Chapter 19 - Some of My Favorite Beer Styles and Recipes

19.4 Lager Styles

Pilsner
Beer as the world knew it changed dramatically in 1842 when the brewery in the town of Pilsen (today part of the Czech Republic) produced the first light golden lager. Until that time, beers had been rather dark, varying from amber ("pale"), to deep brown or black. Today Pilsner Urquell is that same beer, "the Original of Pilsen." The original Pilsner beer is a hoppy, dry beer of 1.045 OG. The Pilsner style is imitated more than any other and interpretations run from the light flowery lagers of Germany to the maltier, more herbal versions of the Netherlands, to the increasingly tasteless varieties of Light and Dry from the United States and Japan. Most of these are broadly in the Pilsner style but lack the assertive noble hop bitterness and flavor of the original.

Brewing a true pilsner can be fairly difficult, especially from an all-grain point of view. Pilsen has very soft water, the next closest thing to distilled water and the malt flavors are very clean and fresh. There is no place for an off-flavor to hide. The use of only base malt makes maintaining a proper mash pH difficult, especially during lautering, for brewers using moderately hard water. Water that is high in carbonates has too much buffering capacity for the meager amount of acidity provided by the malt. When brewing an all-grain pilsner, it is often best to use a large proportion of distilled or de-ionized water to provide the right mash conditions and prevent tannin astringency.

OG: 1.045 - 1.055
FG: 1.006 - 1.012
30 - 40 IBUs

Commercial Example: Pilsner Urquell

Zatec Pils

Malts			Gravity Contribution
6.5 lbs. of Alexander's Pale LME			78
BG for 3 Gallons			1.078
OG for 5 Gallons			1.047
Hops			IBU Contribution
1 oz of Perle (7%) at 60 minutes 1.25 oz of Saaz (4%) at 30 minutes 1 oz of Saaz (4%) at 15 minutes			19 10 5
Total IBUs			34
Yeast	Fermentation Schedule
Czech Pils or Bohemian Lager	Primary Ferment at 50°F for 2 weeks, rack and Lager at 40°F for 6 weeks. Prime and bottle at room temperature.
Options
All-Extract	(same)
All-Grain	8 lbs. of 2 Row Base Malt or German Pils (Lager) Malt
Mash Schedule - Multi Rest Mash
Rest	Temperature	Time
Protein (If Pils Malt) Beta ConversionAlpha Conversion	125°F 140°F 158°F	20 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes

Pre- Prohibition American Lager
Around the turn of the century in the United States, the Pilsner style was very popular but with a typically American difference. That difference was corn (maize). Its only natural that in the largest corn growing region in the world that some would wind up in beer as a fermentable. In addition, 6 row barley was the most common variety available but its higher protein levels made it difficult to brew with. Adding corn (with almost no protein) to the mash helped dilute the total protein levels and added some flavor complexity as well. Unfortunately, Prohibition and higher brewing costs afterward helped to increase the use of corn and rice in American Pilsner-style beers to the point of blandness.

The beer of our grandfathers was a delicious, malty sweet beer with a balanced hoppiness. No commercially produced beer today adequately represents this beer that started the lager revolution in the United States. The strength of the beer used to fall in the mid 50s with a hopping of 25 - 40 IBUs. The style had become lighter by the time of Prohibition and afterwards tended to have an average gravity in the mid 40s with a correspondingly lower hopping rate of 20 - 30 IBUs. This beer can only be brewed using all-grain techniques due to the use of flaked maize or cooked corn grits which must be mashed. Refined corn sugar just doesn't cut it.

OG: 1.045 - 1.055
FG: 1.006 - 1.012
20 - 40 IBUs

Your Father's Mustache - American Lager

Malts			Gravity Contribution
7 lbs. of 6 Row Base Malt 1.75 lbs. of Flaked Maize			37 10
BG for 6 Gallons			1.047
OG for 5 Gallons			1.056
Hops			IBU Contribution
1 oz of Cluster (7.5%) at 60 minutes 1/4 oz of Styrian Goldings (5%) at 10 min. 1/4 oz of Styrian Goldings (5%) at 0 min.			28 2 0
Total IBUs			30
Yeast	Fermentation Schedule
Bavarian Lager	Primary at 50°F for 2 weeks, Lager at 34°F for 7 weeks.
Mash Schedule - Multi Rest Mash
Rest	Temperature	Time
Protein Rest Beta Conversion Alpha Conversion Mashout	122°F 140°F 158°F 170°F	30 15 40 10

(Recipe contributed by Jeff Renner)

California Common (Steam-type)
This is the most well-known historic American beer style; it was developed in the San Francisco Bay area in the mid-1800s. The Steam appellation most likely refers to the high degree of carbonation that the beers were reportedly served with as well as its then high-tech sound. San Francisco has a moderate climate year 'round, typically cool, cloudy and about 60°F in the winter months. The new bottom cropping (lager) yeasts did not behave like the ale yeasts brewers were used to working with. So, they hit on using wide shallow vessels, normally used for cooling after boiling, to ferment in which allowed the wort to stay cool during fermentation and provided for faster settling of the yeast after fermentation. Using lager yeast at these relatively high temperatures caused the beer to develop some of the fruity notes of ales while retaining the clean crisp taste of lager beers. American grown hops, like Cluster, were used to the tune of 20 - 40 IBUs. The hop profile of Steam-type beer is predominantly from higher alpha acid hops with a more herbal character. The present day incarnation of California Common Beer, Anchor Steam(tm) beer, uses American grown Northern Brewer exclusively. The beer should be highly carbonated with a medium body and a light caramel color.

OG: 1.040 - 1.055
FG: 1.012 - 1.018
30 - 40 IBUs

Commercial Example: Anchor Steam

No. 4 Shay Steam - California Common Beer

Malts			Gravity Contribution
6 lbs. of Pale LME 3/4 lbs. of Crystal 40 Malt 1/4 lbs. of Malto-Dextrin Powder			72 5 3
BG for 3 Gallons			1.080
OG for 5 Gallons			1.048
Hops			IBU Contribution
1.5 oz No. Brewer (7.5%) at 60 min. .5 oz No. Brewer (7.5%) at 15 minutes			30 5
Total IBUs			35
Yeast	Fermentation Schedule
California Lager (liquid)	Primary at 60°F for 2 weeks, Secondary optional for 2 weeks (60°F).
Options
All-Extract	6 lbs. of Pale LME 1 lbs. of Amber Malt Extract
All-Grain	7 lbs. of 2 Row Base Malt 3/4 lbs. of Crystal 40 Malt 1/2 lbs. of Dextrin Malt
Mash Schedule - Single Temperature Infusion
Rest	Temperature	Time
Conversion	153°F	60

Bock
Bock beer is an old style, most likely introduced in Munich about 1638. The style grew out of the then world-famous beer of Einbeck. It was a strong beer brewed from 1/3 wheat and 2/3 barley with a pale color, and crisp taste with a hint of acidity. (The acidity was a carryover from the sour wheat beers of the day.) It was brewed as an ale, but was stored cold for extended periods. Einbecker beer was widely exported and was the envy of the region.

For years, the nobles of Munich tried to imitate the strong northern beer in their breweries with limited success. Finally in 1612, the brewmaster of Einbeck was persuaded to go south and work on producing a strong beer for Munich. The beer was released in 1638, a strong beer interpretation of the Munich Braunbier, a rich malty brown ale. The classic Munich Bock beer is a lager with an assertive malt character, a warmth from the higher alcohol level and only enough hop bitterness to just balance the sweetness of the malt. Bock and its big monastic brother, Doppelbock, should not have any fusel alcohol character nor any of the fruitiness of ales.

Doppelbock is a descendent of the heavy rich beers of the Paulener Monks, who brewed this beer as liquid bread for their fasts at Lent and Advent. They named their beer, "Salvator" and many breweries brewing in this style have appended -ator to their beer's names. Today, Doppelbock has a higher contribution of roasted malt, yielding hints of chocolate or vanilla. These beers are fermented cold to force the yeast to take their time in consuming the high gravity worts. The beer is lagered for a long period to encourage the yeast to reduce any off flavors that would detract from the malt taste.

OG: 1.060 - 1.070
FG: 1.013 - 1.020
25 - 35 IBUs

Commercial Example: Dock Street Bock, Einbecker Ur-Bock

Einbock

Malts			Gravity Contribution
8 lbs. of Pale LME 1.5 lbs. of Crystal 15 Malt 1.5 lbs. of Munich Malt or 1.5 lbs. of Toasted Base Malt, soaked for an hour and then toasted for 45 minutes at 350°F.			84 7 ~4 ~4
BG for 3 Gallons			1.107
OG for 5 Gallons			1.064
Hops			IBU Contribution
1.5 oz Perle (9%) at 60 min. 3/4 oz Tettnanger Tettnang (4%) at 10 minutes			28 2
Total IBUs			30
Yeast	Fermentation Schedule
Bavarian Lager (liquid)	Primary at 50°F for 2 weeks, Secondary (lager) for 5 weeks (40°F).
Options
All-Extract (not recommended)	8 lbs. of Pale LME 2 lbs. of Amber LME
All-Grain	5 lbs. of 2 Row Base Malt 5 lbs. of Munich Malt 1 lbs. of Crystal 15 Malt
Mash Schedule - Multi-Step Mash
Rest	Temperature	Time
Liquification Beta Conversion Alpha Conversion	104°F 140°F 158°F	20 30 30

Doppelbock Option: Increase the extract to 9 lbs. and change the Crystal Malt from Crystal 15 to Crystal 80. Increase the hop amounts to maintain about 30 IBUs for the batch. Also, use a larger starter, about 1 gallon's worth, but only pitch the slurry.

Vienna
The Vienna style of lager was developed in the mid-1800s in the town of Vienna, naturally. It grew from the Marzen/Oktoberfest styles of Bavaria, but was influenced by the rise of the Pilsener style of Bohemia. Attempts to imitate the Pilsen style had resulted in harsh beers, due to the differences in brewing water between the two regions. The water of Bavaria (Germany) is higher in carbonates than that of Bohemia (Czech Republic). As discussed in Chapter 13, the use of pale malts in alkaline water results in too high a mash pH that extracts tannins from the grain husks. Of course, they didn't know this back then. They did know that they could brew darker beers that didn't have the astringency problems. The sweet amber lager now known as Vienna was the result of their efforts to produce a lighter beer. It became immensely popular and was copied in other brewing countries.

There was a lot of immigration from Central Europe to Texas and Mexico at that time, and of course the people brought their beer and brewing techniques with them. The hot climate were abysmal for lager brewing though, and commercial offerings were poorly regarded. Fortunately by the late 1800s, refrigeration became commercially viable and variations of Old World style lagers became very popular. The principle variation of the Vienna style in the New World is the Graf-Style Vienna, named after the Mexican brewer (Santiago Graf) who developed it. It incorporated a small percentage of heavily roast malt to compensate for the more alkaline water of the region, giving it a deep amber color with hints of red.

OG: 1.045 - 1.055
FG: 1.008 - 1.013
25 - 30 IBUs

Commercial Example: Negra Modelo, Dos Equis

Cold But Not Baroque - Vienna Lager

Malts			Gravity Contribution
7 lbs. of Pale LME 1/4 lb. of Crystal 30 Malt 1/4 lbs. of Crystal 80 Malt 1/4 lbs. of Crystal 120 Malt 3 oz of Black Patent Malt (added separately for last 15 minutes of steep)			84 2 1 1 0
BG for 3 Gallons			1.088
OG for 5 Gallons			1.053
Hops			IBU Contribution
1 oz Liberty (4%) at 45 minutes 2 oz Liberty (4%) at 30 minutes 1 oz Liberty (4%) at 15 minutes			9 15 5
Total IBUs			29
Yeast	Fermentation Schedule
Bohemian Lager (liquid)	Primary at 45°F for 2 weeks, Secondary for 6 weeks (35°F).
Options
All-Extract	6 lbs. of Pale LME 1 lbs. of Amber Malt Extract 1/2 lb. of Dark Extract
All-Grain	7.5 lbs. of 2 Row Lager Malt 1/4 lbs. of Crystal 30 Malt 1/4 lbs. of Crystal 80 Malt 1/4 lbs. of Crystal 120 Malt 3 oz of Black Patent Malt (at Mashout)
Mash Schedule - Multi-Rest Mash
Rest	Temperature	Time
Liquification Beta Conversion Alpha Conversion	104°F 140°F 158°F	20 20 40

Oktoberfest
The Marzen and Festival beer were part of the basis of the Vienna style. Whereas the Vienna was intended to the everyday premium drinking beer, the Oktoberfest was made for Festivals. The original festival was a royal wedding sometime around 1500, and they have been celebrating ever since. (Great ideas are timeless.) This rich amber style incorporates quite a bit of variation, from being soft and malty, malty and dry, to malty and balanced, and malty/bitter. Be that as it may, the hallmark of the Oktoberfest/Marzen style is the maltiness and a drier finish to make it less filling. If you plan to Polka for 12 hours straight, then this is your beer.

OG: 1.055 - 1.065
FG: 1.010 - 1.016
25 - 30 IBUs

Commercial Example: Spaten Oktoberfest, Paulener Oktoberfest, Full Sail Oktoberfest

Denkenfreudenburgerbrau - Oktoberfest

Malts			Gravity Contribution
7 lbs. of Pale LME 6 oz of Caramunich Malt 6 oz of Crystal 80 Malt 6 oz of Crystal 120 Malt 1/2 lb. of Munich Malt or 1/2 lbs. of Toasted Base Malt, soaked for an hour and then toasted for 45 minutes at 350°F.			84 2 3 3 2
BG for 3 Gallons			1.094
OG for 5 Gallons			1.056
Hops			IBU Contribution
2 oz Liberty (4%) at 45 minutes 1 oz Liberty (4%) at 30 minutes 1 oz Liberty (4%) at 15 minutes			17 7 4
Total IBUs			28
Yeast(s)	Fermentation Schedule
Bavarian Lager	Primary at 45°F for 2 weeks, Secondary (lager)for 6 weeks (35°F).
Options
All-Extract	6 lbs. of Pale LME 2 lbs. of Amber Malt Extract
All-Grain	7 lbs. of 2 Row Lager Malt 6 oz of Caramunich Malt 6 oz of Crystal 80 Malt 6 oz of Crystal 120 Malt 1/2 lb. of Munich Malt
Mash Schedule - Multi-Rest Mash
Rest	Temperature	Time
Liquification Beta Conversion Alpha Conversion	104°F 140°F 158°F	20 30 30

So there you have it, the Reader's Digest version of some of the classic beer styles of the world. There are many, many more. If all this talk of different malts and tastes has made you thirsty, zip on down to your local GoodBeer Store, and bring back some samples for research and development. Don't be shy - how else can you decide what your want to brew next?

References
Jackson, M, New World Guide to Beer, Courage Books, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 1988.

Bergen, R., American Wheat Beers, Brewing Techniques, New Wine Press, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1993.

Bergen, R., A Stout Companion, Brewing Techniques, New Wine Press, Vol. 1, No. 4, 1993.

Bergen, R., California Steaming, Brewing Techniques, New Wine Press, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1994.

Bergen, R., Porters - Then and Now, Brewing Techniques, New Wine Press, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1993.

Tomlinson, T., India Pale Ale, Part 1: IPA and Empire, Brewing Techniques, New Wine Press, Vol. 2, No. 2, 1994.

Tomlinson, T., India Pale Ale, Part 2: The Sun Never Sets, Brewing Techniques, New Wine Press, Vol. 2, No. 3, 1994.

Slosberg, P., The Road to an American Brown Ale, Brewing Techniques, New Wine Press, Vol. 3, No. 3, 1995.

Richman, D., Bock, Brewers Publications, Boulder Colorado, 1994.

Lewis, M., Stout, Brewers Publications, Boulder Colorado, 1995.

Foster, T., Porter, Brewers Publications, Boulder Colorado, 1992.

Fix, G., L., Vienna, Marzen, Oktoberfest, Brewers Publications, Boulder Colorado, 1991.

Foster, T., Pale Ale, Brewers Publications, Boulder Colorado, 1990.

Miller, D., Continental Pilsener, Brewers Publications, Boulder Colorado, 1990.

Eckhardt, Fred, The Essentials of Beer Style, Fred Eckhardt Communications, Portland Ore., 1989.

Renner, J., personal communication, November, 1995.