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Ingredients
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Beer Base & Grain
Hops & Adjuncts
Yeast & Fermentation Aids
Water & Finishing
Non-Alcoholic Conversion (for reduced/near-zero alcohol)
Method
Beer Base & Mash
- 1
Mill and Heat
Crush the pilsner malt, flaked maize, and carapils to medium-coarse. Heat 4.5 - 5.0 gallons of brewing water to strike temperature (target mash temp ~152°F / 67°C).
- 2
Mash
Add grains to the strike water and stabilize at 150–152°F (65–67°C). Hold for 60 minutes to create a fermentable but body-retaining wort appropriate for a crisp Mexican lager profile.
- 3
Mash Out
Raise the mash to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity, then vorlauf until the runoff is clear.
- 4
Sparge
Sparge with water heated to 170°F (77°C) until you collect about 6.0–6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle (accounting for losses).
Boil & Hop Additions
- 5
Boil
Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil and start a 60-minute timer.
- 6
Bittering Hop Addition (60 min)
At the start of the boil, add 0.5 oz Magnum (or equivalent). This should provide a restrained bitterness reminiscent of Mexican lagers (target IBUs ~18-20).
- 7
Irish Moss (10 min)
With 10 minutes left in the boil, add 1 tsp Irish moss to aid clarity.
- 8
Aroma Hop Addition (5 min)
With 5 minutes left, add 0.5 oz Saaz (or similar noble hop) to add a gentle floral/herbal aroma without overwhelming the clean malt profile.
- 9
Optional Lactose
If using lactose for a touch of sweetness and fuller mouthfeel, add it at flameout so it dissolves and does not ferment (lactose is unfermentable).
Chill, Fermentation & Yeast
- 10
Chill Wort
After flameout, chill the wort quickly to 50–55°F (10–13°C) for a lager fermentation (or 65–68°F / 18–20°C if using a more neutral ale yeast for an easier short lager-like fermentation). Aim to chill to yeast pitching temperature within 30–60 minutes to limit DMS and keep a crisp profile.
- 11
Transfer and Aerate
Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, top up with water to reach 5 gallons if needed, and aerate well (oxygenate to ~8–10 ppm O2) because lager yeast needs good oxygen for healthy fermentation.
- 12
Pitch Yeast
Pitch the single packet of clean lager yeast (rehydrated or a properly sized starter if liquid yeast). For ales used as a shortcut, pitch at the recommended temperature.
- 13
Primary Fermentation
Ferment at 50–55°F (10–13°C) for 7–10 days until vigorous activity subsides and gravity stabilizes. If using ale yeast at warmer temps, ferment for 5–7 days.
- 14
Diacetyl Rest
Raise temperature by 5–8°F (3–4°C) for 2 days before cooling to help clean up any diacetyl produced.
Lagering & Alcohol Reduction
- 15
Cold Crash and Lager
After primary and diacetyl rest, lower the temperature to 33–35°F (1–2°C) and lager for 2–4 weeks to clarify and mellow flavors. This step yields a clean, crisp Mexican-lager character.
- 16
Option A — Reduced-Alcohol Method (Kettle De-alcoholization)
To produce a near–nonalcoholic beer at home, perform a gentle vacuum or partial boil to remove ethanol from a portion of the beer (commercial methods vary). For homebrewers without specialized equipment, an alternative is to brew a lower gravity wort (OG ~1.028–1.034) and ferment to a low FG, then pasteurize bottled product (see pasteurization below). Note: attempting to boil off alcohol after fermentation will affect aroma and flavor. If you need very low ABV, consider using arrested fermentation (stop early) + pasteurization.
- 17
Option B — Arrested Fermentation for Low-Alcohol
Alternatively, ferment to a lower final gravity by using a lower pitching rate, cooler fermentation, or chilling early to stop yeast activity while leaving residual sugars. Target final gravity that keeps ABV below ~0.5%. This method requires careful sanitation and refrigeration/pasteurization to prevent refermentation and spoilage.
- 18
Bottle/Keg Preparation
If bottling and you want carbonation, prepare priming sugar (3 oz dextrose for 5 gallons). Sanitize bottles and caps. If you’re maintaining near-zero alcohol, use minimal priming sugar or force-carbonate in a keg to avoid raising alcohol by further fermentation.
- 19
Pasteurization (for Non-Alcoholic Stability)
To ensure stability of a low/almost nonalcoholic beer, pasteurize bottled beer by placing capped bottles in a temperature-controlled water bath at about 60–65°C (140–149°F) for a short time (typically 10–20 minutes) to inactivate yeast. This requires careful control to avoid overcooking flavor or causing bottles to burst. Alternatively, force-carbonate and cold-store kegs at <40°F (4°C).
Packaging & Serving
- 20
Carbonation & Packaging
If bottling, add priming sugar evenly to the sanitized bottling bucket, siphon beer onto priming sugar, gently mix, and bottle. Condition at room temperature for 10–14 days if using normal priming and then cold-condition. For a lower alcohol target, prefer force-carbonating in a keg to avoid additional fermentation and to precisely control carbonation level (target 2.2–2.6 volumes CO2 for Mexican lager crispness).
- 21
Chill & Serve
Cold condition bottles/kegs for 1–2 weeks at refrigerator temperatures. Serve very cold (around 38°F / 3°C) in a chilled pilsner glass with a clean appearance and bright straw color. Garnish with a lime wedge optionally, as is common with Mexican lagers.
- 22
Storage
Store finished product cold and dark. If you pasteurized to stabilize, keep refrigerated to preserve flavor. Best consumed fresh (within 2–3 months) for peak flavor.