As the summer season approaches, you might find your fridge filled with Modelo and Dos Equis brought by friends. We had a couple of things lined up for this episode. First, I purchased ingredients for a German lager, but there’s more. A viewer sent us packages of a new modern hybrid lager yeast called Nova Lager from Alalaman. Intrigued by these developments and the beers in my fridge, I decided to create my own version, a Mexican lager. Let’s dive into the details of the recipe and the brewing process.

A “Couple Of Equis” Mexican Lager Recipe

Using leftover hops from my German Pils and an updated grain bill, I crafted this recipe for a tasty summer beer.

WATER

Spring water with 7 grams of gypsum added to the boil

GRAINS

66% Weyermann Vienna malt
22% Briess Pilsner Malt
11% Flaked Rice
1% Dehusked Weyermann Carafa Special II malt
(These percentages were updated after the fact since I steeped the Carafa Special II malt as the boil got started.)

HOPS

23 g of Perle hops (5.1% AA) added with 60 minutes to go in the boil
12 g of Saaz hops (4.5% AA) added with 20 minutes to go in the boil
28 g of Hallertauer hops (4.0% AA) added with 20 minutes to go in the boil
Whirlpool addition of 28 g of Hallertauer hops (4.0% AA) – I chilled the wort to 185° F (85° C) and let it sit there for 10 minutes before chilling down to fermentation temperatures.

YEAST

1 packet of LalBrew NovaLager yeast

DETAILS

Fermented at 62°F (17°C) for one week
I used of a water bath for temperature control during fermentation
Transferred to the fridge for one week at 33°F (1°C) for yeast settling
When I transferred to the keg, I added gelatin to clarify the beer

Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.009
ABV: 4.3%

Our Tasting Notes

Off the nose, this beer has a strong Vienna malt aroma. Mike thinks the flavor was toasty and has a mild wheat bread flavor. Overall, the flavor has a clean and relaxed profile with a balanced hop character. He thought the beer’s clarity and color is outstanding and the light body fit the season.

We give two big thumbs up in our review of the LalBrew NovaLager yeast. It fermented fast and cleared very quickly. If you are looking to brew a lager soon, check out this strain!

BREW ON!