It wasn’t so many years ago that you’d ask a proud craft or homebrewer about light lager and the response would be, “Why?”
Maybe we’ve all matured (maybe), but that doesn’t seem to be the question anymore. Even if you’re the type who doesn’t enjoy an ice-cold, faintly flavored lager on a hot day, there is the technical challenge to appreciate. These are mistake-free beers—you can’t even afford to have dirty thoughts while making one. So, keep it clean, sanitize thoroughly, and make sure your temperature control is tight. Then the question becomes, “How?”
Style: At an ABV this low, it takes special attention to make a beer with some flavor that still disappears on the palate. There’s less alcohol and less bittering, and they’re incredibly pale—we’re talking the very bottom of the SRM scale. We’re going for delicate but not flavorless—we don’t want to pull back so far that we’re approaching hard-seltzer territory. Besides careful process and clean fermentation, malts still matter here.
Ingredients: Some light-lager recipes call for nothing but two-row and adjunct, but we can slightly broaden the flavor and mitigate risk by mixing our base malts: equal parts two-row and pilsner. That gives us hints of honey, corn, grain, and not much else. To further lighten the body, we’ll add flaked rice (or rice syrup) at about 15 percent of fermentables—I find that it also adds a slight “snappy” character to the finished beer. We’re aiming for a starting gravity around 1.038 (9.5°P), which should keep us below 4 percent ABV.
For hops, we want about 10 IBUs of any low-alpha hop at the top of the boil. Going for the lowest alpha we can find—I have some Hallertauer Mittelfrüh with about 2.5 percent alpha acids—helps to dial in that fine bitterness while adding more beery flavor via plant material. The effect is much more pleasant than a pinch of Magnum.
For yeast, I go with Chico. “But that’s not a lager yeast!” Yeah, I know. But if you do everything else right, neither your friends nor beer judges will know the difference. I’ve brewed this with a variety of “clean” yeasts—ale, lager, and hybrid—and I’m sincerely convinced that they all work more or less the same. Besides, Chico imparts some trace fermentation flavors that can add just a touch of additional character, even within these tight parameters. However, if you prefer to pitch 34/70 or other lager strain, go for it. Just be sure to adjust your fermentation temperatures and times accordingly.
Process: Unless your water is already soft, I suggest adding a bit of calcium chloride. It will help round out your malt flavors, so they don’t come across as overly “grainy.” Mash for attenuation—a step mash isn’t a bad idea here, or you can try a lower single infusion (say, 148°F/64°C). Having said that, I get good results with a longer mash at 152°F (67°C). The rice will still help keep things light and dry.
With the Chico, you can ferment at 60°F (16°C) for about a week then raise to an ambient 68°F (20°C) or so to finish. You want to ensure complete fermentation with no by-products. Once it’s crashed, give it plenty of CO2 to boost that impression of crispness.
Still skeptical? Brew it and see, comparing it with your own favorite (or least favorite) light lager. I think you’ll find that you really like it—and that you have a new source of pride.