Make Award-Winning Session Beers
One of the trends of the past few years that I’ve welcomed is the rediscovery of lower-alcohol craft beers. Perhaps it’s a reaction to the “imperial everything” trend or just consumers becoming confident enough in their opinions that they can drink beer for personal enjoyment not to impress others. Don’t get me wrong, the craft market is still flooded with huge beers and those with intense, oddball flavors. But there is a growing appreciation for beer that you can readily enjoy by the pint.
The term “session beer” comes from the British pub tradition where a drinking session among friends would last the evening with many rounds consumed. I’ve tried to determine the origin of the term, but even British beer historians are squidgy on the point. So rather than try to give a precise definition, just think of the general feeling — it’s a kind of beer that you can drink all evening with friends without getting seriously hammered. Brits likely think of this as five or more pints, while Americans seem to be fine with at least three pints. This makes sense as the ABV of most British beers is lower than the average American beer.
I hesitate to define the concept of session beer on alcohol alone because that is not the only component of drinkability. Certainly it is a factor for potential inebriation, but just because a beer is low alcohol doesn’t mean that it’s drinkable in quantity. Some low alcohol beers are bland, watery, and tasteless. Others are heavy and sweet, while some can be so highly carbonated that you spend more time burping than drinking. So the best session beers should be flavorful, but easy to consume.
What constitutes flavorful is subjective, of course. The current trend of session IPAs is a contentious topic for some consumers, where enthusiasts praise the ability to have an extremely hoppy beer that isn’t high in alcohol while critics deride it as unbalanced hop juice. Likewise, sour beers have an equal love-hate reaction among drinkers. Some love the brightness and liveliness of a sour beer, while others just reach for an antacid. Regardless of your choice in recipe design, a good session beer should have something that holds the drinker’s interest sip after sip.
I think time of year has a factor in enjoyment of different types of session beers. In warmer weather, I think the lighter colored or more attenuated styles fit better while cooler weather favors deeper malt flavors. But that’s just an opinion; your mood, the type of food you’re eating, and even the setting can come into play. The best bet is that if you have a beer that tastes good, you’re likely to enjoy it in a wider range of settings.
Brewer Comments
While looking for award-winning recipes, I consulted the BJCP database to find some recent competition winners. I found four recipes this way, plus added one of my own. I also took the opportunity to ask the other brewers about their opinions on session beers. Happily, I found several common themes among the opinions.
Brett Gent of Newport Beach, California, who won the Pacific Brewers Cup competition with an Irish dry stout, said that he enjoys lower ABV beers with various layers of flavor. Tim Thomssen of Lincoln, Nebraska, who won the New England Regional Homebrew Competition (as well as several others) with his dark mild agreed, and said, “You need to pack as much flavor into that little guy as you can.” Thomssen also won the Samuel Adams Longshot competition in 2015, and is in the process of going pro. My longtime friend Keith Kost of San Francisco, California, who won the Oaktoberfest competition with a Kölsch, commented that, “Balance is the key; I want it to be dry, have some bitterness, showcase the Pils malt, and be a summertime quaffable beer.” Kost is also the current winner of the Sierra Nevada California Homebrewer of the Year. Creg Browne of Louisville, Kentucky, who won the Kentucky State Fair homebrew competition with a lite American lager (a beer I was fortunate enough to judge), said, “My homebrew repertoire was too heavy handed for long, hot sunny days at the beach” and “while entertaining at my house, I have friends that are reluctant to try homebrew” so he needed something more mainstream while showing that you could still have flavor. He said that he keeps it on tap regularly and uses it as, “A pathway for them to open their minds and palates to homebrew and craft beer in general.”
My own blonde ale is based on experiments I conducted to see the contributions of whirlpool hops on IBUs in finished beer, and to fill the need for a good summertime beer. I was working on the project with my friend Frank Barickman of Delaware, Ohio, who took a gold medal in the Dayton Beerfest with our updated version. Deriving most of the bitterness from late hop additions allows more hop aroma and flavor to be retained while keeping the IBUs from getting out of hand.
Gent talked about experiments with varying base malts in his stout, saying that he had used 2-row instead of Maris Otter in some versions, but ultimately decided that he liked the additional flavor from the British malt and that it really complemented the taste and aroma of the darker malts. I think this is a good point of experimentation for homebrewers, and can often lead to interesting results. If I were playing with his recipe again, I might try going with Golden Promise™ as the base malt.
Thomssen talked about trying to avoid session beers that are thin and watery. He suggests using, “A ton of specialty malts as well as the lowest attenuating yeast in the book (Fullers – WLP002 or Wyeast 1968). The goal is to leave some residual body and flavor in your glass and not ferment it all away.” He also likes to use a no sparge mash technique to boost malt flavor (a tip I wholeheartedly endorse, and one that I often use on my malt-forward small beers). He further comments that his Best of Show winning beer was about five weeks old when it went into competition, so “freshness is an important factor in beers like these.” An interesting part of his recipe is adding a little bit of oats to get a fuller body and mouthfeel that work well with the residual sweetness. He also keeps the carbonation low; he doesn’t have a specific measurement except to say that, “It should not have any carbonic bite.”
About the term “balanced beer,” Thomssen made an insightful comment, “What that means to me is multiple layers of flavor that work together allowing each to express their own identity without one flavor being overly dominant. If one particular flavor gets too dominant, it makes some of the lower level flavors seem to go away. My goal as I tweaked the recipe over the years was to adjust ingredient quantities to a level where they would each express themselves evenly and not step on one another.”
Kost said he’s been making the same Kölsch recipe since 2002 or so, taking the time to bust my chops in the process (“I won the DRAFT Best of Show with this in 2003; I remember beating some guy named Gordon”). He makes his Kölsch with a little wheat for head retention, and he said that he’s brewed the beer commercially in both Pittsburgh and San Francisco after it won Best of Shows. He said, “Beer geeks tend to overlook session beers because they don’t hit you over the head, but their nuances are what makes them so great.” Like Thomssen, he wants a little residual sweetness in his milds and uses multiple types of crystal malt. But in his Kölsch, he’s looking for attenuation so that you can enjoy the small 0.2 L glasses quickly, and also enjoy the beer with food. My trips to Cologne, Germany certainly confirm those opinions. Even though the alcohol level is a bit higher, the beer is sessionable in the glasses they use.
Browne said that, “You need to pay attention to the details when making this beer as any faults or flaws would be easily detectable in such a light lager.” He gave me details about all the equipment upgrades he had made, including being able to direct-fire and recirculate his mash system (something I do as well), and using temperature-controlled fermenters and lagering chambers (ditto).
Browne offered some additional advice for brewers. He said, “Don’t just cut back on the malt and hop bills and try to brew a lighter version of another beer; there are plenty of styles that are meant to be lower ABV and lighter on the palate” and cautioned, “When brewing lighter styles without big hop bills, maltiness, or lots of dark malts, good technique and careful process control will pay dividends as flaws will be obvious or unpleasant.” He likes lagers as session beers with their natural smoothness and clean flavors, but warns that you must be “mindful of special requirements for lagers including cool fermentation, diacetyl rest, and lagering time/temperature.”
My experiences in producing different versions of the blonde ale were in trying to balance the hop character and bitterness to produce an evenly balanced beer with a nice hop character. I didn’t want the blonde ale to be an American pale ale in disguise, which is actually what happened when I didn’t give whirlpool hops enough utilization in my bitterness calculations. At the time, recipe software assumed that any hop additions after the boil ended had zero IBU contributions, but that’s patently false. So now I treat a 20-minute hop whirlpool addition as equivalent to a 10-minute bittering addition. My version of the blonde ale has a pleasant hop aroma without as much bitterness as pale ales.
I think these recipes present a range of styles that showcase the best qualities of session beers. To me, drinkability is more important than absolute alcohol level but remember that each beer style has its own merits. The comments from these award-winning brewers offer valuable advice for recipe formulation and brewing, so I’m looking forward to judging more session beers in future competitions.
Blonde Ale
Gordon Strong
Beavercreek, Ohio
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 24 SRM = 5 ABV = 4.8%
Created from experiments, with Frank Barickman of Delaware, Ohio, this
blonde ale took a gold medal in the DRAFT Dayton Beerfest.
Ingredients
4.5 lbs. (2 kg) US 2-row pale malt
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) German Pilsner malt
2 lbs. (907 g) German Munich malt
8 oz. (227 g) Weyermann Carahell® malt (10 °L)
1.4 AAU Citra® hops (first wort hop)
(0.1 oz./3 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
4.6 AAU Citra® hops (10 min.)
(0.33 oz./9 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) or White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
On brew day, prepare your ingredients; mill the grain, measure your hops, and prepare your water. This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Add ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons (19 L) of brewing water, or until water measures pH 5.5 at room temperature. Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride (CaCl2) to the mash.
On brew day, mash in all the grains at 151 °F (66 °C) in 15 qts. (14 L) of water and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature to 168 °F (76 °C) for 10 minutes to mashout, recirculating. Fly sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected.
Boil the wort for 75 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. First wort hops are added to the kettle while running off the wort from the mash tun. Let the wort stand for 20 minutes after adding the 0 minute hops, then chill to 65 °F (18 °C). Oxygenate the wort well, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 65 °F (18 °C) until fermentation is complete. Rack the beer and cold condition at 33 °F (1 °C) for 1 week. Fine or filter if necessary for clarity. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Blonde Ale
Gordon Strong
Beavercreek, Ohio
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 24 SRM = 5 ABV = 4.8%
Ingredients
2.4 lbs. (1.1 kg) extra light dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract
8 oz. (227 g) Weyermann Carahell® malt (10 °L)
1.4 AAU Citra® hops (first wort hop)
(0.1 oz./3 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
4.6 AAU Citra® hops (10 min.)
(0.33 oz./9 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
10.3 AAU Centennial hops (0 min.)
(1 oz./28 g at 10.3% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) or White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Start with 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Steep the malt in a muslin brew bag for 30 minutes, rinse and remove. Turn off the heat, add the malt extracts, and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring the wort to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the recipe. First wort hops are added after removing the steeping grains.
Let the wort stand for 20 minutes after adding the 0 minute hops, then chill to 65 °F (18 °C). Oxygenate the wort, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 65 °F (18 °C) until fermentation is complete. Rack the beer and cold condition at 33 °F (1 °C) for 1 week. Fine or filter if necessary for clarity. Keg or bottle as usual.
Dark Mild
Tim Thomssen
Lincoln, Nebraska
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.017
IBU = 19 SRM = 19 ABV = 3.8%
Winner of the New England Regional Homebrew Competition.
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) pale ale malt
14 oz. (397 g) Briess Victory® malt
11 oz. (312 g) UK amber malt
7 oz. (198 g) flaked oats
7 oz. (198 g) UK dark crystal malt (80 °L)
7 oz. (198 g) Weyermann Caramunich® II malt (46 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) Belgian Special B malt
4 oz. (113 g) UK extra dark crystal (160 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) molasses
2.1 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (first wort hop) (0.33 oz/9 g at 6.2% alpha acids)
4.3 AAU East Kent Goldings hops
(20 min.) (0.7 oz./20 g at 6.2% alpha acids)
1 tablet Whirfloc® (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 min.)
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly before pitching the yeast. Water profile: 6 g calcium chloride, 2 g baking soda, 2 g epsom salt, 2 g gypsum. Mash grains at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes (mash pH: 5.2) in 16 qts. (15 L) of water. Drain mash tun completely into kettle, then sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. Add the molasses in the boil. First wort hops go in the kettle before the mash tun is run off. Chill to 64 °F (18 °C). Oxygenate the wort, then pitch the yeast starter. Allow the fermentation temperature to free rise as high as 72 °F (22 °C) until fermentation is complete. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter, and cold condition at 32 °F (0 °C) for 7 days. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Dark Mild
Tim Thomssen
Lincoln, Nebraska
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.017
IBU = 19 SRM = 19 ABV = 3.8%
Ingredients
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) pale ale malt
14 oz. (397 g) Briess Victory® malt
11 oz. (312 g) UK amber malt
7 oz. (198 g) UK dark crystal malt (80 °L)
7 oz. (198 g) Weyermann Caramunich® II malt (46 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) Belgian Special B malt
4 oz. (113 g) UK extra dark crystal (160 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) molasses
2.1 AAU East Kent Goldings hops
(first wort hop) (0.33 oz/9 g at 6.2% alpha acids)
4.3 AAU East Kent Goldings hops
(20 min.) (0.7 oz./20 g at 6.2% alpha acids)
1 tablet Whirfloc® (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 min.)
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Heat 1.5 gallons (6 L) of water in a pot to 162 °F (72 °C). Mash the crushed pale ale, Victory® and amber malts in a large muslin bag for 60 minutes. Add the crystal malts to the bag and soak for 15 minutes. Remove the bag and place in a large colander. Slowly wash the grains with 1 gallon (4 L) hot water. Top off to 6 gallons (23 L) and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Add the malt extract and molasses and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the recipe. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe (left).
Irish Stout
Brett Gent
Newport Beach, California
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.050 FG = 1.012
IBU = 40 SRM = 38 ABV = 5%
Brett won the Pacific Brewers Cup with this recipe for Irish dry stout.
Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
12 oz. (340 g) flaked barley
8 oz. (227 g) crystal malt (15 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) black malt (500 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) chocolate malt (350 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) roasted barley (300 °L)
10 AAU East Kent Goldings hops
(60 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 5% alpha acids)
1.4 AAU Willamette hops (15 min.)
(0.25 oz./7 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
1 tablet Whirfloc® (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 min)
White Labs WLP004 (Irish Ale) or Wyeast 1084 (Irish Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
On brew day, prepare your ingredients; mill the grain, measure your hops, and prepare your water. Water profile: calcium – 70 ppm, magnesium – 10 ppm, sodium – 15 ppm, sulfate – 75 ppm, chloride – 50 ppm.
Mash grains at 151 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes (mash pH: 5.4) in 16 qts (15 L) of water. Sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the ingredients list.
After the boil, chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Hold at fermentation temperature for 4–5 days, then slowly increase temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Irish Stout
Brett Gent
Newport Beach, California
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.050 FG = 1.012
IBU = 40 SRM = 38 ABV = 5%
Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
8 oz. (227 g) crystal malt (15 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) black malt (500 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) chocolate malt (350 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) roasted barley (300 °L)
10 AAU East Kent Goldings hops
(60 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 5% alpha acids)
1.4 AAU Willamette hops (15 min.)
(0.25 oz./7 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
1 tablet Whirfloc® (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 min.)
White Labs WLP004 (Irish Ale) or Wyeast 1084 (Irish Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Steep grains for 30 minutes, then rinse. Turn off heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the ingredients list.
Chill to 64 °F (18 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Hold fermentation temperature for 4-5 days, then slowly increase temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Kölsch
Keith Kost
San Francisco, California
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.009
IBU = 20 SRM = 3 ABV = 5.3%
Keith won the Oaktoberfest, which is a German-style homebrew competition, with this Kölsch.
Ingredients
9.25 lbs. (4.2 kg) German Pilsner malt
12 oz. (340 g) white wheat malt
4 AAU German Magnum hops (60 min.)
(0.33 oz./9 g at 12.2% alpha acid)
3.8 AAU Sterling hops (10 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 7.5% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Sterling hops (0 min.)White Labs WLP029 (GermanAle/Kölsch) or Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
On brew day, prepare your ingredients; mill the grain, measure your hops, and prepare your water. Water profile: Calcium – 50 ppm, magnesium – 5 ppm, sodium – 8 ppm, sulfate – 31 ppm, chloride – 64 ppm.
Mash the grains at 148 °F (64 °C) for 90 minutes (mash pH: 5.35) in 15 qts. (14 L) of water. Raise to 168 °F (76 °C) for 10 minutes to mash out. Sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the ingredients list.
Following the boil, chill the wort immediately to 62 °F (17 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 62 °F (17 °C) for first three days, then ramp to 68 °F (20 °C) over 10 days or until fermentation is complete. Rack, and lager at 33 °F (1 °C) for about a month. If the beer is not brilliantly clear, use a clarifier like Biofine or filter. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Kölsch
Keith Kost
San Francisco, California
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.009
IBU = 20 SRM = 3 ABV = 5.3%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract
4 AAU German Magnum hops (60 min.)
(0.33 oz./9 g at 12.2% alpha acid)
3.8 AAU Sterling hops (10 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 7.5% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Sterling hops (0 min.)
White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch) or Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Turn off heat. Add the malt extract to the brew pot and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the ingredients list.
Following the boil, chill the wort immediately to 62 °F (17 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 62 °F (17 °C) for first three days, then ramp to 68 °F (20 °C) over 10 days or until fermentation is complete. Rack, and lager at 33 °F (1 °C) for about a month. If the beer is not brilliantly clear, use a clarifier like Biofine or filter. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Light American Lager
Creg Browne, Louisville, Kentucky
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.040 FG = 1.009
IBU = 15 SRM = 2.3 ABV = 4.1%
Creg won the Kentucky State Fair homebrew competition with this recipe for “lite” American lager. He brewed this to have around for his friends who are reluctant to try homebrew, and now regularly keeps it on tap to have around for hot, sunny days.
Ingredients
4.4 lbs. (2 kg) US 6-row malt
4.4 lbs. (2 kg) flaked maize (corn)
3.6 AAU German Tradition hops (60 min.) (0.6 oz./17 g at 6% alpha acid)
0.2 oz. (6 g) German Tradition hops (5 min.)
1 tablet Whirfloc® (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 min.)
White Labs WLP940 (Mexican Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 2-qt. (2-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
On brew day, prepare your ingredients; mill the grain, measure your hops, and prepare your water.
Mash grains at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes (mash pH: 5.2) in 13 qts. (12 L) of water. Sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the ingredients list.
Oxygenate the wort, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 51 °F (11 °C) for 7 days in primary and 2 weeks in secondary. Following secondary, remove from cooling and raise temp to 70 °F (21 °C) for diacetyl rest for 2 days, then slowly reduce temperature to 38 °F (3 °C) and lager for 1 to 2 months. Prime and bottle condition,
or keg and force carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
Light American Lager
Creg Browne, Louisville, Kentucky
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.040 FG = 1.009
IBU = 15 SRM = 3 ABV = 4.1%
No exact extract recipe can be given for this beer as the amount of corn in the all-grain recipe requires a lot of malt enzymes to convert, and any kind of substitute for flaked corn won’t have the right flavor. But, you can make a similar beer (more neutral flavored with less corn-grits type flavor) with corn sugar.
Ingredients
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) extra light dried malt extract
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) corn sugar
3.6 AAU German Tradition hops (60
min.) (0.6 oz./17 g at 6% alpha acid)
0.2 oz. (6 g) German Tradition hops (5 min.)
1 tablet Whirfloc® (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 min.)
White Labs WLP940 (Mexican Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 2-qt. (2-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. On brew day, prepare your ingredients; measure your hops, and prepare your water.
Bring 5.5 gallons (21 L) up to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the dried malt extract and corn sugar. Stir until fully dissolved. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe.
Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 51 °F (11 °C) for 7 days in primary and 2 weeks in secondary. Following secondary, remove from cooling and raise temp to 70 °F (21 °C) for diacetyl rest for 2 days, then slowly reduce temperature to 38 °F (3 °C) and lager for 1 to 2 months. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
