Thinking about a lager

[FedoraDave]

A sort of toasted amber lager, actually.

I've got a 2.5 batch that's about ready to bottle, if the temperature downstairs ever lets the yeast finish their job. And the lager fridge will be empty by then.

I have a little time to formulate a recipe, and I thought it would be nice to have an amber lager with biscuit and some toasted malt flavors. Rich, flavorful, and smooth.

I'm thinking 2-row as a base, about 3 pounds, maybe 1/2 pound of Biscuit, 1/2 pound of Victory, 1/4 pound of chocolate, some melanoidin (maybe only 2 ounces), and about 1/2 pound of roasted barley. I think this will give some sweetness, but also some roasty/toasty flavors that will blend nicely.

Hops will be Mt. Hood, 1/2 ounce additions for 45, 20, and 7 minutes, with a 1/2 ounce dry hop. QBrew says the IBUs are a little high for an American Dark Lager, but I think since this is a gentle, floral hops, it won't be overwhelming, and will set off the malt bill nicely.

An American Lager yeast will work. Haven't decided if I want to use dry yeast, like Saflager, or a liquid. Leaning a bit more toward dry yeast, just for the convenience. One packet should be enough for a 2.5 gallon batch.

A simple, but tasty BIAB for a quick brew day and a satisfying beer.

[The_Professor]

I have fooled around a bit with things that fit in "American Lager" categories. That's including flaked corn or rice and the lower IBU's, and I have not been all that happy with them. With the adjuncts and the lower IBU they always are BMC like.

I'm finding I like more of a "Pilsner" sort of thing. All malt and IBUs in the 30-40ish range.

And I almost forgot, I like 34/70 generally as a dry lager yeast.

[BradyFumbled]

Sounds a bit heavy in the roasted barley for an amber, especially for a 2.5 gallon batch. I didn't plug the numbers into my program, but I'm curious as to the projected color?

That said, it sounds delicious, but I'm a porter/stout drinking kind of guy. Dark and roasty

[MadBrewer]

Dave, you had me up until the Roasted Barley. I just used .5 lbs of Roasted Barley in a 2.5 gal Dry Stout...that is way too much for anything other than a Stout. Match that with your Chocolate malt, you will blow right past Amber Lager and you will be in Porter/Stout territory. I like what you are thinking, but you might want to look into Carafa or something similar to get some color and some toast/roast without totally taking over the beer. A full pound of Biscuit/Victory would be a big heavy too for a small batch...IMO.

A rich Amber Lager with some base malt, .5 lb Victory, maybe .25 lb Melanoidin and a touch of Caraffa. There are 3 varieties with different levels of intensity. This will help give you some toast/roast character and color without being too much. Unless you are thinking more of a Black Lager like a Swartzbier? Also if you want some sweetness, a touch of crystal malt might be needed, but in this case maybe some Munich along with the base malt or a little Caramunich would be very nice.

Just trying to help out. What is the beer you have in mind...like a Vienna Lager, maybe a Modelo Negro if you ever had that? Oktoberfest?...they are all Amber Lagers, all a little different.

[FedoraDave]

I'm actually thinking about an amber lager produced by my local brewpub. It's very refreshing and easy to drink. I know it has biscuit in it, and something that gives it the toasty/roasty flavor. I also know it has Hallertau and probably Tettnang, but that's really all I know. It's a great session lager.

QBrew tells me the color would be high enough to be out of the range of an American Dark Lager, so it's possible I'm getting into Schwartzbier territory, at that, which is not my intent. I'm going to pick up the ingredients for this on Saturday, so I still have time to monkey around with the ingredients and numbers. Thanks for the input, everyone!