Alta Mar Mexican Lager & Dreamy Eyes Tangerine Cream Ale

Sanitize fermenter and all equipment with a no-rinse sanitizer. If using municipal water with chlorine/chloramine, treat with a Campden tablet or use filtered water. Heat ~6 gallons of brewing water and add gypsum (0.5 tsp) if you want a slightly enhanced sulfate to accentuate dryness. Mash grains: combine 8 lb Pilsner malt, 2 lb flaked corn, 0.5 lb Carapils, 0.5 lb torrified wheat and rice hulls (if needed) into 3.5 – 4.0 gallons of strike water at 152°F to hold a mash rest of 60 minutes at 150–154°F. Stir to avoid dough balls; rest to convert starches.

Prepare water and grains

After 60 minutes, raise temperature to 168°F for a 10-minute mash out. Vorlauf until runnings are clear, then sparge with enough water to collect about 6.5–7 gallons of wort in the kettle (accounting for boil-off) — aim for pre-boil gravity around 1.046–1.050.

Mash out and sparge

Bring wort to a rolling boil for 60 minutes. Add Chinook hops (0.75 oz) at 60 minutes for bittering. With 10 minutes left, add Irish moss or Whirlfloc (1 tsp) and Saaz hops (0.5 oz). Add remaining Saaz (0.5 oz) at flameout or at 0 minutes for delicate aroma. If you want even cleaner Mexican-style aroma, keep late hop additions minimal.

Boil and hop additions

Cool wort rapidly to 50–55°F (for lager yeast) using an immersion or plate chiller. Transfer to a sanitized fermenter, topping to 5 gallons if necessary with sterile water. Aerate wort by shaking, splashing, or using an aeration stone. Rehydrate or properly prepare the Mexican lager yeast (Wyeast 2308 or Saflager S-23) per manufacturer instructions. Pitch yeast at 50–55°F.

Chill and pitch yeast

Ferment at 50–55°F for 10–14 days or until activity slows and gravity approaches target (approx 1.008–1.012 depending on mash/sugar). Monitor gravity.

Primary fermentation

Raise temperature to 60–65°F for 48 hours for a diacetyl rest, then crash-cool to 34–38°F and lager for 4–6 weeks to develop clarity and the crisp, clean profile typical of a Mexican lager.

Diacetyl rest and lagering

If bottling, prepare priming sugar (4 oz dextrose boiled in 12 oz water), cool and add to bottling bucket. Rack beer onto priming solution, gently mix, bottle and cap. Condition at room temperature for 2 weeks, then chill. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.5–2.8 vols CO2 and serve chilled. Expect final ABV ~4.5–5.0% and a light, crisp body.

Packaging

Sanitize fermenter, spoons, and all equipment. Prepare ~6 gallons of water and treat if necessary. Split and scrape the vanilla bean and place the seeds and pod into a sanitized small jar; reserve for secondary addition.

Sanitation and preparation

Heat ~4 gallons of strike water to about 152–156°F. Mash in 7.5 lb Pale 2-row, 1 lb white wheat, 0.75 lb flaked oats, and 0.2 lb acidulated malt. Hold mash for 60 minutes at 150–154°F to achieve a slightly fuller body for creaminess. Mash out at 168°F for 10 minutes.

Mash

Sparge to collect ~6.5–7 gallons pre-boil wort. Bring to a 60-minute boil. Add Citra hops (0.5 oz) at 60 minutes for minimal bittering. Add Mandarina Bavaria / aromatic hops (1 oz) with 5 minutes left for aroma. Add lactose (8 oz) with 10 minutes left so it dissolves but remains unfermented. Add honey/cane sugar at 5 minutes left to boil off some volatiles and integrate fermentables.

Sparge and boil

Chill wort to 66–68°F. Transfer to sanitized fermenter and aerate thoroughly. Pitch a clean ale yeast (US-05 or Wyeast 1056). Ferment at 66–68°F for about 5–7 days or until activity slows. Target FG around 1.010–1.014 depending on lactose addition.

Chill and ferment

Prepare tangerine additions: if using fresh juice, pasteurize briefly by heating to 160°F for a few minutes and cooling, or add during secondary and be mindful of infection risk. For zest, sanitize peels with a quick hot water rinse. Rack beer to a secondary (optional) after primary fermentation slows, then add 16 oz tangerine juice/zest and the scraped vanilla bean (seeds + pod) along with the vanilla jar. Leave on fruit/vanilla for 3–7 days and taste daily to avoid overpowering citrus or vegetal notes.

Tangerine and vanilla additions

After desired flavor is achieved, cold crash to near-freezing, let solids settle, then either keg and carbonate to around 2.3–2.6 vols CO2 or prepare priming sugar (4 oz dextrose boiled in 12 oz water) for bottling. If bottling, gently mix with priming solution, bottle and cap, then condition at room temperature for 10–14 days. Expect a slightly creamy, bright tangerine-forward ale with a restrained hop presence and soft vanilla background.

Cold crash and conditioning

If you prefer more pronounced tangerine aroma, add a small whirlpool addition of zest or hop/aroma additions at 170°F for 15–20 minutes before chilling. Lactose will add sweetness and body but will not ferment; adjust amount to taste (8 oz gives noticeable creaminess). Use pasteurized juice or pure tangerine extract for lower infection risk; if using fresh fruit, sanitize carefully.

Notes and tips

Pilsner malt

Flaked corn

Carapils / dextrin malt

Rice hulls (optional for lautering)

Torrified wheat (optional, for head and body)

Chinook hops (bittering)

Saaz hops (flavor/aroma)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc

Mexican lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2308 or Saflager S-23)

Water (adjusted for soft, slightly alkaline profile)

Priming sugar (dextrose) for bottling

Gypsum / calcium sulfate (optional water adjustment)

Campden tablet (optional, to remove chlorine/chloramine)

Pale 2-row malt

Flaked oats

White wheat malt

Honey or light cane sugar (for slight fermentable boost)

Acidulated malt (small amount for mash pH if needed)

Citra hops (bittering/late additions)

Mandarina Bavaria or Hallertau Blanc (aroma/flavor) — or additional Citra

Tangerine zest or fresh tangerine juice (added late or during conditioning)

Vanilla bean (for creaminess) — split and scraped

Lactose (non-fermentable milk sugar) — optional for cream ale sweetness and body

Ale yeast (clean, moderately attenuative — US-05 or Wyeast 1056)

Sanitizer (no-rinse)

Water (treated/filtered)

Flying Machine Brewery, Wilmington, NC

Make Flying Machine Brewery, Wilmington, NC Recipe in just 10h . Alta Mar Mexican Lager & Dreamy Eyes Tangerine Cream Ale

Flying Machine Brewery, Wilmington, NC

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