Mill all grains to a medium-coarse crush using a gap of approximately 0.04 inches to ensure good mash efficiency and prevent stuck sparges.

Heat 6.5 gallons of water to 165°F, then mash in grains to reach 152°F and stir thoroughly for about 2 minutes.

Hold the mash at 152°F for 60 minutes, checking every 15 minutes and topping up with hot water if the temperature drops more than 2°F.

Raise mash temperature to 168°F over 10 minutes to mash out, then vorlauf and sparge with water at 168°F until you collect 6.5 gallons of wort.

Bring wort to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes to drive off DMS, then add 1 ounce Hallertau hops and continue boiling for a total of 60 minutes.

With 15 minutes remaining, add 0.5 ounce Hallertau hops, then chill the wort rapidly to 50°F using a wort chiller.

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, aerate vigorously for 5 minutes, pitch the lager yeast starter, and seal with an airlock.

Ferment at 50–55°F for 10–14 days until the gravity is stable for three consecutive days.

Perform a diacetyl rest at fermentation temperature for 7–10 days, then lower the temperature to 35–40°F over 2–3 days and lager for 2–3 weeks.