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

Heat 3.5 gallons of strike water to about 162°F (72°C). Mash in the crushed Pilsner, Munich, and Carapils malts to reach a stable mash temperature of 150°F (65.5°C). Hold the mash for 60 minutes, stirring gently and checking temperature; adjust with small additions of hot or cold water to keep within ±2°F.

Mash

Raise temperature to 168°F (75.5°C) for a 10 minute mash out. Sparge with enough 168°F water to collect ~6.5 gallons of pre-boil wort.

Mash out & Sparge

Bring the pre-boil wort to a vigorous boil and boil for 60 minutes total. Start your time when the wort reaches a rolling boil.

Boil

Add 0.5 oz Saaz hops at the start of the 60 minute boil for bitterness.

Bittering Hop Addition (60 min)

10 minutes before the end of the boil, add 1 tsp Irish moss (or a Whirlfloc tablet) and yeast nutrient if using.

Irish Moss (10 min)

At 10 minutes remaining, add 0.5 oz Saaz hops for mild hop flavor.

Flavor Hop Addition (10 min)

At flameout, turn off heat and add 0.5 oz Saaz hops. Stir or whirlpool for 10–20 minutes, then allow solids to settle before chilling. This gives delicate Saaz aroma without harsh bitterness.

Aroma / Whirlpool Hop Addition (Post-boil)

Chill the wort quickly to 50°F (10°C) using an immersion or plate chiller. Aim to get to pitching temperature within 30–60 minutes to limit infection risk and DMS formation.

Chill Wort

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind as much hop/trub as practical. Top up with water to reach 5.0 gallons if needed. Oxygenate by shaking, using a sanitized whisk, or aeration stone until dissolved oxygen is adequate for a lager yeast (roughly 8–10 ppm if measured).

Transfer & Aerate

Pitch one packet (or a properly stepped starter) of lager yeast at about 50°F (10°C). Close fermenter and attach an airlock.

Pitch Yeast

Ferment at 50–52°F (10–11°C) for about 7–10 days, until vigorous fermentation subsides and gravity is near expected attenuation.

Primary Fermentation

Raise temperature to 60–62°F (15–17°C) for 48 hours to encourage the yeast to clean up diacetyl and other off-flavors.

Diacetyl Rest

After the diacetyl rest, gradually lower temperature over 2–3 days to 34–38°F (1–3°C) and lager for 3–6 weeks to clear and mellow the beer. Longer lagering (6–8 weeks) produces a crisper profile closer to commercial lagers.

Lagering (Cold Conditioning)

If bottling, dissolve 3.5 oz corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool and add to sanitized bottling bucket. Rack beer onto the priming sugar solution to gently mix. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.5 volumes CO2 (force carbonate or naturally condition in keg).

Preparation for Bottling / Kegging

If bottled, bottle and cap, then condition at 65–70°F (18–21°C) for 10–14 days to carbonate, then age at cold temperatures for a week or two before drinking. If kegged, chill to serving temperature (38–45°F) and allow CO2 to integrate for 24–48 hours if force carbonated, or longer if naturally carbonated.

Conditioning

Serve cold in a lager-style glass. Target final gravity should be around 1.012–1.014 for a clean, crisp lager around 4.3–4.8% ABV depending on mash efficiency and volumes.

The Sink Lager

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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