Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.įerment at 50☏ (10☌) for 3 days, then allow temperature to rise to 60☏ (16☌) over the next 4 days. Boil for 60 minutes, following the hops schedule.Īfter the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 50☏ (10☌). Sparge the grains with 4.1 gallons (15.4 l) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 l) of wort. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Mill the grains and mix with 3.2 gallons (12.1 l) of 163☏ (73☌) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152☏ (67☌). Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager) yeast DIRECTIONS So this Cinco de Mayo, while you may not get the free chips and salsa with your Mexican Lager, you can still support those struggling independent breweries out there by enjoying a refreshing beer with surprising historical roots.Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters) OG: 1.051 FG: 1.013 IBUs: 28 ABV: 5% MALT/GRAIN BILLģ oz ( 85 g) Chocolate malt (350L) HOPS SCHEDULEĠ.5 oz (14 g) Nugget at 60 minutesĠ.75 oz (21 g) Hallertau Mittelfuh at 5 minutes YEAST And Stone Brewing, which recently debuted Buenaveza, infuses both lime juice and sea salt directly into their beer to help you save time playing bartender. Bierstadt Lagerhaus, which recently released a collaboration with nearby beer/mezcal/and all-around cocktail bar, Finn’s Manor, employed the use of blue and purple heirloom corn from Oaxaca, Mexico. Ska Brewing’s GABF medal-winning Mexican Logger utilizes a yeast strain from Mexico City. However, many craft Mexican Lagers, like 21st Amendment’s El Sully and Ratio Beerworks’ Rooftops are brew with flaked maize (corn) to add a delicate sweetness to the flavor while keeping the finish fairly dry. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any evidence to support that it’s a universally accepted parameter. It was my understanding for a long time that in order to be a Mexican Lager, the malt bill had to have some corn in it (insert corn pun here). But don’t fret, some brewers are still paying homage to the tradition by adding regionally specific adjuncts and ingredients to differentiate their Mexican Lagers from the rest. Sadly, many of the beers in this category are products of the marketing department driving brewing decisions. It’s not that they’re bad beers, but there’s very little about them that make the beers…. The grain falls in between Pale and Munich malt in terms of color and flavor.įast forward to now: Brewers are essentially making paler, Pilsen-esque beer with a hipster name to make consumers feel a little more cultured. The special ingredient is (surprise), Vienna malt. Vienna Lagers are copper in color, with more caramel flavor than lighter Lagers. And despite being ousted just a few years later, the popular style remained. When Austria’s Maximilian I claimed the throne in 1864, he brought the popular style with him. The original beers of Mexico were essentially Vienna Lagers brewed by German and Austrian immigrants after the Mexican War of Independence. It’s a cooler climate with dense, cave-studded forests that are ideal for Lagering. Instead, when you think Lager, you often think of Germany. When thinking of rich Lager brewing traditions, it might not conjure images of Mexico. Thank God for corny cliches because the truth lies somewhere in the middle (there’s a pun in there – wait for it). The recent boom in advertising around Mexican Lagers may seem like more of a marketing term than an actual brewing style with specific ingredients or specifications. Regardless, if you’ve ever wondered where Mexican Lagers come from, here’s a little beerology to pair with your Cinco de Mayo crushers. For some of you, a crowded bar seems like a wistful dream, something you might be longing for after six weeks of solitude, or perhaps you just miss being on the blackout end of the spectrum so you can forget about this nightmare. Plus, consider the positives: No dealing with blackouts in a crowded bar spilling their margaritas on your lap while you impatiently wait for chips and salsa on the establishment’s busiest day of the year. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Though you might be celebrating a little differently than usual this year, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a few Mexican-inspired craft beers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |