Brewers, patriots, countrymen: lend us your tankards. This golden-amber beer sports balanced hops and malt, noble aromas, and a clean finish. A complex but approachable mix of spicy German hops and ripe-fruit-sweet caramel malt interweave across your nose and palate from the first whiff to the last sip. An excellent session beer that still has enough going on in the glass for contemplative sipping if the mood should take you.
It's technically not an ale, but we use Wyeast's California Lager yeast in this recipe so you can ferment it at ale temps and still achieve a clean, lager-like result.
This review is a tad biased because i doctored the recipe. How was it doctored you ask? The wort was augmented with a 15% adjunct consisting of buckwheat honey, black strap molasses and dark brown sugar. This took the OG to 1.059. The yeast was pitched at 62 degrees. The batch sat at 64 degrees for a couple days until active fermentation was evident. it was moved to the basement and kept at 50 degrees for 4 weeks. It was then moved to the secondary with the addition of charred oak flavoring. It lagered for 6 weeks at this temp. I know -the temp was too high for a lager. In this case it turned out perfect! The result is a malty, caramel flavored lager with just a hint of oak and a fine, light hops finish. Alcohol content? A pleasing 5.9%. I'm giving this kit five stars because it is an excellent brew. Maybe next time I'll follow the recipe and give it an unbiased review? Then again i might not. >insert grin here
D
Daniel S.
Excellent Beer
This is a fantastic lager that is crisp and has a good flavor.
F
Fred
Drinks great!
D
David W.
Neither beer nor directions very good
I was looking forward to brewing a lager and had to wait until the cold winter weather. I started it the end of February and drank the first one a few weeks ago. I have had six more since then. I am hoping that it just needs more time to condition properly because it does not taste good yet. The directions said to wait 1 to 2 weeks for the primary and 2 to 4 for the secondary fermentation. They should have made a note that longer is better and not to rush. The directions also said to move the fermenter to a warm spot, lager yeast works best at around 60* or less. The directions also said to boil the priming sugar solution, add to bottling bucket and siphon beer into bucket. I know know it seems obvious to cool the solution first, but only if you have done this before. This is only my 8th batch and I still like clear well written directions. The back page of the directions is empty, they should use this space for better directions.
This review is a tad biased because i doctored the recipe. How was it doctored you ask? The wort was augmented with a 15% adjunct consisting of buckwheat honey, black strap molasses and dark brown sugar. This took the OG to 1.059. The yeast was pitched at 62 degrees. The batch sat at 64 degrees for a couple days until active fermentation was evident. it was moved to the basement and kept at 50 degrees for 4 weeks. It was then moved to the secondary with the addition of charred oak flavoring. It lagered for 6 weeks at this temp. I know -the temp was too high for a lager. In this case it turned out perfect! The result is a malty, caramel flavored lager with just a hint of oak and a fine, light hops finish. Alcohol content? A pleasing 5.9%. I'm giving this kit five stars because it is an excellent brew. Maybe next time I'll follow the recipe and give it an unbiased review? Then again i might not. >insert grin here
D
Daniel S.
Excellent Beer
This is a fantastic lager that is crisp and has a good flavor.
F
Fred
Drinks great!
D
David W.
Neither beer nor directions very good
I was looking forward to brewing a lager and had to wait until the cold winter weather. I started it the end of February and drank the first one a few weeks ago. I have had six more since then. I am hoping that it just needs more time to condition properly because it does not taste good yet. The directions said to wait 1 to 2 weeks for the primary and 2 to 4 for the secondary fermentation. They should have made a note that longer is better and not to rush. The directions also said to move the fermenter to a warm spot, lager yeast works best at around 60* or less. The directions also said to boil the priming sugar solution, add to bottling bucket and siphon beer into bucket. I know know it seems obvious to cool the solution first, but only if you have done this before. This is only my 8th batch and I still like clear well written directions. The back page of the directions is empty, they should use this space for better directions.
Click here for recipe kit instructions