Falling Knife Tomm's Lager Recipe

Heat strike water

Heat 4.5 - 5.0 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C). This accounts for heat loss to reach a mash temperature of about 152°F (67°C).

Add crushed grains (Pilsner/2-row, Munich, Carapils) and flaked maize to the mash tun. Stir thoroughly to fully incorporate and avoid dough pockets.

Stabilize mash at 150–154°F (65–68°C), target 152°F (67°C), and hold for 60 minutes. Gentle recirculation (vorlauf) for 5–10 minutes after 10–15 minutes will help clarify the wort.

Perform a mash-out by raising temperature to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering.

Sparge with enough water at ~168°F (76°C) to collect about 6.5–7.0 gallons of pre-boil wort in the kettle (account for evaporation and trub loss). Aim for original gravity around 1.046–1.050.

Allow collected wort to drain completely, then transfer to the boil kettle. Bring to a vigorous boil.

At start of 60-minute boil, add 1.0 oz Hallertau (bittering). Boil for 60 minutes total.

With 15 minutes remaining, add 1.0 oz Hallertau (flavor/aroma) and 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc if using.

At flameout (end of boil), add 0.5 oz Saaz or Hallertau to the hot wort and stir for 5 minutes for whirlpool aroma extraction.

Begin chilling wort immediately after whirlpool additions to pitching temperature to minimize unwanted ester formation.

Chill the wort quickly to 48–54°F (9–12°C) for lager fermentation using an immersion chiller, counterflow, or plate chiller. Aim to reach this range within 30–60 minutes if possible.

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving trub behind. Top up with water if necessary to reach 5.0 gallons final volume.

Aerate the wort thoroughly (oxygenate) — shake, sploosh, or use an oxygenation stone to reach ~8–10 ppm dissolved oxygen for healthy lager yeast fermentation.

Rehydrate or prepare the chosen lager yeast per manufacturer's instructions and pitch the full packet into the wort, aiming for an initial fermentation temperature of 48–52°F (9–11°C).

Hold fermentation at 48–52°F (9–11°C) for 7–10 days until vigorous fermentation subsides (exponential CO2 production slows and specific gravity drops predictably). Target attenuation should bring gravity near 1.010–1.012 depending on mash/efficiency.

Raise temperature slowly to 58–62°F (14–17°C) over 24–48 hours for a 48–72 hour diacetyl rest to allow yeast to reabsorb any diacetyl.

After the rest, crash cool the fermenter to 34–38°F (1–3°C) over 24–48 hours and hold for 7–14 days to clarify and lager the beer.

If bottling: dissolve 3.5 oz (approx. 100 g) corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool, and gently mix with beer to evenly disperse priming sugar. Bottle and cap. Condition at room temperature 10–14 days, then lager in cold storage for at least 2–4 weeks for best flavor.

If kegging: transfer to a sanitized keg, carbonate to 2.4–2.7 volumes CO2 (force carbonate at 10–12 psi at 38°F or serve at higher psi for faster carbonation).

Serve cold (38–45°F / 3–7°C). Expect a clean, crisp lager with light bready malt, subtle noble hop bitterness, and a soft corn dryness reminiscent of classic American lagers (hence the 'Falling Knife Tomm's Lager' approach—crisp and dangerously drinkable).