Name: Lost Cowboy Brewing Companys APPALOOSA APPLE LAGER Recipe
Cook time: 72 h
Total time: 72 h
Yield: 48 servings
Ingredients: 6.25 lbs Pilsner (2-row pale) malt; 0.75 lbs Vienna malt; 1 lbs Flaked rice (adjunct for light body and head retention); 0.25 lbs Carapils / dextrin malt (for mouthfeel); 0.5 oz Magnum (or other clean bittering hop, 12% AA); 0.5 oz Cluster or Cascade (for subtle aroma, low quantity); 1 package American lager yeast (or clean fermenting ale yeast / Kölsch strain if no lager fridge); 48 oz Fresh apple puree (tart apple variety like Granny Smith or blend); 12 oz Apple juice or concentrate (optional for additional apple character); 5 gallons Water (target 5.0 gallons batch size; treat to soft-moderately hard profile); 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional for clarity); 4 oz Priming sugar (dextrose) for bottling

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

5.1% ABV, A refreshing take on a classic American lager, melding the clean smooth flavor of an American lager with the crispness of tart apple. The fresh apple puree brings a beautiful juiciness that perfectly complements the light, drinkable profile of the American Lager. This beer hits the mark between fruity and crisp.

Heat about 3.5 - 4.0 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C) to achieve a mash temperature of 150°F (65°C).

Heat strike water

Add the crushed pilsner malt, Vienna malt, flaked rice, and Carapils to the mash tun and stir thoroughly to avoid dough balls.

Hold the mash at 150°F (65°C) for 60 minutes. This temp and time produce a highly fermentable wort for a crisp, light-bodied lager.

After the mash rests, perform a mash-out by raising the temperature to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve sparging.

Sparge the grain bed with enough water to collect roughly 6.5 - 7.0 gallons of wort in the kettle (adjust depending on system losses).

Bring the wort to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add 0.5 oz Magnum hops (bittering) and start a 60-minute timer.

With 10 minutes left in the boil add Irish moss or Whirlfloc (1 tsp) to aid clarity and add the 0.5 oz Cluster/Cascade for a light hop aroma (optional—keeps the beer clean and mild).

At the end of the 60-minute boil, turn off heat and chill wort quickly to yeast-pitching temperature (see next section).

Cool the wort to 50°F (10°C) for lager yeast. If using a clean ale/Kölsch strain (for an easier process), target 60–64°F (16–18°C). Use an immersion or plate chiller to rapidly lower temp and minimize oxidation and contamination.

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, top up to 5.0 gallons if needed with pre-boiled/cooled water, and aerate well (oxygenate for lagers).

Pitch the yeast: for true lager fermentation pitch a healthy starter of American lager yeast at 50°F (10°C). If using ale yeast, pitch at 60–64°F (16–18°C).

Ferment primary: lagers—hold 10–14 days at 50–55°F (10–13°C) until activity slows and gravity is near terminal. Ales—7–10 days at fermentation temp.

Optional diacetyl rest (for lager yeast): raise temperature to 62–65°F (17–18°C) for 48 hours toward the end of fermentation to ensure diacetyl reduction.

After rest, for lagers perform a cold crash/extended lagering: reduce temperature to 34–38°F (1–3°C) and lager for 3–6 weeks to clarify and mellow the beer. If using ale yeast, allow 5–7 days conditioning at fermentation temperature and then cold crash for 48–72 hours for clarification.

Sanitize a secondary fermenter and chill the fresh apple puree to ~32–40°F (0–4°C) prior to addition. If using canned puree, ensure it's preservative-free.

When primary fermentation is complete and beer is moved to secondary (or at high krausen if using pasteurized/sterile puree and experienced blender), add the 48 oz (3 lb) fresh apple puree and optional 12 oz apple juice to the secondary fermenter. For lagers, it is preferable to add fruit after primary to avoid fermentation disruption and loss of delicate lager character.

Allow the beer to condition on the apple puree for 5–10 days at fermentation temperature to extract apple aroma and flavor. Taste periodically to avoid over-fruiting; you want a crisp, tart apple note, not overwhelming sweetness.

After the desired apple character is reached and fermentation on the fruit has finished, rack the beer off the fruit sediment (lees) into a sanitized bottling bucket or keg to leave solids behind.

If bottling: dissolve 4 oz priming sugar in 8 oz boiling water, cool, and add to sanitized bottling bucket. Rack beer gently on top of priming solution and fill bottles. Cap and allow to carbonate at 68–72°F (20–22°C) for 10–14 days, then cold condition for a few days before chilling and serving.

If kegging: keg the beer, force carbonate to 2.3–2.7 volumes CO2 (typical lager/lighter fruit beers use 2.4–2.6 volumes for a crisp presentation) at recommended pressure/temperature, then cold condition for 3–7 days before serving.

Serve cold (38–45°F / 3–7°C) in a pint or lager glass to highlight the crisp apple-lager balance.

Pilsner (2-row pale) malt

Vienna malt

Flaked rice (adjunct for light body and head retention)

Carapils / dextrin malt (for mouthfeel)

Magnum (or other clean bittering hop, 12% AA)

Cluster or Cascade (for subtle aroma, low quantity)

American lager yeast (or clean fermenting ale yeast / Kölsch strain if no lager fridge)

Fresh apple puree (tart apple variety like Granny Smith or blend)

Apple juice or concentrate (optional for additional apple character)

Water (target 5.0 gallons batch size; treat to soft-moderately hard profile)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional for clarity)

Priming sugar (dextrose) for bottling

APPALOOSA APPLE LAGER

Make APPALOOSA APPLE LAGER Recipe in just 72h . 5.1% ABV, A refreshing take on a classic American lager, melding the clean smooth flavor of an American lager with the crispness of tart apple. The fresh apple puree brings a beautiful juiciness that perfectly complements the light, drinkable profile of the American Lager. This beer hits the mark between fruity and crisp.

APPALOOSA APPLE LAGER

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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