the best of ® MEXICAN LAGER Please note all file contents are Copyright © 2019 Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This file is for the buyer’s personal use only. It’s unlawful to share or distribute this file to others in any way including e-mailing it, posting it online, or sharing printed copies with others. BY GORDON STRONG MEXICAN LAGER hen I recently wrote about be drinking IPA.” (To me, that’s as of- grisette being a type of fensive as if I had said to her, “You’re a saison, I hadn’t expected woman, you should be drinking a fruit to write a similar column beer” – which I didn’t.) aboutW lagers but I keep getting ques- I explained that I had been drink- tions that spark my interest. This time, ing nothing but IPAs for the last three As with beers in the the question was about Mexican lager, days, it was hot, and I was looking to a style that has gotten a fair amount of try something different. Not satisfied, United States, Mexican interest over the last few years. I first Ms. Know-It-All proceeded to lecture saw it in San Diego at several brew- me about beer styles. I must have beers used adjuncts for pubs, and thought it was a cool idea to been smirking when she stopped and do a craft spin on a classic beach beer. wanted to know what was so funny. If cost purposes. However, Then I found some canned commercial you know me, you know I would never in Mexico corn is king, so versions like Ska’s Mexican Logger and say, “Do you know who I am?” but that 21st Amendment’s El Sully (both are was what I was thinking. However, I there is a tradition of corn muy excelente). And then it seemed ev- just said, “If you’re not proud of that eryone was jumping on the bandwagon beer, then why are you selling it?” That being used in the grist. and it was a new summer seasonal. At shut her up, but it made me think about the risk of following a trend, I would the problem with beer snobbery and like to use this style as a vehicle to talk these more humble styles. Craft is craft, INTERNATIONAL PALE LAGER about three different topics. and should be embraced. BY THE NUMBERS The first topic is how brewers can The third topic is about how the OG: ............1.042–1.050 look for creativity in the most un- BJCP Style Guidelines have changed FG: .............1.008–1.012 usual places. Rather than chasing the between 2008 and 2015. In 2008, there SRM: ...................2-6 next rainbow IPA, some brewers pick was a Premium American Lager style IBU: ..................18-25 a mundane style and elevate it. Take that essentially combined the high- the humble Mexican lager, sometimes end American industrial brands (think ABV: ..............4.6–6.0% thought of as either “that beer with Michelob) and the mass-market inter- a lime in it” or “what you order with national styles (think Heineken). But nachos.” Giving it the same attention to that was an imperfect match and the detail and careful selection of ingre- commercial styles kept drifting further dients can actually give it an upscale apart. So in 2015, the guidelines sepa- twist without losing its soul. I’ll talk rated these styles, combined Premium about this more later. American Lager with Standard Ameri- The second topic is how people can Lager to create American Lager treat some styles. I mentioned first (BJCP Category 1B), and created a new seeing this beer in San Diego when International Pale Lager (BJCP Category there for the National Homebrewers 2A). The major difference is that the Conference. I was at The Lost Abbey, a International Pale Lagers have more brewery I greatly respect, when I saw bitterness and can have more flavor. their Amigo Mexican Lager listed on The Mexican lager we are discussing the Port Brewing board. I was intrigued can straddle those two 2015 catego- at what a great craft brewery would do ries, but I think the craft-type examples with that style so I ordered it. But then are more likely to be at home in the I was berated by a woman who worked International Pale Lager style, unless there, who apparently thinks very they are at the lower end of bitterness, highly of herself as a beer expert, who alcohol strength, and flavor. I do want Photo by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus Parker/Images A. Charles by Photo said, “You’re in San Diego, you should to point out the obvious, which is that 1 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved MEXICAN LAGER Ferment at 50 °F (10 °C) until (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) complete. At this point it is recom- OG = 1.049 FG = 1.011 mended to remove the beer from the IBU = 19 SRM = 3.5 ABV = 5% yeast cake by either tranferring to a secondary vessel purged of oxygen INGREDIENTS or gently racking trying to avoid 3 lbs. 8 oz. (1.6 kg) German Pilsner oxidation as best as possible. If your malt fermenter has a yeast dump valve, 2 lbs. (907 kg) US 2-row malt you can simply remove the yeast 2 lbs. (907 kg) German Vienna malt through the bottom valve. Lager for 2 lbs. 12 oz. (1.25 kg) flaked maize 4 to 8 weeks at 32 °F (0 °C). Rack the 1.5 AAU Tettnanger hops beer, prime and bottle condition, or (first wort hop) (0.33 oz./9 g at keg and force carbonate. 4.5% alpha acids) 3 AAU Tettnanger hops (45 min.) (0.76 oz./19g at 4.5% alpha acids) MEXICAN LAGER 0.5 oz (14 g) Tettnanger hops (5 gallons/19 L, extract only) (5 min.) OG = 1.049 FG = 1.011 White Labs WLP940 (Mexican Lager) IBU = 19 SRM = 3.5 ABV = 5% or Lallemand Diamond Lager yeast INGREDIENTS 7 ⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming) 4.9 lbs. (2.2 kg) pale liquid malt extract STEP BY STEP 1.8 lbs. (816 g) Brewers corn syrup On brew day, prepare your ingredi- 1.5 AAU Tettnanger hops ents; mill the grains, measure your (first wort hop) (0.33 oz./9 g at hops, and prepare your water. This 4.5% alpha acids) recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) 3 AAU Tettnanger hops (45 min.) 1 water. Add ⁄4 tsp 10% phosphoric (0.76 oz./19g at 4.5% alpha acids) acid per 5 gallons (19 L) of brewing 0.5 oz (14 g) Tettnanger hops water, or until water measures pH (5 min.) 5.5 at room temperature. Add 1 tsp. White Labs WLP940 (Mexican Lager) calcium chloride (CaCl2) salt to or Lallemand Diamond the mash. Lager yeast 7 Mash in the malts and corn at 149 ⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming) °F (65 °C) in 14 qts. (13 L) of water, and hold this temperature STEP BY STEP for 60 minutes. Raise the tempera- Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the ture by infusion or direct heating brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). to 168 °F (76 °C) to mashout. Add the malt extract and corn syrup Recirculate for 15 minutes. Fly and stir thoroughly to dissolve sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water completely. You do not want to feel until 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort liquid extract at the bottom of the is collected. kettle when stirring with your spoon. Boil the wort for 75 minutes, add- Turn the heat back on, add the FWH ing the hops at times indicated in hop addition, and bring to a boil. the recipe. The first wort hops get Boil the wort for 60 minutes, add- added to the kettle after lautering ing the hops at times indicated in but before a boil is reached. After the recipe. Chill to 50 °F (10 °C) and the boil is complete, chill the wort rack to the fermenter. down to 50 °F (10 °C) and rack to Follow the remainder of the all- the fermenter. grain recipe for fermentation and Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast. packaging instructions. 2 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved I’m saying that Mexican lager is a kind back towards its European roots. fermentation by-products such as a of International Pale Lager but not all light apple fruitiness. Mexican lagers International Pale Lagers are Mexican SENSORY PROFILE are clean, though. As lagers, all these lagers. That is, I see Mexican lager as The BJCP style profile for International beers should be smooth on the palate. a subset of International Pale Lager. Pale Lager is quite broad, but it is en- The dryness and higher carbonation If you are entering it in a competition, compassing the premium mass-market levels can give it a bite in the finish, it might be helpful to note “craft-type lagers from most countries. The craft but Mexican lagers tend to have a Mexican lager” in the comments so interpretation of Mexican lager fits restrained bite. The aftertaste is typi- judges will understand your intent. nicely within that description but can cally clean, with a little malt flavor and be viewed more narrowly since it will sometimes a light hop flavor. HISTORY almost always feature corn in the grist, While the alcohol level in an In- To understand the Mexican lager style, and tends to use a neutral yeast.