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Time to go to the movies for a nice, dry-hopped pale lager.
The Flix Brewhouse chain—part cinemas, part brewpubs—has won some medals over the year. At last year’s Great American Beer Festival, Flix Albuquerque brought home a bronze for its Tropical Mirage, a hazy pale ale in a competitive category. Flix El Paso, led by head brewer Jono Haytan, also won a bronze at last year’s World Beer Cup for their dry Irish-style stout, Feckin’ Oirish. Movie theaters they may be, but the brewers have chops.
Gaytan shares this recipe for his punchy, easygoing lager that’s ideal for drinking in hot weather, or for sipping with some popcorn for approximately 90 to 120 minutes. “The Idaho 7 really brings a tropical-punch vibe to the party,” he says, “but finishes as you would expect a pils to—crisp, refreshing.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.044
FG: 1.006
IBUs: 12
ABV: 5%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
7.8 lb (3.5 kg) Weyermann Pilsner
5 oz (142 g) Weyermann Acidulated
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.25 oz (7 g) Idaho 7 at 60 minutes [12 IBUs]
1 tsp (5 ml) yeast nutrient at 15 minutes
1 tablet Whirlfloc at 15 minutes
1 oz (28 g) Idaho 7 at dry hop
YEAST
Fermentis SafLager W-34/70
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash in with 159°F (71°C) water at a ratio of 1.25 quarts/lb (2.6 liters/kg) to target a mash temp of 148°F (64°C). Mash for 45 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear (about 15 minutes), then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6.5 gallons (25 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops, nutrient, and Whirlfloc according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to about 50°F (10°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 50°F (10°C) for a few days, then allow to free rise to 58°F (14°C). When the gravity has dropped to about 1.016 (4°P), add dry hops for 3 days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, crash by 10°F (5°C) per day until you reach 34°F (1°C). Drop trub and rack. Package and carbonate to 2.5–2.7 volumes of CO2.
BREWER’S NOTES
Water: At Flix El Paso we start with RO water and, for this beer, add the equivalent of about 0.5 g of calcium sulfate and 1.5 g of calcium chloride.
Photos below recipe: Courtesy Johnathan Gaytan and Flix Brewhouse El Paso