LAGER TIME!!!

[FedoraDave]

Due to space considerations, I make a limited amount of lagers. That, and the fact that I need to time them in synch with the pipeline so they get the proper amount of time before I drink them. So two, maybe three a year is my limit.

But I've planned on brewing Amber's Amber Lager this Sunday. Funny history behind this beer.

I threw the recipe together to make an amber ale to give to my friend Amber on her birthday, hence the name. The ale turned out quite nice, so I decided to keep the recipe. A few months after that, I acquired my lager fridge, and I decided, what the heck, I'll make this recipe, but use lager yeast instead of ale yeast, and Amber's Amber Lager was born. But the tale continues....

When my brother got a taste of this, he raved about it and told me I should enter it in a competition. I had my misgivings, having never entered a comp before, but I did a little research and found one in the vicinity, decided that the category must be American Dark Lager, and I entered it in Homebrew Alley VII. Turned out to be the third place winner in the Dark Lager category, behind a dunkel and a schwartzbier (which means, however many American Darks were entered, mine was the best American Dark). Third in a field of 13, and I have the ribbon proudly displayed above my keezer.

This batch I'm going to keg and have it condition in the keezer for a few months. In fact, this particular beer is the reason I spec'd the keezer the way I did; two taps, but room for three kegs, so the third keg can condition while the two working kegs rotate through.

Yep, it's lager time.

[Kealia]

Oh, wait - you said LAGER time. My bad.

[FedoraDave]

Oh, wait - you said my BAD.

My banana.