In the Fermentor: Prohibition

The Pre-Prohibition American Lager (a.k.a. Classic American Pilsner) is making a comeback. Long before the days of empty and tasteless mass produced beers, American breweries were producing some interesting brews.

Although corn is now used as a cheap adjunct that lightens a beer's body and flavor, it was originally brewed with out of necessity. This is because the six-row barley native to America is harder to work with than European two-row. Unlike two-row, six-row barley is too high in protein to make stable beer. Using 20-30% Corn in the mash dilutes the protein and solves the stability problem.

I've mostly stuck to the Pre-Prohibition plan. The addition of a little CarPils should aid body and head retention, but everything else is where it should be. Most of the hops are the Cluster variety used in many early 20th century American beers. Several articles I stumbled across recommended using Noble hop varieties for finishing and flavor. Following form, I threw in some Tettnanger hops. However, I wanted a little of the Cluster character to come through, so I mixed it with the Tettnanger in the flavor and aroma additions.

If you read my Bohemian Kölsch blog, you'll know that I'm not equipped to lager. To that end, I've pressed Wyeast's Kölsch II yeast back into service. It worked brilliantly in my first pseudo-lager, so I hope it works well here too. Here's the recipe for five gallons of retro fun:

Grains:
7 lbs US Six-Row
2 lbs Flaked Corn
8 oz CaraPils

Hops:
0.5 oz Cluster: 60 min
0.5 oz Cluster: 20 min
0.5 oz Tettnanger: 20 min
0.5 oz Cluster: 5 min
0.5 oz Tettnanger: 5 min

Yeast:
Wyeast 2575-PC - Kölsch II

Mash Schedule:
Saccharification Rest: 150F for 60min
Mashout: 168F for 15 minutes

Original Gravity:
1.053
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.010

IBU: 31
SRM Color: 3

Fermentation Schedule:
2 Weeks Primary
2 Weeks Secondary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $15 per case
Commercial Equivalent: Coors Batch 19: $32
Savings: $17

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