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Recipe: pFriem Japanese Lager
This crisp and dry Japanese-inspired lager is brewed with rice and hopped with Perle, Tettnanger, and Saphir. pFriem Family Brewers describes it as having aromas of “Shiso plum, fresh bread, and violet” with “sparkling notes of fresh green tea and wildflowers.”
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“Brewed with rice in the Japanese tradition,” the brewery says, “it’s an effervescent delight that smells like flowers and drinks like beer.”
For many more insights from cofounder and brewmaster Josh Pfriem on brewing international-style adjunct lagers, check out his video course, included with your All Access subscription.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.044 (11°P)
FG: 1.007 (1.7°P)
IBUs: 18
ABV: 5%
“Brewed with rice in the Japanese tradition,” the brewery says, “it’s an effervescent delight that smells like flowers and drinks like beer.”
For many more insights from cofounder and brewmaster Josh Pfriem on brewing international-style adjunct lagers, check out his video course, included with your All Access subscription.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.044 (11°P)
FG: 1.007 (1.7°P)
IBUs: 18
ABV: 5%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
3.7 lb (1.7 kg) Weyermann Pilsner
3.1 lb (1.4 kg) Canada Malting Superior Pilsen
1.6 lb (726 g) rice grits/broken rice
HOPS SCHEDULE
1.2 oz (34 g) Perle at 10 minutes [12 IBUs]
1.2 oz (34 g) Tettnanger at 10 minutes [6 IBUs]
1.3 oz (37 g) Saphir at flameout/whirlpool
YEAST
Fermentis SafLager W-34/70, Imperial L13 Global, Omega OYL-106 German Lager I, or similar
DIRECTIONS
Mill the pilsner malts, then mix about 5 oz (142 g) of the ground malt into the rice grits. For the cereal mash: In a kettle, add some 170°F (77°C) water to the rice and mix thoroughly; steadily raise the heat to 208°F (98°C) and hold there for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. With the rest of the malt, mash in at 120°F (49°C), then mix in the cereal mash to bring combined mash to about 144°F (62°C); rest 30 minutes. Over about 15 minutes, ramp to 154°F (68°C), rest 30 minutes, then ramp to 174°F (79°C) and mash out. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle—don’t rush the lauter. Sparge and top up as needed to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 70 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, do a whirlpool step: Stir or recirculate to create a vortex, add the whirlpool hops, and allow 10 minutes to steep and settle. Chill to about 50°F (10°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 52°F (11°C) until the gravity has dropped to about 1.022 (5.5°P), then raise to about 62°F (17°C) for a diacetyl rest. (If you have a spunding valve, attach it when the gravity has dropped to about 1.012/3.2°P, to harness some natural carbonation from the remaining fermentation.) Once fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized, lower the temperature to 35°F (2°C), remove or harvest the yeast, then lower the temperature to 29°F (–2°C) and lager for 3–4 weeks. Package and carbonate to about 2.7 volumes of CO2.
BREWER’S NOTES
The grits: We currently source pre-milled rice (as well as corn, for our Mexican Lager) that is milled to a No. 14 “polenta” grit. We get it from Adams Grain in California’s Sacramento Valley, but you may be able to get something similar from a nearby supplier. Homebrewers can mill and cook their own rice or use flaked rice or syrups if they prefer to avoid the cereal mash.
Step mash: Our own step-mash holds at 144°F and 154°F (62°C and 68°C) are 15 minutes each … but with our wet mill, we have a really fast conversion. So, 30 minutes for each is probably great for most folks.
Target pH: In the finished beer, we target a final pH of 4.1 to 4.3.
