Mexican Lager

Mexican Lager

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.011
IBU = 19 SRM = 3.5 ABV = 5%

Ingredients
3 lbs. 8 oz. (1.6 kg) German Pilsner malt
2 lbs. (907 kg) US 2-row malt
2 lbs. (907 kg) German Vienna malt
2 lbs. 12 oz. (1.25 kg) flaked maize
1.5 AAU Tettnanger hops (first wort hop) (0.33 oz./9 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
3 AAU Tettnanger hops (45 min.) (0.76 oz./19g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz (14 g) Tettnanger hops (5 min.)
White Labs WLP940 (Mexican Lager) or Lallemand Diamond Lager yeast
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
On brew day, prepare your ingredients; mill the grains, measure your hops, and prepare your water. This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Add 1⁄4 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) salt to the mash.

Mash in the malts and corn at 149 °F (65 °C) in 14 qts. (13 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature by infusion or direct heating to 168 °F (76 °C) to mashout.

Recirculate for 15 minutes. Fly sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort is collected.

Boil the wort for 75 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. The first wort hops get added to the kettle after lautering but before a boil is reached. After the boil is complete, chill the wort down to 50 °F (10 °C) and rack to the fermenter.

Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast. Ferment at 50 °F (10 °C) until complete. At this point it is recommended to remove the beer from the yeast cake by either tranferring to a secondary vessel purged of oxygen or gently racking trying to avoid oxidation as best as possible. If your fermenter has a yeast dump valve, you can simply remove the yeast through the bottom valve. Lager for 4 to 8 weeks at 32 °F (0 °C). Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.

Mexican Lager

(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.011
IBU = 19 SRM = 3.5 ABV = 5%

Ingredients
4.9 lbs. (2.2 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1.8 lbs. (816 g) Brewers corn syrup
1.5 AAU Tettnanger hops (first wort hop) (0.33 oz./9 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
3 AAU Tettnanger hops (45 min.) (0.76 oz./19g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz (14 g) Tettnanger hops (5 min.)
White Labs WLP940 (Mexican Lager) or Lallemand Diamond Lager yeast
7⁄8 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).

Add the malt extract and corn syrup and stir thoroughly to dissolve 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, add the FWH hop addition, and bring to a boil.

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. Chill to 50 °F (10 °C) and rack to the fermenter.

Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe for fermentation and packaging instructions.