Beer Style: Pale Lager Family
Dad’s Homebrew
They may be the beer styles your dad drank after mowing the lawn, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t cool! American adjunct lagers (and sometimes ales) are refreshing with a simple taste profile. We provide insight into brewing a beer your dad would be proud of.
Brewing Light American Lagers
Two pros who won gold and silver at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival for their light American lagers share their tips for brewing these delicate beers at home.
Dad’s American Lager
This American Lager recipe can be used as a starting point for many variations. Scale down the alcohol to 3.5% and reduce the bitterness to 10 IBUs to have an American light lager. Add SINAMAR® to make a dark American lager. Reduce the percentage of adjuncts from 20% to 10% and increase the bitterness to 20 IBUs to get a premium American lager. Use either all rice or all corn as adjuncts. Use all corn as adjuncts, increase the alcohol to 5.8% and the bitterness to 30 IBUs of Cluster to get a classic American Pilsner (pre-Prohibition lager). Add some tropical or New Zealand late hops to make a hop lager. Switch the yeast to Danish Lager, American Lager, or a malty German variety for a different fermentation profile.
Malt Liquor
This Malt Liquor recipe can be adjusted to a different alcohol level, if desired. Just add or remove corn sugar first.
Working Draft Beer Co.’s Keep ‘Em Honest clone
A German-style helles from Working Draft Beer Co., in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dougweiser
You cannot tell the story of the Falcons without having Doug King in the middle of it. In Doug’s years in the club, the legend of Dougweiser and his habit of throwing anything into the mash tun (with consideration) became the stuff of legends. This is the last batch of Doug’s eponymous beer he brewed before his death driving to the Northern California Homebrewers Fest. It was brewed on July 4, 1999 and was kegged on August 10. (For readers obsessed with gear in pursuit of perfection, Doug brewed world class lagers on his kitchen stove and used a ZapPap bucket setup for lautering.)
Cerebral Brewing Co.’s Standard Practice clone
Stouts and barleywines aren’t the only styles you should consider aging in barrels. This helles lands on the other end of the flavor intensity threshold and is perfect for any occasion. This beer received a gold medal in 2022 at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers.
Brewing Helles
Brewing a well-made Helles is the ultimate test of skill. The recipe may be simple but the execution is challenging with no place to hide any flaws. But that end result of
1188 Brewing Co.’s Silk Robes and Kimonos Rice Lager clone
A BYO reader stumbled upon their first rice lager at 1188 Brewing Co. and wants to learn more about this highly drinkable brew.
Rice Lager
If you are looking for a beer with a clean and crisp character with very low bitterness, you’ve come to the right place. Gordon Strong takes us on a journey through the mechanics to brew Japanese rice lagers or simply rice lagers.
Gordon Strong’s Rice Lager
I like having a good, clean lager on tap, and this one has a refreshing quality while still being interesting.
Home Pale Lager (1915)
Home Brewing Co.’s Assistant Brew Master Alphonse Gosch gives no information as to whether this beer was lagered at low temperature. He does say the beer was racked to casks after eleven days, which suggests it was not further processed.
