Epic Brewing Company: Los Locos clone

Epic Brewing Company: Los Locos clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.012
IBU = 20 SRM = 3 ABV = 4.9%

Inspired by the Mexican cuisine at chef Troy Guard’s Los Chingones restaurant in Denver, Colorado, Los Locos is a sessionable, refreshing lager brewed with corn, natural lime juice, and just a hint of salt. An excellent pairing with any spicy Mexican dish. “Los Locos is the spirit of summer in a can. It’s light, refreshing, and perfect for enjoying on the hammock or with your friends at a raging pachanga,” said Kevin Crompton, Epic’s Brewmaster.

Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) Pilsner malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked maize
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Carapils® malt
15 AAU Amarillo® hops (10 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 10% alpha acids)
Sea salt (to taste)
Lime juice (to taste)
White Labs WLP940 (Mexican Lager) or Wyeast 2002 (Gambrinus Lager) yeast
2⁄3 cup (133 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 3.2 gallons (12.1 L) of 164 °F (73 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 5 gallons (19 L) of water and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list. Chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 52 °F (11 °C). Aerate and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 54 °F (12 °C) until the completion of primary fermentation, then let the temperature rise to 60 °F (16 °C) for a diacetyl rest. Add lime juice and salt to taste — you may want to create a salt water solution to aid in adjustment/evaluation. Crash the beer to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours, and bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes. After carbonation, lager at near-freezing temperatures for at least six weeks before serving.

Extract with grains option:
Substitute the Pilsner malt and flaked maize in the all-grain recipe with 4 lbs. (1.8 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract and 1 lb. (0.45 kg) corn sugar. Bring 5.4 gallons (20.4 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) and hold there. Steep grains for 15 minutes, then remove bag and allow to drain into the wort. Add dried extract and corn sugar while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Boil 60 minutes. Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.

Tips for Success:
When adding the sea salt and lime juice, start small and build up. They’re easy flavors to overdo, and they should be background notes rather than starring players. Also, if you find that you’re not getting enough citrus kick out of the Amarillo® hops, you can consider adding an additional half-ounce at flame out to boost the tropical/citrus fruit aroma.