Name: Working Draft Beer Companys Ain’t Bad Recipe
Cook time: 72 h
Total time: 72 h
Yield: 48 servings
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 8 lbs Pilsner malt (floor-malted or pale lager malt); 2 lbs Munich malt (light); 0.5 lbs Caramel/Crystal malt (20L); 0.5 lbs Vienna malt (if available, optional to replace part of Munich); 1 oz Noble-style hops (Hallertauer, Tettnang, or Saaz) - bittering; 0.5 oz Noble-style hops (Hallertauer, Tettnang, or Saaz) - flavor/aroma; 1 pack Yeast - German lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2206, White Labs WLP830, or Saflager W-34/70); 5 gal Water (brewing or filtered); 1 tsp Brew salts: Calcium chloride (CaCl2); 1 tsp Brew salts: Gypsum (CaSO4); 1 unit Irish moss or Whirlfloc tablet (optional for clarity); 3.25 oz Priming sugar (corn sugar/dextrose); 1 to taste Bottles and caps or keg and CO2

Buckwheat, Vienna, and Pilsner malt. Round in flavor and mouthfeel with a light toasty sweetness and dry finish.

BDGI Buckwheat Biere de Garde

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

Our German-Style Vienna lager is brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts for a balance between rich breadiness and a crisp clean finish.

Heat 3.5–4 gallons of brewing water to approximately 165°F (74°C) to reach a target mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) once grains are added.

Heat strike water

Add crushed Pilsner, Munich, Crystal (and Vienna if using) to the strike water, stirring to eliminate dough balls and ensuring an even mash. Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes for balanced fermentable sugars and malt extraction.

Mash in

Raise temperature to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering.

Mash out

Lauter and sparge with enough 170°F (77°C) water to collect about 6.5–7 gallons of wort in the kettle (target pre-boil volume ~6.5 gal).

Sparge

Bring the wort to a vigorous boil, being careful to avoid boil-overs.

Bring to a boil

At the start of the 60-minute boil, add 1.0 oz of noble-style hops (bittering). This addition targets roughly 18–25 IBU depending on your starting gravity and mash efficiency.

Bittering hop addition

With 10–15 minutes left in the boil, add Irish moss or a Whirlfloc tablet (1 unit) to help with protein coagulation and clarity.

Mid/late boil clarifier

At 5 minutes remaining, add 0.5 oz of noble-style hops for delicate flavor and aroma without overpowering bitterness.

Flavor/aroma hop addition

At flameout, turn off the heat and optionally whirlpool the wort for 10–15 minutes to concentrate hop material and aid cold break before chilling.

End of boil

Chill the wort quickly to 50°F (10°C) using an immersion chiller, counterflow, or plate chiller to minimize infection risk and off-flavors.

Chill wort

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, topping with additional water to reach 5 gallons if needed. Aerate vigorously by shaking, splashing, or using pure oxygen to ensure sufficient oxygen for lager yeast.

Transfer and aerate

Pitch the German lager yeast at about 48–52°F (9–11°C). If using dry yeast, rehydrate per manufacturer instructions; if using liquid, ensure a healthy starter for a proper lager fermentation.

Pitch yeast

Ferment at 50–54°F (10–12°C) for 10–14 days or until fermentation is complete (stable gravity over 2–3 days).

Primary fermentation

Raise the temperature to 60–65°F (15–18°C) for 2–3 days to allow yeast to clean up diacetyl and other off-flavors.

Diacetyl rest

Gradually lower temperature to near 32–35°F (0–2°C) over 2–4 days and lager for 3–6 weeks for improved clarity, crispness, and mellowing of malt character.

Lagering (cold conditioning)

If bottling, dissolve 3.25 oz (approx. 92 g) of corn sugar in 12–16 fl oz of boiling water, cool, and add to sanitized bottling bucket.

Prepare priming sugar (if bottling)

Siphon beer into the bottling bucket with priming solution, gently mix to avoid aeration, then fill and cap bottles. If kegging, transfer beer to a sanitized keg and carbonate to about 2.5–2.7 volumes CO2 (force carbonate or natural carbonation in keg).

Bottle or keg

If bottled, condition at room temperature for 2 weeks, then chill. If kegged, carbonate and lager at 35–40°F (2–4°C) for 1–2 weeks before serving to allow flavors to mature.

Conditioning

Pilsner malt (floor-malted or pale lager malt)

Munich malt (light)

Caramel/Crystal malt (20L)

Vienna malt (if available, optional to replace part of Munich)

Noble-style hops (Hallertauer, Tettnang, or Saaz) - bittering

Noble-style hops (Hallertauer, Tettnang, or Saaz) - flavor/aroma

Yeast - German lager yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2206, White Labs WLP830, or Saflager W-34/70)

Water (brewing or filtered)

Brew salts: Calcium chloride (CaCl2)

Brew salts: Gypsum (CaSO4)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc tablet (optional for clarity)

Priming sugar (corn sugar/dextrose)

Bottles and caps or keg and CO2

Ain’t Bad

ALASKA LINGS

HAND – MADE MEDITERRANEAN

Draff SABOR

Working The Mexico

REGIO

Including burgers, brats, potato salad, and more.

Above Ground Pool Party

Make Ain’t Bad Recipe in just 72h . Our German-Style Vienna lager is brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts for a balance between rich breadiness and a crisp clean finish.

Ain’t Bad Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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