Kirin Ichiban

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 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of your brewing water to about 162°F (72°C). Add the crushed pilsner malt, flaked rice, Carapils, and acid malt (if using) to the mash tun. Dough in to reach a stable mash temperature of 150°F (66°C). Stir thoroughly to eliminate dry pockets.

Grain preparation and mash in

Hold the mash at 150°F (66°C) for 60 minutes. This moderately low mash temperature produces a highly fermentable wort appropriate for a very light, low-calorie lager. Check mash pH if possible — target 5.2 to 5.4. Adjust with food-grade acids if needed.

Saccharification rest

Raise the mash to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzyme activity and aid lautering. Then begin vorlauf until the runoff is clear and return to the mash if needed.

Mash out

Sparge with enough 170°F (77°C) water to collect ~6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of pre-boil wort (accounting for grain absorption and boil-off). Aim for a final pre-boil gravity that will produce ~4.2% ABV after fermentation and conditioning (target OG ~1.036).

Sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous boil. At the start of the boil (60 minutes remaining), add 0.5 oz Hallertau/Saaz for bittering. At 15 minutes left, add yeast nutrient and 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc and 0.25 oz Hallertau/Saaz for subtle flavor/aroma and hop balance. Boil for the full 60 minutes.

Boil and hop additions

After the boil, cool the wort rapidly to about 50°F (10°C) using a wort chiller or ice bath. Transfer to a sanitized fermenter, leaving hop/trub behind as much as possible.

Cool wort and transfer

Aerate the cooled wort thoroughly (oxygenation is important for a healthy lager fermentation). Pitch the prepared lager yeast (make a starter for liquid strains or rehydrate dry yeast per instructions). Target pitching temperature 48–52°F (9–11°C).

Pitch yeast

Ferment at 50°F (10°C) until vigorous activity subsides (about 7–10 days). Monitor gravity; when it slows and approaches terminal gravity (~1.008–1.010), proceed to diacetyl rest.

Primary fermentation

Raise temperature to 60–65°F (15–18°C) for 48–72 hours to encourage reduction of any diacetyl or other off-flavors.

Diacetyl rest

After diacetyl rest, cold crash the beer to 34–36°F (1–2°C) over 24–48 hours to encourage clarification. At cold crash, add gelatin (dissolved in warm water) to help drop yeast and haze proteins if desired.

Cold crash and fining

Lager (cold condition) at 34–38°F (1–3°C) for 4–6 weeks. This extended cold maturation yields the clean, crisp profile a light lager requires and helps reduce haze.

Long lager

If bottling, dissolve priming sugar (3.3 oz/94 g for ~5 gallons to target ≈2.6 vols CO2) in 1 cup boiling water, cool, gently mix with the finished beer, and bottle. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.6 volumes CO2 at serving temperature.

Priming and bottling

Allow bottles to carbonate at room temperature for 10–14 days, then chill to serving temperature. For kegs, serve after reaching target carbonation and allow a few days to settle for best clarity.

Final conditioning

Pilsner (2-row pale) malt

Flaked rice

Carapils / dextrin malt

Acid malt (optional, for pH adjustment)

Hallertau or Saaz hops (bittering)

Hallertau or Saaz hops (flavor/aroma)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (clarifier)

Yeast nutrient

Clean lager yeast (liquid Wyeast / White Labs lager strain or dry Saflager W-34/70)

Cold crash aid (gelatin)

Water (brewing liquor, adjusted to moderately soft profile, low carbonate)

Priming sugar (for bottling at ~2.6 volumes CO2)

Michelob Ultra

Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah. Rhone Valley, France:

ANDRE BRUNEL COTES DU RHONE Cuvee Est-OUEST

BLACK STALLION ESTATE PINOT NOIR

KEN WRIGHT WILLAMETTE VALLEY PINOT NOIR

ROCCHE COSTAMANGNA LANGHE NEBBIOLO ROCCARDO

CIGAR BOX MALBEC

Zinfandel, Syrah, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Franc. Sonoma, CA, Little Compton, RI, US:

Michelob Ultra Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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