Sense-checking a 'lager-ish' recipe

[spearmint-wino]

Started writing this post and realised I was answering my own questions, so this is more of an appeal for a sense-check from those with more experience than I.

I'm thinking of a 'sort of lager' to brew tomorrow... sort of because the 'cleanest' yeast I have is nottingham, I've got no temp control and no lagering fridge but I do have lots of lager malt, saaz, tettnang and hallertau hersbrucker.

Does the following recipe make sense or should I forget it and brew something a little more 'conventional' with the other malt and hops I've got...

4.5kg Fawcetts Lager Malt
200g Wheat Malt

Hersbrucker to ~25 IBU (90 mins boil)
Saaz to ~5 IBU (15 mins boil)
~ 20g Saaz (steep after boil)

Nottingham yeast fermenting somewhere in the mid-teens °c

Is it worth it? Or do all the factors there work against producing something that begins to resemble a lager and I should go for more of a golden ale made with citrussy hops and lager malt?

[SiHoltye]

I dry hopped with Saaz recently though and it's totally a lager hop. Go for it! Sounds like a tasty cross-over brew. Summer is coming....

[Madbrewer]

I keep meaning to try a top fermenting 'lager'. Keep us posted? Would Love to know how good it tastes etc later on!

[stevezx7r]

I've made something similar recently, my Golden Pale Ale. Although I used S04 so it will be a little fruity I used fuggles, cascade and bramling cross - mainly due to the fact that the cascade has been in the freezer for months and needed using up.

I intend to over gas it (for an ale) so it gets that "lager" fiz and will serve it ~5C so it should loose most of it's "ale" mouthfeel. If it doesn't work too well at least i've learned something.

BTW, the recipe was -
3.8kg MO
200g Flaked Barley
200g TW
200g Crystal (60l)
80g Fuggles @ 31.3ibu, 60 mins
30g BC @ 5.1ibu, 10 mins
30g Cascade, 30 mins steep
Irish moss and S04

Personally, I think the boundaries of beer types are getting more and more blurred, certainly in my house anyway.

[Whorst]

I'd use Safale 05 and ditch the wheat.

[fivetide]

You could go for a Schiehallion style brew but just wing it on the yeast? That's 5 kilos of lager malt, a handful of wheat, hallertauer and a bit of challenger as bittering hops and more hallertauer as aroma hops. I'll type in the Ollosson version if you want to adapt it.

[spearmint-wino]

I'd use Safale 05 and ditch the wheat.

Like I said, the cleanest yeast I have is Danstar Nottingham, otherwise I'd be making a 'lager lager' rather than a 'sort of lager'

You could go for a Schiehallion style brew but just wing it on the yeast? That's 5 kilos of lager malt, a handful of wheat, hallertauer and a bit of challenger as bittering hops and more hallertauer as aroma hops. I'll type in the Ollosson version if you want to adapt it.

I have Ollosson's book, maybe I'll go for the Schiehallion and wing it on the yeast as you say . I've been meaning to give that recipe a go for a while anyway.