Update on Lagering

Cook’s Light Lager is on tap. 

It fermented for three weeks, ending at a Final Gravity of 1.016. This is a tad higher than I would have liked, which means that it will be sweeter with less alcohol than I wanted. I’ve tried the beer uncarbonated, and I am happy with it. It has a hint of blueberries to it, which is surprising, but not unwelcome. It also came out a little darker than I had hoped. The first few pours were really cloudy, which was disappointing because lagers are supposed to be clear. I even added gelatin to the keg to help with clarity. However, after about the third or fourth pour, it's finally clearing up. 

I learned that it is a great idea to brew several lagers in a row. On the same day you move the keg, you brew and pitch the wort right on top of the old yeast (called a "yeast cake"). The folks at the homebrew club explained that the first lager you do is really just to get a really big yeast culture going. The second comes out much cleaner. So I decided to try and go even lighter, even cleaner!

This time, I did a smash beer, which means that I used only one hop and malt variety. I chose German Pilsen (7lb) and Tettnange hops (2oz). These are both traditional for German lager beers. I think the pound of Munich malt last time added some of the darkness. After the boil, it is noticeably lighter in color.

The Original Gravity was 1.04. Because it was so cold on my brew day, and because I was chilling my wort outside, I got the temperature down really quickly. The great thing about pitching on a yeast cake is that fermentation begins almost immediately. The beer is bubbling away happily.

When Brewing Surprises You 

I am not a perfectionist, and I can usually find something redeemable about (almost) any beer. Hell, Paul even got me to appreciate the fun of drinking light beer. (The trick is to do so ironically.) I like to experiment and try new things in my brewing. Sometimes the beer works out like I hoped, and sometimes it does not.

Back in November, I started working on a sour farmhouse. I was modeling it after Bellwood Brewery’s Farmageddon. The beer I brewed is not even sour yet. However, it might be the best beer I have ever brewed. Right now, the beer smells and tastes like a nicely oaked chardonnay, and is about as viscous as well. The aroma is richly floral. There is a hint of honey and sweetness on the taste, which is interesting because the gravity is only 1.006 (which means there is not much sugar left). The oak chips come through nicely, giving it that vanilla taste, but it's not overpowering. The beer was so good warm and uncarbonated that I actually pulled some extra off to drink now!

My sour tap is almost out of beer, and my plan is to put this beer on tap next. I am trying to replicate this brew now. I am using the same grain bill and pitching right on top of the yeast cake and oak chips (which will have lots of microbes in them). In my experience, pitching on top of a sour yeast cake results in a much more sour beer second time around, but that is fine. The fermentation took off right away. It is happily bubbling away in my basement now. It’s always an experiment, and sometimes you get something better than what you were shooting for!  

--the Mugg