Sam Adams Boston Lager

[MacKiwi]

My brew buddy likes this (never tried it myself) and as my lagering fridge is sitting empty, I've decided to give it a go tomorrow. Also, it is a chance to have a crack at decocotion mashing for the first time!

So I've based it on the recipe here... http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f59/boston- ... pe-154371/ but translated into ingredients available here, in civilised units of measurement, and scaled up a bit (need to maximise space in my lagering fridge)

I've elected to skip the krausening thingy - I'll just lager in bulk, prime and bottle like I did my Pilsner, as that worked out fine.

I'm surprised at the grain bill - it is practically identical to my Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Don't they have anything other than 2-row and crystal to brew with in the US???

I'd appreciate any comments/corrections, as it is all a bit of a stab in the dark. I'm a little unsure of the hopping schedule - don't folk normally bitter with Hallertau and use Tettnanger for aroma??? The decoction process looks managable, but again, if there is something wrong, please say so! Thanks :)




Sam Adams Boston Lager (Vienna Lager)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.049 (°P): 12.1
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.81 %
Colour (SRM): 8.4 (EBC): 16.5
Bitterness (IBU): 32.6 (Average)

95.09% Maris Otter Malt
4.91% Crystal 60

1.4 g/L Tettnanger (5% Alpha) @ 90 Minutes (Boil)
1.4 g/L Hallertau Mittlefrueh (4.9% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.4 g/L Hallertau Mittlefrueh (4.9% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 90 Minutes

Fermented at 10°C with WLP800 - Pilsner Lager

Notes: Decocotion Mash...
Heat 16.7 litres of strike water to target 40.5 degrees c
Hold mash at 40.5 c for 30 minutes
Remove 3.3 litres of mash, boil and return to mash tun. Stir and verify temp of approx 50 c After reaching 50 c rest for 30 minutes.
Remove 7.3 litres of mash, boil and return to mash tun. Stir and verify temp of 68 c Here 68c is very important for the body of the beer. After reaching 68c rest for 30 minutes.
Heat 20 litres of water to 76 c
Remove 4.7 litres of mash, boil and return to mash tun. Stir and verify temp of 76c. Do not exceed 77c here.
Settle grain bed and clear runnings. Sparge with 20 litres (above) at 1 litre/minute.
Boil wort adding hops at intervals above and chill wort down to 10 degrees c.

 

[Steamedbeech]

I could be talking rubbish , but I think lager malt is close or the same as two row, I've only done two simple lagers the second was bittered with northern brewer and tettnanger then tett and hallertau for aroma, seemed ok to me but I'm not a lager man either. I'm sure a grown up will be along shortly :whistle:

 

[Sandimas]

By some spooky coincidence, I've also just brewed a Sam Adams clone (extract)....must be that hint of spring in the air. Here's the recipe I used, put together from various versions I've found across the net:

2.5kg Light Malt Extract
250g Crystal Malt steeped for 30mins

62g Tettnanger hops – 60 min boil
15g Tettnanger hops – 15 min boil
10g oz Hallertau hops – dry hop

Saflager S23 Lager Yeast

It's been going a week now at around 15C (coldest room in the house, pity I can't get it a bit lower): we'll see how it turns out :thumb:

 

[pittsy]

Hi , if i was you i'd swap the marris otter for pilsner malt as otter is an ale malt , and your better off dropping the decoction with these grains as you may do more harm than good, they are highly modified malt and you either need none or slightly modified for step mashes with decoction , with what you are using i'd mash in at 64c for 30/40 mins then raise temp to 68/70c for another 30/40 mins then mash out at 75c , this way it will give you the dry lager with plenty of fermentables and with some body . or just mash at 66c for 90 mins .I tend to use German and Belgian malts for step infusion and decoction mash , the worst grains to use for decoction are US grains that are the most modified .

 

[Good Ed]

If you are interested in brewing lagers I would recommend going to the Brewing Network and listen to the podcast from the Jamil Show for the particular style of lager you want to brew, look here .His recipes are very simple and as long as you use a big starter as recommended and use the correct fementing temperatures, you just let it do it's thing for 3 weeks and go from there. All very simple and you get great beer, probably better than Sam Adams.

 

[Sandimas]

Here it is, based on the recipe I provided above:


Probably needs some more time lagering and clearing, but the first sample is amazing, I can't say yet whether it's the same as the real thing, but it tastes wonderful. I added in some extra hops and they're really coming through

 

[regaltabs]

Love the taste of a Sam Adams great for removing the taste of hookers in the morning : :rofl:

 

[MacKiwi]

Spooky - was just trying a a bottle of this. Just out of secondary fermentation, but the color is identical to yours. Still needs time to knit together, but seems promising as a summer time tipple

Edit. Your labels and matching glass take the biscuit!

 

[Sandimas]

Edit. Your labels and matching glass take the biscuit!

Spent a bit of time in the US and negotiated that glass after a long night in a Sport Bar drinking the real Sam Adams. Pity the "Morland" stamping is coming through on my bottle.

 

[Ben034]

Appreciate this is a very old thread...anyone brewed something similar recently? Would there be a dry hop in this? Thanks