Name: Balboa Cafes Pacifico Lager Recipe
Cook time: 24 h
Total time: 24 h
Yield: 19 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 9.5 lbs Pilsner malt (base); 1 lbs German Munich malt (10L); 1 lbs Flaked corn; 0.5 lbs Light crystal malt (10–20L); 0.25 lbs Rice hulls (optional, if mash is sticky); 6.5 gallons Water (brewing liquor, strike and sparge combined); 1 tsp Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) or calcium chloride (adjust water); 0.5 oz Saaz hops (or Hallertau/Perle substitute) — bittering; 0.5 oz Saaz hops (aroma); 1 tsp Yeast nutrient; 1 pack Dry yeast (clean lager strain e.g., Wyeast 2124/White Labs WLP830/US-05 for ale-like if not lagering); 3.25 oz Priming sugar (for bottling) or CO2 for kegging; 0.25 lbs Corn sugar (dextrose) — optional for brighter ferment; 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc (clarifier); 0 to taste Cold crash (ice/water)

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Heat ~4.0 gallons (15 L) of brewing water to 165°F (74°C) to achieve a mash temperature of 150°F (66°C) when grains are added. Adjust water with 1 tsp magnesium sulfate or calcium chloride dissolved if your water is very soft.

Heat strike water

Add crushed pilsner malt, Munich malt, flaked corn, and light crystal malt to the mash tun. If using, add rice hulls to prevent stuck mash. Stir thoroughly and hold at 150°F (66°C) for 60 minutes. Maintain gentle temperature. Perform iodine test at 45–60 minutes to confirm conversion.

Mash in

Raise temperature to 168°F (76°C) for a 10-minute mash out to improve lautering. Vorlauf (recirculate) until runnings are clear, then begin lautering.

Mash out and vorlauf

Sparge with ~2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water at 170°F (77°C) until you collect approximately 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort in the kettle (pre-boil volume).

Sparge

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil. Watch for boil-overs when foam rises; reduce heat if necessary.

Bring to a boil

At the start of a 60-minute boil, add 0.5 oz Saaz (or similar low-alpha noble hop) for subtle bitterness. Add 1 tsp yeast nutrient now.

Bittering hop addition (60 min)

With 10–15 minutes left in the boil, add Irish moss or Whirlfloc as a fining to help clarity. If you want a very clean profile, add the 0.5 oz Saaz aroma hop at 5–10 minutes left for minimal hop aroma.

Clarifier addition (10–15 min)

At flameout, chill the wort quickly to yeast-pitching temperature using an immersion chiller, counterflow, or ice bath. Target 50–55°F (10–13°C) for lager yeast or 64–68°F (18–20°C) if using an ale yeast alternative.

Cool wort

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind trub. Aerate thoroughly by shaking, splashing, or using oxygenation for lagers (approx. 8–10 ppm O2).

Transfer to fermenter

Pitch the lager yeast (or an ale strain if you cannot lager) and maintain fermentation temperature. For true lager fermentation: 48–50°F (9–10°C) until active fermentation finishes (7–14 days). For ale fermentation: 64–68°F (18–20°C) for ~5–7 days.

Pitch yeast

After primary fermentation, raise temperature to 60–65°F (15–18°C) for 2 days for a diacetyl rest, then cold-crash down gradually to near-freezing (33–37°F / 1–3°C) and lager for 4–6 weeks to develop a clean, crisp profile.

Diacetyl rest and lagering (lager only)

If not full lagering, cold crash to near 35–40°F (2–4°C) for 48–72 hours and allow finings to settle for improved clarity.

Optional cold crash & fining

If kegging: transfer beer to a sanitized keg, carbonate to 2.4–2.8 volumes CO2 (typical for a light Mexican lager), and serve at 36–40°F (2–4°C) on draught. Use gentle transfer to avoid oxygen pickup.

Kegging

If bottling: dissolve 3.25 oz (92 g) priming sugar in a small amount of boiled, cooled water, add to bottling bucket, rack beer onto priming solution, bottle, cap, and condition at 65–70°F (18–21°C) for 10–14 days, then cold store. After conditioning, chill to serving temperature.

Bottling

Serve very cold (36–40°F / 2–4°C) in a clean glass. Pour gently at first to leave a small amount of yeast behind if bottle-conditioned, then top off for a clear, crisp presentation. Expect a light straw color, low-medium body, soft corn sweetness, low hop character, and a clean finish reminiscent of Pacifico-style lagers from Mazatlán, Mexico.

pacifico lager

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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