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

Lager - American Amber, 5.5% ABV, 28 IBU. Popular brew with balanced flavor of malt and hops.

Heat 4.0 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C). If using water treatment, add 1 Campden tablet per 5 gallons and any gypsum at this point and stir until dissolved.

Heat strike water

Add the crushed grains (pale malt, Munich, Crystal 60L, Carapils, CaraMunich) to the strike water to target mash temperature 152°F (67°C). Stir thoroughly to remove dough balls.

Mash-in

Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes to achieve a balanced body and fermentability aimed at an American amber (moderate attenuation).

Saccharification rest

Raise mash temperature to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort runoff.

Mash out

Sparge the grain bed with enough water to collect ~6.5 gallons of wort in your kettle (typical for a 5 gallon batch). Keep sparge water near 170°F (77°C).

Sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous boil. At the start of the 60-minute boil add 0.5 oz Tettnang (bittering).

Boil start / First hop addition

With 15 minutes left in the boil add 0.5 oz Cascade. With 5 minutes left add 0.5 oz Willamette for aroma/finish.

Boil - mid additions

After flameout, stir the wort gently and let it sit for 10-20 minutes to extract delicate hop aromatics before chilling.

Whirlpool / hop stand (optional)

Chill the wort quickly to 50°F (10°C) using an immersion chiller or ice bath to reduce oxygen pickup and encourage a clean lager profile.

Chill wort

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter. Top up to 5.25 gallons if needed. Aerate the wort by shaking, splashing, or using an aeration stone until oxygenated.

Transfer & aerate

Pitch the lager yeast (rehydrate or make a starter if using liquid yeast). Target fermentation temperature 50°F (10°C).

Pitch yeast

Ferment at 50°F (10°C) for 10-14 days or until active fermentation subsides and gravity is near expected FG. Aim for an attenuation producing ~5.5% ABV.

Primary fermentation

Raise temperature to 62°F (17°C) for 2-3 days to allow the yeast to clean up diacetyl and finish fermentation.

Diacetyl rest

Gradually lower temperature to 35-40°F (2-4°C) over 1-3 days and lager (cold condition) for 3-6 weeks to clarify and mellow the beer.

Cold crash / lagering

If bottling, dissolve 3.5 oz (100 g) corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool and add to sanitized bottling bucket. Rack beer onto priming solution, gently mix, and bottle. Cap bottles and condition at 65-70°F (18-21°C) for 2 weeks to carbonate.

Prime and bottle

If kegging, carbonate to ~2.4 volumes CO2 (force carbonate or set keg at 12-14 PSI at 38°F).

Kegging

Serve cold (45-50°F / 7-10°C) in clean glass. Expect a balanced malt backbone, light caramel/toasted notes, and mild American hop presence around 28 IBU.

Serve

Pale malt (2-row)

Munich malt

Caramel/Crystal 60L

Carapils (dextrin)

CaraMunich or Special B (light touch)

Corn sugar (dextrose) - for priming

Cascade (or similar American hop, 6.5% AA)

Tettnang (or Hallertau/Perle for noble character)

Willamette (aroma/finish)

American lager yeast (cold-tolerant strain, e.g., Wyeast 2124/White Labs WLP830 or Saflager S-23)

Water (brewing)

Cornish or CaSO4 (optional water adjustment - gypsum)

Campden tablet (optional, to remove chlorine/chloramine)

Brewing salt (optional)

Toasted Lager

Make Toasted Lager Recipe in just 72h . Lager - American Amber, 5.5% ABV, 28 IBU. Popular brew with balanced flavor of malt and hops.

Toasted Lager

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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