Creating lager with a lighter flavour

[alp]

Many beers i have tried have a strong flavour, what i dont mind but if i wanted to reduce the flavours how would i go about doing this with a coopers brew can?

would using bergalow 1kg pure dextrose instead of brew enhancer 1 1kg achieve this but with higher abv?

also if i do go this route would the OG be lower or higher without the maltodextrin from BE2?

Edited July 9, 2021 by alp

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

Like what sort of beer mate? Like an Asian lager? Or like a corona? 

Adjuncts Like dextrose will take flavour out as there is less malt in it but you don't want to go too far as it will taste like shit. You can also make a lighter ABV beer which will make it more watery

The OG will be basically the same with 1kg of dextrose or 1kg of BE. However the final gravity will definitely be different as the dextrose will ferment almost completely whereas the BE will not

[alp]

5 minutes ago, Greeny1525229549 said:

Like what sort of beer mate? Like an Asian lager? Or like a corona?

this is the one im looking at getting, im guessing its aussie lager? https://www.bigw.com.au/product/coopers-lager-1-7kg/p/7526/

[Tricky Micky]

I make a lot of lagers ALP. Not sure what you mean by lighter flavor though.

Do you have temperature control over your brew. ie Inkbird controller and a second hand fridge?

I'd be careful about adding too much sugar / dextrose to your brew.  Coopers BE 2 or BE 3 added to the OS Lager kit is probably the way to go if this is one of your first cracks at this.  Volume in the FV will play its part too. 23 litres for the above amounts is reasonable IMO. I'm happy to be corrected.

Others here with more experience may chip in.

[Barramullafella]

Lawnmower Lager comes in at 3.2% abv and uses OS Lager 1.7 and BE1. I have tried this and it is not the worst beer to drink. Maybe try 250gm of Dextrose and 250gm Maltodextrin in 23lt water.

[Breaktrainjack]

You can top the FV fermenting vessel up to 25l instead of 23L that will dilute the flavour in your favour

IMPO dont worry too much about the OG numbers ..check ya FG ..give it a week it will be done  

If you want to make your own plain beer using no flavoured tins ..you could use Liquid Malt Extract only ..or Dry Malt only like SMASH beers "Check out Extract SMASH beer "  keep your hops down to 12g ..you should be right

 

[alp]

yes! lawnmower lager looks exactly what im looking for

ill give the malt extract a go after a few brews + more experience as i still have no idea what im doing

cheers

[Malter White]

21 hours ago, alp said:

yes! lawnmower lager looks exactly what im looking for

ill give the malt extract a go after a few brews + more experience as i still have no idea what im doing

cheers

This recipe says use the included yeast sachet. That's fine to use but it's an ale yeast so your beer will actually be an ale. If you're looking for the cleaner, crisp taste of lager you could try using a separate lager yeast or buying a tin of European lager which has lager yeast included. This will also allow you to ferment at a lower temperature which assists achieving that lager flavour.

[Tricky Micky]

22 hours ago, alp said:

yes! lawnmower lager looks exactly what im looking for

ill give the malt extract a go after a few brews + more experience as i still have no idea what im doing

cheers

ALP, you'll be right. Have you got Temp control or do you just use ambient Temps? If you really just want a lawn mower then maybe Dextrose is the way to go. Chuck in 500g of Light Dry Malt extract with it too. Depending on what ABV (Alcohol Level) you want adjust accordingly with the dextrose. Also if you can keep your brew between 12-15 degrees then you can do a proper lager beer. Suggest using W34/70 Saflager yeast. (Referred here as "Dubbya") Good Luck and good brewing!

[Tricky Micky]

ALP,

Try this if you have temp control or cold enough ambient temps.

24 liters Volume:

Saflager W34/70 Yeast 11g

Coopers 1.7kg OS Lager Kit 

1kg Coopers Light Dry Malt extract

300g Dextrose

ABV approx 4.8

 

[ChristinaS1]

Not sure what you mean by strong flavour. Do you mean they are too bitter? If so, use Mickep's recipe but swap out the OS Lager can for a Mexican Cervera can, which has very low bitterness. If you don't want to go as low as that use the APA can.

The 34/70 lager yeast will give a nice clean flavour, provided you don't ferment it above 18C. It will be cleaner still if, after the yeast gets going (around 12-18 hours after pitching), you drop the temp down to 13C. If you drop the temp to 13C you should raise it again to 20C at the tail end of fermentation, for a couple of days, for what they call a D-rest. This helps the yeast clean up the byproducts of fermentation and ferment the last couple of points of gravity.

Cheers,

Christina.

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by ChristinaS1

[alp]

On 7/11/2021 at 9:30 AM, Mickep said:

ALP,

Try this if you have temp control or cold enough ambient temps.

My brew is a room what stays at 18-25C

How long in the FV does it take at < 15C?

Would 7g of yeast be ok to boost the ABV if im using more than 1kg of dextrose/malt? or do i need to use the Saflager 11g yeast?

--

I ended up trying the 23L lager extract + 1kg Dextrose and tasted good before bottling

My filtered tap water is 0.995 (20C) on the coopers hydrometer

OG: 1023

FG: 1003 (8 days @ 21C~)

(20 / 7.46) + 0.5 = 3.1%? seems low

im not sure how well this hydrometer works, its hard to get it to float straight without hitting the sides so it might be broken?

and 5 coopers PET bottles also didnt seal properly, due to poor quality control and had to return them

--

ill try recipes above and see what i like best. Thanks

[Barramullafella]

22 hours ago, alp said:

My brew is a room what stays at 18-25C

How long in the FV does it take at < 15C?

Would 7g of yeast be ok to boost the ABV if im using more than 1kg of dextrose/malt? or do i need to use the Saflager 11g yeast?

--

I ended up trying the 23L lager extract + 1kg Dextrose and tasted good before bottling

My filtered tap water is 0.995 (20C) on the coopers hydrometer

OG: 1023

FG: 1003 (8 days @ 21C~)

(20 / 7.46) + 0.5 = 3.1%? seems low

im not sure how well this hydrometer works, its hard to get it to float straight without hitting the sides so it might be broken?

and 5 coopers PET bottles also didnt seal properly, due to poor quality control and had to return them

--

ill try recipes above and see what i like best. Thanks

Hi ALP,

This is what I get if using 1.7kg Can + 1kg dextrose for 23lt of water.

I have used 7gm yeast sachet that comes with the can and have had no dramas.

If the hydrometer shows .995 in water than add another .005 to your readings - so 1.023 becomes 1.028 OG and so forth.

 

[alp]

ok thanks, it must be my hydrometer if my OG is that low or im doing something wrong... im so confused

[Pints]

1 hour ago, alp said:

ok thanks, it must be my hydrometer if my OG is that low or im doing something wrong... im so confused

Hey alp, some advice I was given on here, my hydro was also out, cut off the red bit on the top until you get 1.000 in 20 C water. Worked for me

[Classic Brewing Co]

57 minutes ago, PintsAtMeLocal said:

Hey alp, some advice I was given on here, my hydro was also out, cut off the red bit on the top until you get 1.000 in 20 C water. Worked for me

Or buy a new one. 

[Coopers DIY Beer Team]

28 minutes ago, CLASSIC said:

Or buy a new one. 

Easier said than done in some parts of the world...  

[Classic Brewing Co]

5 minutes ago, Coopers DIY Beer Team said:

Easier said than done in some parts of the world...  

Yes I understand, I guess it would be, I suppose we take a lot of it for granted. we are lucky to have everything available at our fingertips in this wonderful country.

[Spursman]

Instead of diluting the flavour profile you could try my dear departed Mums trick - add a dash of lemonade to your glass for a Shandy.