot on. This is going to be a very low ABV beer; I'll be lucky if I hit 4%. I really shouldn't be too surprised, the first batch I brewed had over 2 lbs. more grain in the bill. I now remember when creating this recipe that I really wanted the 50/50 in the name to be accurate - 50% rice, 50% grains. Since black rice is expensive and comes in oddly weighted packages, I didn't increase the black rice but rather decreased the grain bill. I considered adding table sugar but ultimately decided just to accept the recipe for what it is. The sample did taste good though so I think we're gonna have another tasty black rice lager when all is said and done.
9/8/2024 10:56 PM 3 months ago	+0	Other	1.032			71 °F	9/8/2024 10:58 PM 3 months ago	Just realized something that should've been really obvious: The absorption rate for rice is totally different than grain. This almost certainly explains why my water volume was consistently about a gallon too much post-mash. I'm too dumb to figure out the absorption rate for rice, but a general rule of thumb to follow for future batches: SUBTRACT ONE GALLON OF MASH WATER FOR EVERY 5 POUNDS OF RICE!!!
9/11/2024 4:40 PM 3 months ago	+3	Sample	1.009			68 °F	9/11/2024 4:40 PM 3 months ago	Fermentation has slowed drastically so I figured I'd take a gravity reading and taste. Hydrometer reading confirmed the Tilt, gravity is sitting at 1.009. So we're barely hitting 3% ABV and I doubt it's gonna drop much more. I had considered dumping this batch and brewing again with a larger grain bill and adjusted water volume, but instead I'll take this opportunity to rebrand this batch as a low ABV, low calorie light lager. Lemons to lemonade, problem solved! The taste is almost identical to the first batch I brewed but with a little more roastiness, which is exactly what I was going for. If not for the fact that rice is so messy to brew with, this would be a perfect beer to keep in regular rotation because it has a ton of flavor for being "light".
9/15/2024 9:22 PM 3 months ago	+7	Fermentation Complete	1.009	6 Gallons		68 °F	9/15/2024 9:22 PM 3 months ago	Gravity has been steady at 1.009 for the past few days so calling fermentation complete. Cold crashing and lagering starts now!
9/30/2024 7:21 PM 2 months ago	+22	Packaged	1.009	5 Gallons		40 °F	9/30/2024 7:21 PM 2 months ago	Beer has been kegged. The appearance is very misleading because it has a dark tan head, the beer itself is quite dark. It looks like it's gonna be a boozy, heave imperial stout of some sort. But when you drink it, it tastes like any other thin-bodied, light lager but with a little roastiness. I would've liked for the ABV to be higher, however I like that it has some dark beer characteristics while being low ABV (and lower calorie) so you can drink more of it. Since this is a competition beer, I'm curious to see how people will respond to it. Overall I'm please with this beer.

Notes

Below are the steps I used for cooking the rice and incorporating it into the mash:

RINSE RICE VERY WELL!
Bring 3 gallons of distilled water to a boil in the kettle. Using the steel mesh basket, add all the rice to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook the rice for 30 minutes (or longer, if necessary). After rice is cooked, remove the basket and top off water to reach 6.58 gallons. Heat/cool as required to reach a mash temp of 147°F. Remember to factor the cooked rice temperature when calculating a strike temperature!
Check pH before adding lactic acid. The rice doesn't seem to factor into the water calculator and my last batch ended up not needing any lactic acid.
Rice hulls are highly recommended during the mash.
On my last batch the mash was really thick after blending the rice and grains. It may not be necessary, but I used 30 drops (approximately 1/4 teaspoon) of Glucabuster to aid with recirculation. It helped a ton.
Boil time for the batch is only 30 minutes, however that may have to be extended based on water volume. My pre-boil volume was much higher than anticipated last time.
Pressure ferment at 68°F @ 15psi.

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Last Updated: 2024-09-16 14:36 UTC

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Forbidden 50/50 Lager Light