Name: Davenport's Family Restaurants Narragansett "Lager" Recipe
Cook time: 24 h
Total time: 24 h
Yield: 50 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 kg Pilsner (2-row pale) malt; 0.5 kg Flaked corn; 0.25 kg Carapils/Dextrine malt; 35 g Hallertauer or Tettnang (bittering) – pellet or whole; 25 g Saaz or Perle (aroma) – pellet or whole; 12 g Lager yeast (clean American / German lager strain) - hydrated or starter; 25 l Water (brewing water, adjusted to low sulfate/chloride balance); 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc (clarifier, optional); 100 g Priming sugar (if bottling); 10 g Corn sugar (for small starter or diacetyl rest if needed)

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

American Lager is brewed to a clean, crisp, refreshing and perfectly balanced.

Heat 18 L of brewing water to 74 °C (165 °F) for a target mash temperature of 65 °C (149 °F) with the grain. Adjust water volume to account for kettle losses and grain absorption (this recipe targets ~23–25 L pre-boil).

Heat Strike Water

Dough in the crushed pilsner malt, flaked corn and Carapils into the strike water, mixing to avoid dry pockets. Target mash temperature: 65 °C (149 °F). Stir thoroughly to ensure even hydration.

Mash In

Hold the mash at 65 °C (149 °F) for 60 minutes. Perform an iodine test at 55–60 minutes to confirm conversion; if starch remains, rest another 10–15 minutes.

Saccharification Rest

Raise the mash to 75 °C (167 °F) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort runoff (mash out).

Mash Out

Recirculate first runnings until they run clear. Vorlauf until clear, then collect wort into the kettle. Sparge with ~7 L of water at 75 °C (167 °F) to reach a pre-boil volume of ~23–25 L.

Bring wort to a vigorous boil. Boil for 60 minutes for a standard program; you can extend to 90 minutes for extra break and concentration, but 60 minutes is sufficient for clean American lager character.

90-minute Boil (optional)

Add 35 g Hallertauer or Tettnang at boil start (60 minutes remaining) for clean bittering.

Bittering Addition

If using Irish moss or Whirlfloc, add 1 tsp (or one tablet) with 10–15 minutes left in the boil.

Clarifier

Add 25 g Saaz or Perle with 5 minutes left in the boil for subtle noble aroma and hop flavor.

Aroma / Flavor Addition

At boil end, chill wort rapidly to 10–12 °C (50–54 °F) for pitching lager yeast. Use a plate chiller or immersion chiller to minimize infection risk and oxidation.

Cool Wort

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter. Top up to desired volume with sterile water if needed to reach ~20–23 L. Aerate vigorously (or oxygenate) to ~8–10 ppm O2 for healthy lager fermentation.

Transfer and Aerate

Pitch 12 g of a healthy lager yeast (or equivalent starter) at 10–12 °C (50–54 °F). If using a dry yeast, rehydrate per manufacturer instructions. If using a liquid strain, make and pitch a starter to ensure adequate cell count.

Pitch Yeast

Maintain fermentation at 10–12 °C until active fermentation is mostly complete (typically 7–10 days). Gravity should drop steadily; expect a clean fermentation profile.

Primary Fermentation

When gravity is ~75%–90% complete or after 7–10 days, raise temperature to 16–18 °C (61–64 °F) for 24–48 hours to encourage yeast to clean up diacetyl. Optionally add 10 g corn sugar now if yeast appears sluggish to help finish.

Diacetyl Rest

After the rest and gravity stabilizes at final gravity, begin a gradual cool-down to near 2–4 °C (35–39 °F) over 2–3 days for cold conditioning.

Krausen and Conditioning

Hold the beer at 0–4 °C (32–39 °F) for 4–6 weeks (classic lagering) to mature, clarify, and develop the clean, crisp profile. This step is essential for traditional American lager character.

If bottling, dissolve 100 g priming sugar in 150 ml boiling water, cool, then gently mix into the finished beer. Bottle and cap. Condition at 18–20 °C for 10–14 days to carbonate, then cold-condition again for 1–2 weeks before drinking.

Priming and Bottling

If kegging, transfer beer to a keg, carbonate to 2.4–2.8 volumes CO2 (typical for an American lager) and serve at 1–3 °C.

Kegging

Pilsner (2-row pale) malt

Flaked corn

Carapils/Dextrine malt

Hallertauer or Tettnang (bittering) – pellet or whole

Saaz or Perle (aroma) – pellet or whole

Lager yeast (clean American / German lager strain) - hydrated or starter

Water (brewing water, adjusted to low sulfate/chloride balance)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (clarifier, optional)

Priming sugar (if bottling)

Corn sugar (for small starter or diacetyl rest if needed)

Narragansett "Lager"

Make Narragansett "Lager" Recipe in just 24h . American Lager is brewed to a clean, crisp, refreshing and perfectly balanced.

Narragansett "Lager"

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

You might also like