Maibock inspired Imperial Blonde Lager

Iliff Avenue Brewhouse

Well-Known Member
Trial Member
Established Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Messages
707
Reaction score
572
Points
93
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/302575/maibock

I have brewed this before and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am considering keeping it as a semi regular on tap. The goal is a maibock that is at the lower end in color and higher end in bitterness from the style guidelines. The hop character was obviously mild but quite complex and interesting. There was a nice spicy almost anise character to it. I realize that noble hops would be preferred but I really like Sterling in place of noble hops in some of my beers.

The only changes I am making this time around is to bump up the dry hop from 1/2 oz to 1 oz and am using M76 slurry (from hoppy lager) instead of S-189.

Anyone have a good recipe they would like to share?
 
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/302575/maibock

I have brewed this before and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am considering keeping it as a semi regular on tap. The goal is a maibock that is at the lower end in color and higher end in bitterness from the style guidelines. The hop character was obviously mild but quite complex and interesting. There was a nice spicy almost anise character to it. I realize that noble hops would be preferred but I really like Sterling in place of noble hops in some of my beers.

The only changes I am making this time around is to bump up the dry hop from 1/2 oz to 1 oz and am using M76 slurry (from hoppy lager) instead of S-189.

Anyone have a good recipe they would like to share?
Sterling is the domestic equivalent of Saaz. They're mostly interchangeable. Maibock is generally not about hop character but if that's what you're going for, you should be okay with the recipe. There's not a lot of difference between lager strains - we've only been using them for 300 years or so - so the change in yeast shouldn't make much of a difference.
 
After perusing the recipes, mine seems to be pretty run of the mill which is reassuring. Mine seems to be a tad low on the Munich and possibly malt complexity but I'm okay with that.
 
this is mine, it's slightly maltier and less hoppy but that's the way I like it

Original Gravity: 1.065
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 6.85%
IBU (tinseth): 28.91
SRM (morey): 8.41

FERMENTABLES:
Vienna (76.3%)
Pilsner (18.2%)
Melanoidin (5.5%)

HOPS:
1 oz - Perle, 60 min, IBU: 28.91
1 oz - Perle, 0 min

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 150 F

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - Saflager - German Lager Yeast W-34/70
 
this is mine, it's slightly maltier and less hoppy but that's the way I like it

Original Gravity: 1.065
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 6.85%
IBU (tinseth): 28.91
SRM (morey): 8.41

FERMENTABLES:
Vienna (76.3%)
Pilsner (18.2%)
Melanoidin (5.5%)

HOPS:
1 oz - Perle, 60 min, IBU: 28.91
1 oz - Perle, 0 min

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 150 F

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - Saflager - German Lager Yeast W-34/70

Looks delicious!
 
my original recipe doesn't have anything but a 60 minute but I through that in for him
 
Sterling is the domestic equivalent of Saaz. They're mostly interchangeable.
I really like Sterling, but I don't think of it as a direct replacement for Saaz (which I like even more than Sterling). To me, Saaz has a lot of neutral spice and floral quality with white pepper and nobel hop/musky pot notes. Sterling shares a lot of the spice and the nice nobel smoothness, but I definitely get a more fruit from it - light pineapple and light lemony citrus. I love the intense but very smooth bittering quality of both.
I think Sterling's a perfect choice for a more hop-forward high-gravity pale lager. ;)
 
Makes me want to just open up a bag of hops just to smell it a while
 
I really like Sterling, but I don't think of it as a direct replacement for Saaz (which I like even more than Sterling). To me, Saaz has a lot of neutral spice and floral quality with white pepper and nobel hop/musky pot notes. Sterling shares a lot of the spice and the nice nobel smoothness, but I definitely get a more fruit from it - light pineapple and light lemony citrus. I love the intense but very smooth bittering quality of both.
I think Sterling's a perfect choice for a more hop-forward high-gravity pale lager. ;)

Ooh I like that style name. Moving forward, I know what to call it. Might have to condense it to 'MHFHGPL' for my tap board. That should clear up any confusion...

I have heard others talk about lemon and citrus from sterling but have never noticed it myself. Out of curiosity do you have to up the hopping rate to get those characteristics?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: J A
I have heard others talk about lemon and citrus from sterling but have never noticed it myself. Out of curiosity do you have to up the hopping rate to get those characteristics?
I think if you're late-hopping, you'll probably get at least some fruit out of it. It may be more expressive with yeasts that tend toward fruity notes, too. I got good flavor in a Pils/Ale that I did with S-04 yeast and very moderate late-hopping. As the fruit esters from the yeast cleared out and malt came forward, the hops were really present. If you end up with pretty straight-forward nobel hop profile using lager yeast, it won't be out of place at all. :)
 
Sterling isn't out of place in that style... As long as you aren't trying to be completely true to tradition. It is a American version of a noble hop. Not exactly the same but not too far off. Has more alpha acid so less is needed for bittering. Your recipe looks like it should be good.
 
Sterling isn't out of place in that style... As long as you aren't trying to be completely true to tradition. It is a American version of a noble hop. Not exactly the same but not too far off. Has more alpha acid so less is needed for bittering. Your recipe looks like it should be good.

Thanks! No tradition here. I like to incorporate what I like so they beer recognizable as a certain style to me but not 'traditional' in the sense. As you noted I like to use Sterling in place of noble hops due to its versatility and higher AA%.
 
Brewed this today. Overshot my volume so added a small amount of DME to reach my desired OG of 1.070. Pitched 300 mL of one week old harvested M76 calculated using mr malty.
 
Finished at 1.013 for an ABV of 7.5%. Cold crashing tonight then into the keg in a couple of days to sit and get yummy.
 
Hmm, think I could get over my lager and German beer ennui for this one. Three months travelling around Germany a year or so ago and I'm still finding it hard to get stuck into some of my old favourites. Or maybe it's because it's more like the German beer equivalent of the 'inspired by true events' film.
 
Hmm, think I could get over my lager and German beer ennui for this one. Three months travelling around Germany a year or so ago and I'm still finding it hard to get stuck into some of my old favourites. Or maybe it's because it's more like the German beer equivalent of the 'inspired by true events' film.

Ennui? Had to look that one up. Ha!
 
Hmm, think I could get over my lager and German beer ennui for this one. Three months travelling around Germany a year or so ago and I'm still finding it hard to get stuck into some of my old favourites. Or maybe it's because it's more like the German beer equivalent of the 'inspired by true events' film.
I'd suggest you not use such big words around here but "ennui" only has five letters.... I lived in Germany for eight years and dang, I miss the beers! We have a local brewery that does a really good job with Pilsners and Helles and the 2017 GABF gold for Pilsner is available in supermarkets (and I know the guy who brewed it), so I don't miss everything, just a really good, fresh Kolsch or Altbier, now and again, or a really hoppy old-school northwestern German pilsner. More beery goodness: Microbreweries!
 

Back
Top