LPE House Lager

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

Crush the Pilsner, Munich, Carapils and flaked corn (if using whole flaked corn, no crush necessary) and heat 3.5 - 4.0 gallons of brewing water to 162°F (72°C) for a target mash temperature of 150°F (65°C).

Crush and Heat

Stir grains into the water to reach an even mash at 148–152°F (64–67°C). Hold at ~150°F (65°C) for 60 minutes to fully convert starches to fermentable sugars. Maintain gentle circulation or stir once at 20–30 minute intervals to avoid cold spots.

Mash In

Raise mash to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes (mash out) to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort run-off.

Mash Out

Recirculate the first runnings until clear, then vorlauf back to the mash/lauter. Sparge with enough 170–175°F (77–80°C) water to collect about 6.0–6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle (account for boil-off) — target pre-boil volume ~6.5 gallons.

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous rolling boil for 60 minutes.

Boil

At 60 minutes remaining (start of boil) add 0.5 oz Saaz hops for bittering.

Bittering Hop Addition

With 15 minutes left in the boil add 1 tsp Irish moss or 1/2 tsp Whirlfloc to help protein haze settle.

Fining Addition

At 5 minutes left add the remaining 0.5 oz Saaz hops for delicate flavor and aroma typical of a light lager.

Flavor / Aroma Hops

After the boil, chill the wort quickly to 50°F (10°C) using an immersion/chiller or ice bath to minimize DMS and infection risk. Aim to pitch at 48–52°F (9–11°C).

Chill Wort

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter. Top up with water to reach 5.0 gallons if needed. Aerate vigorously for 60–90 seconds (oxygenation) or use pure O2 to target ~8–10 ppm dissolved oxygen.

Transfer and Aerate

Rehydrate or prepare your chosen lager yeast per manufacturer instructions and pitch at 48–52°F (9–11°C). Seal fermenter and attach airlock.

Pitch Yeast

Allow fermentation at 50°F (10°C) until activity slows (typically 7–14 days) and specific gravity approaches target (~1.012–1.014 depending on attenuation).

Primary Fermentation

When gravity is close to final (~within 0.010–0.015), raise temperature to 60–65°F (15–18°C) for 48 hours to allow yeast to reabsorb diacetyl and other off-flavors.

Diacetyl Rest

After the diacetyl rest, gradually lower temperature to 35–38°F (2–3°C) over 2–3 days and lager (cold-condition) at that temperature for 3–6 weeks to clarify and mellow the beer. Longer lagering (4–8 weeks) gives a cleaner profile similar to commercial Mexican lagers.

Cold Crash / Lager

Sanitize bottles and equipment. If bottling, dissolve 3.5 oz (approx. 100 g) corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool, and add to the bottling bucket. Rack beer gently onto priming solution to avoid aeration. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.5–2.7 volumes CO2.

Prepare for Bottling

Fill and cap bottles. Condition at room temperature for 10–14 days, then cold condition for 2–7 days. Serve chilled. Expected final carbonation should be bright and moderate to mimic a Mexican lager mouthfeel.

Bottling / Carbonation

Sanitize all equipment before and after use with a no-rinse sanitizer. Use a Campden tablet to dechlorinate water if needed (crush and dissolve in mash or strike water). Typical expected original gravity: ~1.044–1.048; expected final gravity: ~1.008–1.010; ABV roughly 4.2–4.6%.

Pilsner malt (2-row pale base)

Flaked corn (adjunct)

Munich malt (10L)

Carapils/Dextrine

Saaz hops (bittering)

Saaz hops (flavor/aroma)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (fining)

Lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2124/White Labs WLP830/SafLager W-34/70)

Brewing water (adjusted for soft, slightly mineral profile)

Corn sugar (for bottling) or priming sugar

Campden tablet (optional, for dechlorination)

Sanitizer (no-rinse)

Modelo Especial

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:

Modelo Especial Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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