Lager Malt ?

[adm]

I am just sitting in the sun, enjoying a rather nice bottle of Otter Bright from the Otter brewery in Devon.

It says: "Otter Bright's refreshing flavour comes from lager malt, Fuggles hops and spring water. A really thirst quenching beer"

So can you just use lager malt in place of regular pale malt without any special low temperature fermentation or lagering? Is S04 still a decent choice of yeast for this, or is something else recommended ?

[Aleman]

So can you just use lager malt in place of regular pale malt without any special low temperature fermentation or lagering?

Of course you can, you use it to produce an especially pale beer . . . ferment it cool with lager yeast for lager and warmer with ale yeast for ale.

Lager comes from the German verb 'Laagern' which means to store, and describes the habit of the German and Czech brewers to age their beer on caves at very cold stable temperatures so that the protein forms a haze and drops out of the beer . . . leaving a bright pale beer.

[macleanb]

Deffo - got a brew in PF at the moment, half MO, half lager malt, lovely golden colour it is too (and with 130g of styrians, a wee bit hoppy)

[adm]

Super stuff - thanks. I'll get some lager malt in and give it a go.

[Gurgeh]

why not try brewing a kolsch - it's the DB's on a hot day

[adm]

Hmm.....not sure I've ever drunk Kolsch before.

Off to find out more....

[hoppingMad]

Is S04 still a decent choice of yeast for this, or is something else recommended ?

I am still using dry yeasts, but like most AG homebrewers, always about to take the next " step up".

Yes, I believe SO4 is decent.

But I also believe that using liquid yeasts is the next step up for me. Many HB'ers consider Wyeasts and White Labs, to be superior.
Whilst I will not attempt to bring dried yeasts "down" as they are they mainstay of many good beers, currently I'm learning to propagate and make starters from Wyeast, all part of the enjoyment for me, and part of my desire to improve.

But to relate to your question, the use of SO4 is more a choice about beer style than whether you are using lager malt or Pale.
Use SafLager S-23 or similar dried yeast for your lagers, not SO4.

[Whorst]

S04 is good, but I find it totally masks hops. It's definitely not a yeast you want to use if you're using copious amounts of US hop varieties.

[SiHoltye]

I've made a couple of 50:50 MO & Lager malt beers and they've been pretty successful. I used S04 and Cascade for the last one. Pale a citrussy with a little sweetness.

Ingredients
25L, 90min mashat 68deg, 90min boil
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.25 kg Lager Malt (3.9 EBC) Grain 50.00 %
2.25 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.0 EBC) Grain 50.00 %
15.00 gm Cascade [6.90 %] (60 min) Hops 9.5 IBU
45.00 gm Cascade [6.90 %] (15 min) Hops 14.1 IBU
40.00 gm Cascade [6.90 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
24.00 L London, England Water
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.26 %
Bitterness: 23.6 IBU
Est Color: 6.8 EBC

Good luck!

[adm]

Cheers Guys,

I've got some Lager malt, plus other bits and pieces on the way from Barley Bottom (more MO, some Amber, some Wheat malt and some Munich)

Might try an MO/Lager cross, and also a Witbier....