American Lager
America’s most-popular beer style is pale, clean, and thirst quenching. Ours uses European malt and hops for a superior light lager, but stays true to style featuring crisp drinkability with just a hint of malt and hops. To purchase this kit, click here.
Statistics
Original Gravity 1.051
Final Gravity 1.016
Alcohol Content 4.7%
Ingredients
3.3 lb. Munton’s Extra Light Malt Extract
2 lb. Munton & Fison Extra Light Dried Malt Extract
1 lb. Rice Syrup Solids
1½ oz. Mt. Hood Hop Pellets (Bittering)
½ oz. Mt. Hood Hop Pellets (Flavoring)
Wyeast # 2112 XL California Lager
Procedure
A few hours before you begin to brew, prepare your liquid yeast according to the package instructions. We assume that you are familiar with basic homebrewing techniques, so these procedures are abbreviated.
1. Add up to 2 gallons of water to your brew kettle (keep enough head space to avoid boil-overs) and bring to a boil.
2. Remove the pot from the heat and add the bags of dried malt extract. Do not add the can of extract syrup or the rice syrup at this time. Keep the kettle off the burner and stir until the malt extract is completely dissolved.
3. Put the pot back on the burner and bring it back to a boil. Once boiling, place the bittering hops into muslin bags (no more than 1 oz per bag) and add them to the pot. Set your timer to boil for 1 hour. Keep an eye on the pot to avoid boil-overs.
4. After 40 minutes of boiling, remove the pot from the heat (you do not have to stop the timer) and add the can of malt extract syrup and the rice syrup. Keep the kettle off the burner and stir until the syrup is completely dissolved. Bring back to a boil.
5. After 45 minutes, add the flavoring hops (in a muslin bag). Add ½ teaspoon of Irish moss, or 1 Whirlfloc tablet, to help clarify your beer (optional).
6. After 60 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat. Put a lid on your pot and cool it in an ice bath (use your sink) for about 30 minutes. Remove the hop bags from the kettle.
7. Pour 1½ gallons of cold water into your sanitized fermenter, add the cooled wort (the stuff in your pot), and top up with additional water to 5 gallons. Aerate the wort with vigorous stirring, rocking the fermenter, etc.
8. Make sure the wort is below 80°F before adding yeast. Take a hydrometer reading if desired. Add the yeast to the wort.
9. Store the fermenter where the temperature will be a fairly constant 60° – 65°F. Active fermentation may take only a few days, or it can last up to 2 weeks. A hydrometer reading is a great way to determine when the fermentation is done. Keep the beer in the primary fermenter for two weeks until active fermentation is done (no signs of active fermentation for the last 2-3 days).
10. This beer may benefit from a secondary fermentation. This extended aging at cool temperatures should be done in a glass carboy for an additional 2–3 weeks before bottling.
11. When ready to bottle, siphon beer into your sanitized bottling bucket, leaving sediment behind. Boil the priming sugar in 1-2 cups of water for a few minutes, gently stir into the beer, and bottle as usual.