Low Life American Lager

If you brew your own beer, it’s always good idea to have a refreshing & easy drinking lager on tap. Mostly because they are delicious, but also because appealing to the widest possible range of palettes is the smart play when hosting guests. You can’t have people NOT drinking your homebrew when they stop by!

This American Lager is really 2 recipes one 1, with a simple change making a marked difference between the beers. The core recipe presents as a crisp, lagered version of “lawnmower-style” Cream Ale. It’s perfect porch-drinker and a staple around here.

If you want a more traditional “banquet” style American Lager, try adding a vial of White Labs Ultra Ferm at the beginning of the mash. Let that grain sit for about 2-3 hours in the 148°F range before running off and brewing the beer as you normally would. It will lower the finishing gravity to 1.003 or lower and really crisp up the finish.

Grains
Simplicity is key to any pale lager. North American 2-Row is as predictable a choice as it is a reliable one. I’ve tried multiple adjuncts for this recipe, alone and in combination. In the end, I settled on Flaked Rice as having all the qualities I was seeking. Neutral, balanced, and above all…simple.

Hops
Hops? What hops? 10 IBUs at bittering is about what you need to delicately balance this beer. Choose a noble-style hop that you like. The only change I make between batched is adjusting the bittering hop quantity, based on the Alpha Acid %, to get the desired 10 IBUs.

Yeast
WLP840 American Lager Yeast is perfect for this recipe. It presents clearly as a lager, but not in a sulfury way. As a bonus, the strain seems to ferment and lager at a much quicker pace than the most common European lager strains.

Be sure to use enough yeast. Make a low gravity (mid/high 1.030’s) starter 36 hours before brewing. If using a stir plate 2 liters will be plenty. If not, go up to 3 liters. Add 2 packs of the yeast and set it at room temperature (yes, room temperatures is fine for lager starters). The yeast is usually done fermenting after 24 hours. At that point, turn off the stir plate and allow it to settle. That way you can decant most of the starter liquid off before pitching the yeast.

Brewing Technique
Carefully calculate your water volumes. Mashing on the low end of the saccrification range is best for this recipe. It should be a lighter bodied beer. I target 148°-149°F. After the boil, chill all the way to fermentation temp (52°F) before pitching the yeast. For a more detailed look at how I brew, check out Indoor Homebrewing Brew Day Step By Step.

Ferment for about 4 days at 52°F. When the krausen drops by half, raise the temperature to 57°F for a diacetyl rest. After a few days, slowly drop it to fridge temperature and rack to keg. If bottling, don’t drop the temperature and bottle as usual.

Allow the beer to condition for 3-4 weeks before serving. Don’t serve it until it’s VERY clear. Time will provide, but finings are a good option if you’re in a rush. Make sure to get that carbonation up. My target is 2.6 volumes of CO2.