Time’s running out to get expert feedback on your homemade ciders and meads in the world’s largest competition for home winemakers (run by BYO’s sister magazine). Entry deadline is March 13. Click here for competition info!

recipe

Spaten Premium Lager clone

Spaten Münchner Hell (Premium Lager) Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

(5 gallons, partial mash)
OG = 1.051  FG = 1.011 IBU = 18  SRM = 5  ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients

6 oz. (0.17 kg) German Munich malt (6 °L)
12 oz. (0.34 kg) Carafoam® malt
4 oz. (113 g) melanoidin malt
5 lb. (2.3 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
2 AAU  Spalt hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acid)
3 AAU German Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6% alpha acids)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager) or White Labs WLP920 (Old Bavarian Lager)
1-1/4 cup Muntons extra-light dry malt extract for priming

Step by Step

Bring one gallon of water to 155 °F (74 °C), add crushed grain and hold for 30 minutes at 150 °F (66 °C). Strain the grain into the brewpot and wash the grains with one gallon of 168 °F (76 °C) water. Add the dried malt extract and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to at least 3 gallons (11 L). Boil for 45 minutes, then add the Irish moss. Boil for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the stove. Cool wort in an ice bath or chill with wort chiller. Strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5.25 gallons (20 L). Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Start fermentation at 60-62 °F (16-17 °C) until fermentation begins (approximately 24 hours). Bring primary fermenter to 47-52 °F (8-11 °C) for 14 days, then rack into secondary. Ferment at 52 °F (11 °C) until target gravity has been reached and the beer has cleared (approximately 4 weeks). Then prime and bottle or keg and force carbonate. If bottling, carbonate at 70-72 °F (21-22 °C) for 2 to 3 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.

All-Grain option: Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 9 lbs. (4.1 kg) German Pilsner malt and remaining grains in 3.5 gallons (13.3 L) of water at 122 °F (50 °C) for 25 minutes, then up to 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Sparge with 5 gallons (19 L) of water at 5.7 pH and 168 °F (76 °C). The total boil time is approximately 90 minutes. This Munich helles is ready to drink as soon as it is carbonated. It will peak between one and five months and will keep for eight months at cellar temperatures.

You might also like…

recipe

Bozeman Brewing Company: Bozone Hefeweizen clone

2010 North American Beer Awards bronze medal winner is an American version of a German classic wheat beer. Bozeman uses Montana-grown malted

recipe

Euro Pale Lager

Author Terry Foster offers a European pale lager recipes for readers with a simple grain bill and clean lager yeast to allow the beer to foc

recipe

Grantham Mild

The best thing about brewing a mild is that you get to dial up pretty much all of your favorite malt flavors, in whatever ratio you’d like

recipe

Fredericksburg Brewing Co.’s Porter clone