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Maibock Lager

A German lager that bridges the gap between a light pilsner and a fuller-bodied bock beer, delivering crisp refreshment with surprising depth and a subtle malt sweetness. This golden, crystal-clear beer has smooth, clean flavor with just enough malt character to feel substantial.
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Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 640 oz
Course: Drinks and Beverages
Cuisine: German
Calories: 180
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 7.5 pounds Pale Malt 2-row
  • 1 pound Munich Malt
  • 0.5 pounds Melanoidin Malt
  • 0.75 ounces Hallertau Hops at 4.5% alpha acid bittering, 60 minutes
  • 0.5 ounces Hallertau Hops at 4.5% alpha acid aroma, 10 minutes
  • 1 vial or 1 packet Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager Yeast
  • 13 gallons Water 7 gallons for mash, 6 gallons for sparge
  • 1 teaspoon Calcium Sulfate Gypsum
  • 0.75 cups Corn Sugar for priming at bottling

Equipment

  • 10-gallon brewing kettle
  • Mash tun or cooler with false bottom
  • Hot liquor tank or second large pot
  • Thermometer accurate to 0.5 degrees
  • Stirring paddle or large spoon
  • Wort chiller (immersion or counterflow)
  • 5-gallon fermentation bucket or carboy with airlock
  • Hydrometer
  • Auto-siphon and tubing for racking
  • Bottling wand and capper
  • Bottle brush and sanitizer
  • pH strips or meter

Method
 

  1. Make a yeast starter two days before brewing day by combining 1 pound of dry malt extract with 2 quarts of water, boiling for 10 minutes, then cooling and pitching your vial or packet of Wyeast 2308. Keep the starter on a stir plate at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours.
  2. Heat 7 gallons of water to 168 degrees Fahrenheit in your hot liquor tank, adding 1 teaspoon of calcium sulfate. Mill your grains (2-row, Munich, and Melanoidin) coarsely just before mashing.
  3. Pour your milled grains into your mash tun while simultaneously running 168-degree strike water into the tun, stirring gently to break up any dough balls. Aim for a mash temperature of 152 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the mash rest for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
  4. Raise the mash temperature to 170 degrees by slowly running 170-degree water through the mash tun in a circular motion over 10 minutes. Hold at 170 degrees for 10 minutes.
  5. Begin collecting wort by opening the valve at the bottom of your mash tun, running the first gallon back into the mash tun to clarify the runoff.
  6. Slowly run 170-degree water over the top of the grain bed while collecting clear wort from the bottom. Collect roughly 6.5 gallons of wort over 30 to 45 minutes.
  7. Transfer your collected wort to your brew kettle and bring it to a rolling boil. Once at a solid boil, add 0.75 ounces of Hallertau hops at 4.5% alpha acid. Boil for exactly 60 minutes from this point.
  8. At 50 minutes into your boil (10 minutes before the end), add 0.5 ounces of Hallertau hops for aroma.
  9. After 60 minutes, turn off the heat. Place your wort chiller into the kettle and run cold water through it for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring gently. Cool to 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
  10. Siphon the wort into your sanitized fermentation bucket or carboy, leaving behind trub at the bottom of the kettle. Take a gravity reading with your hydrometer, confirming you're at 1.072 original gravity.
  11. Pour your active yeast starter into the cooled wort, seal your fermenter with an airlock, and place it in a temperature-controlled chamber set to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
  12. Watch for krausen to appear within 24 to 48 hours. After active fermentation slows (around day 10 to 14), raise the temperature to 50 to 52 degrees for a diacetyl rest for 3 to 5 days.
  13. Drop the temperature back to 35 to 40 degrees and let the beer sit for 2 to 3 weeks for cold conditioning.
  14. Bottle with 0.75 cups corn sugar for priming. Store upright at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve at 48 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit in a tall glass.

Notes

Fermentation time is 4 to 6 weeks total. Total time to drinking is 5 to 7 weeks. Invest in a fermentation temperature controller as lager yeast is finicky about temperature swings. Mill grains fresh on brew day for better extraction. A yeast starter is essential for this high-gravity beer.