Name: The Field Irish Pubs Harp Lager Recipe
Cook time: 24 h
Total time: 24 h
Yield: 23 servings
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 4.5 kg Pilsner (2-row) malt; 0.5 kg Light Munich malt; 0.2 kg Carapils / Dextrine malt; 0.25 kg Premium light cane sugar (optional, to boost fermentables and lighten body); 18 g Saaz hops (bittering) 4.5% AA; 18 g Saaz hops (flavor/aroma); 10 g East Kent Goldings or Saaz (late aroma/finish); 1 pack Irish ale yeast (lager-capable) OR Lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2007, White Labs WLP830 or Saflager W-34/70); 1 tsp Yeast nutrient; 25 l Water (treated to soft, slightly mineral profile similar to County Louth/Cooley Mountains: low bicarbonate, Ca 40–80 ppm); 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional, for clearer lager); 85 g Priming sugar (for bottling) or CO2 (for kegging); 1 tsp Gypsum (calcium sulfate) – optional (for hop brightness); 0.5 tsp Calcium chloride – optional (for malt fullness); 1 tsp Food grade lactic acid or phosphoric acid – optional (to adjust mash pH to 5.2–5.4)

Harp Lager

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

ABV 5.0% This genuine Irish recipe, developed by the brewers of Guinness, is clean with a sweet nose and a good body. The hops deliver a subtle citrus taste and floral aroma. Water from the beautiful Cooley Mountains in County Louth is used to produce a clear golden lager.

Mill the grains to a medium-coarse crush. Prepare ~25 L of strike and sparge water adjusted to a soft, slightly mineral profile: target Ca 50–70 ppm, bicarbonate low. If using, dissolve gypsum and calcium chloride in strike water. Heat strike water to about 74 °C (165 °F) to reach a mash-in temperature of 65 °C (149 °F) when grains are added. Check mash pH and adjust with lactic/phosphoric acid to 5.2–5.4 if needed.

Grain Milling and Water Prep

Mash in the crushed Pilsner, Munich, and Carapils malts at 65 °C (149 °F) for 60 minutes (single infusion mash). Stir well to avoid dough balls and maintain temperature within ±1 °C. Add the light cane sugar directly near the end of the mash if using (or hold back to boil).

Mash

Raise temperature to 75 °C (167 °F) for a 10-minute mash-out. Sparge with 78 °C (172 °F) water until you collect ~26–28 L of wort (to account for boil-off and trub loss) — aim for pre-boil gravity appropriate for a 5.0% ABV beer (approx. 1.048–1.052 OG depending on efficiency).

Mash Out & Sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous boil and boil for 60 minutes. Add hops as follows: at 60 minutes remaining, add 18 g Saaz (bittering). With 15 minutes left, add 18 g Saaz and 1 tsp Irish moss/Whirlfloc. With 5 minutes left, add 10 g East Kent Goldings or Saaz for aroma. If using cane sugar, add it within the last 10 minutes so it fully dissolves and sanitizes.

Boil Schedule

At flameout, cool the wort rapidly to 10–12 °C (50–54 °F) for a lager fermentation (or 12–14 °C if using a lager-capable ale strain). Use a wort chiller or ice bath to minimize oxygen pickup. Transfer the chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter and aerate thoroughly (oxygenate to ~8–10 ppm dissolved oxygen) before pitching yeast.

Chill & Pre-Fermentation

Rehydrate dry lager yeast per manufacturer instructions or prepare a lager yeast starter for liquid yeast. Pitch yeast into wort at 10–12 °C. Ferment at 10–12 °C until vigorous activity subsides (typically 7–10 days). Aim for an efficient, clean fermentation to preserve lager’s clean profile.

Pitching and Primary Fermentation

After primary fermentation activity slows (usually day 7–10), raise temperature to 16–18 °C for 48 hours to allow yeast to clean up any diacetyl and other off-flavors.

Diacetyl Rest

After the diacetyl rest, gradually cool the beer to 1–3 °C and lager for 3–6 weeks (longer if possible) to clarify and mellow flavors. This step develops the clean, crisp character typical of Harp Lager.

Lagering (Cold Conditioning)

If kegging, carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2. If bottling, dissolve 85 g priming sugar in 250 ml boiling water, cool, gently mix with beer and bottle. Condition bottles at 20 °C for 10–14 days for carbonation then cold-condition (lager) for an additional 1–2 weeks to clarify and mature.

Packaging

Before serving, allow beer to warm slightly to 6–8 °C to best experience subtle citrus and floral hop aromas. Pour gently to present a clear golden lager with a modest white head. Store bottled beer cold, upright, and consume within several months for best hop aroma.

Final Conditioning and Serving

Pilsner (2-row) malt

Light Munich malt

Carapils / Dextrine malt

Premium light cane sugar (optional, to boost fermentables and lighten body)

Saaz hops (bittering) 4.5% AA

Saaz hops (flavor/aroma)

East Kent Goldings or Saaz (late aroma/finish)

Irish ale yeast (lager-capable) OR Lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2007, White Labs WLP830 or Saflager W-34/70)

Yeast nutrient

Water (treated to soft, slightly mineral profile similar to County Louth/Cooley Mountains: low bicarbonate, Ca 40–80 ppm)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional, for clearer lager)

Priming sugar (for bottling) or CO2 (for kegging)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) – optional (for hop brightness)

Calcium chloride – optional (for malt fullness)

Food grade lactic acid or phosphoric acid – optional (to adjust mash pH to 5.2–5.4)

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Make Harp Lager Recipe in just 24h . ABV 5.0% This genuine Irish recipe, developed by the brewers of Guinness, is clean with a sweet nose and a good body. The hops deliver a subtle citrus taste and floral aroma. Water from the beautiful Cooley Mountains in County Louth is used to produce a clear golden lager.

Harp Lager Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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