[Iliff Ave]

How does this look for a Mexican Vienna Lager recipe?

53.8% Vienna
20.5% Pilsner
20.5% Flaked Corn
3.8% Honey Malt
1.3% Midnight Wheat

11 SRM

1.049
W34/70

1/2 oz Noble Hops FWH
1/4 oz Magnum 60 min
~21 IBU

I realize the honey malt is out of the ordinary but the wife requested a bit of sweetness....

[Pinski]

You should still have "a bit" of sweetness without the honey malt. Personally, I'd probably drop it. If you can get your hands on the Mexican Lager strain, try that out, makes a really nice beer.

[HoosierBrew]

You should still have "a bit" of sweetness without the honey malt. Personally, I'd probably drop it. If you can get your hands on the Mexican Lager strain, try that out, makes a really nice beer.

+1 on both counts. That beer (with the low IBU) will have a nice subtle sweetness without honey malt. And WLP940 is an excellent strain for that.

[Iliff Ave]

Thanks for the advice. I will drop the honey malt which I normally wouldn't have had in there in the first place...

5 lb 10 oz Vienna
2 lb Pilsner
2 lb Flaked Corn
3 oz Midnight Wheat

[Iliff Ave]

Still deciding which direction I want to go with this beer. I am thinking about doing a more traditional Vienna and using some munich malt (or red x) in place of the corn. I want something nice for the summer so the mexican version might be more refreshing however I am worried that it may be too thin and bland.

[HoosierBrew]

Still deciding which direction I want to go with this beer. I am thinking about doing a more traditional Vienna and using some munich malt (or red x) in place of the corn. I want something nice for the summer so the mexican version might be more refreshing however I am worried that it may be too thin and bland.

If you go with the Mexican version you could always mash a tad higher, or mash at your planned temp and use few oz or carapils to give body. Or actually, you could use a strain like WLP833 which tends to emphasize malt. It'll be good either way, but it sounds like a good summer beer. FWIW I use flaked maize in my cream ale and it's a great summer beer.

[Iliff Ave]

Still deciding which direction I want to go with this beer. I am thinking about doing a more traditional Vienna and using some munich malt (or red x) in place of the corn. I want something nice for the summer so the mexican version might be more refreshing however I am worried that it may be too thin and bland.

If you go with the Mexican version you could always mash a tad higher, or mash at your planned temp and use few oz or carapils to give body. Or actually, you could use a strain like WLP833 which tends to emphasize malt. It'll be good either way, but it sounds like a good summer beer. FWIW I use flaked maize in my cream ale and it's a great summer beer.

Thanks. I have never used flaked maize which is why I am a little hesitant. What do you think about keeping the maize and replacing the pilsner with munich?

Something like this:
58.5% Vienna
20% Munich 6L
20% Flaked Corn
1.5% Midnight Wheat

[HoosierBrew]

Still deciding which direction I want to go with this beer. I am thinking about doing a more traditional Vienna and using some munich malt (or red x) in place of the corn. I want something nice for the summer so the mexican version might be more refreshing however I am worried that it may be too thin and bland.

If you go with the Mexican version you could always mash a tad higher, or mash at your planned temp and use few oz or carapils to give body. Or actually, you could use a strain like WLP833 which tends to emphasize malt. It'll be good either way, but it sounds like a good summer beer. FWIW I use flaked maize in my cream ale and it's a great summer beer.

Thanks. I have never used flaked maize which is why I am a little hesitant. What do you think about keeping the maize and replacing the pilsner with munich?

Something like this:
58.5% Vienna
20% Munich 6L
20% Flaked Corn
1.5% Midnight Wheat

Munich would obviously bump the maltiness a bit, but still be summer-y and light with the maize. Sounds like a good beer to me!


Edit - In which case the WL940 would be great in it. Or whatever sounds good.

[Iliff Ave]

Awesome! Maybe that is the compromise I am looking for. Should get to this one in a couple of weeks. Thank you!

[dmtaylor]

Personally I don't think corn belongs in there, even if the Mexicans might not agree (I must confess I'm not sure, but don't care).

Here's my recipe that I really loved.  The following recipe got a 2nd place ribbon/medal in the 2010 BUZZ Boneyard Brew-Off.  And, I sent some to Denny (a looong time ago) and he seemed to like it.

Fiery Future Vienna
5 gallons
OG=1.051
ABV=5.2%
IBU=19
SRM=14
Eff=94% (yes, way high, adjust as necessary)

5.6 lb German Vienna
1.2 lb German Munich
6 oz Belgian CaraMunich
2 oz Chocolate malt
1.5 oz Belgian Biscuit
0.5 oz Mt. Hood (5% alpha, 60 minutes)
0.5 oz Hallertauer (4.4% alpha, 60 minutes)
0.375 oz Saaz (2.5% alpha, 10 minutes)
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager

The hops were not important in this beer. I used some leftovers that I had on hand. Any continental-style hops would be fine in this beer. It's not about the hops. I triple decocted this beer, which no doubt improved the efficiency more than normal, all the way up to friggin 94%. Doughed in at 113 F (I overshot a little), pulled 1/3 of thick mash, brought to 158 F for 10 minutes, then boiled 15 minutes and added back in. Protein rested here at 120 F (and I shouldn't have) while I boiled another 1/3 thick mash for 10 minutes, added back in. Missed the mark on temperature by a huge amount so I had to use boiling water and additional heat on a burner to bring it up to 154 F for 10 minutes. In hindsight I probably should have boiled 2/3 thick mash. Then I pulled 1/3 thin mash and boiled 10 minutes, added back in. This only maintained temperature in mid 150s instead of a mashout. So I immediately ran off and started to bring up to a boil. Following are my recommended single infusion instructions, if you'd prefer to try that, along with the other general stuff. Make a 4-quart yeast starter 2-3 days in advance. Mash 150 F for 40 minutes, also use Campden to knock out chlorine. Ferment as close to 50 F as possible for 6 to 8 days, then raise up to 65 F for 2 days for diacetyl rest, then check gravity. When gravity is in low teens, crash to ice cold and lager as long as you want. Bottle with 9 Tbsp table sugar.

I need to brew this again, soon.  I just got a fresh pack of WLP830 -- good enough.  Maybe next week.

[Iliff Ave]

Thanks for the input. I was planning on a similar hop schedule for about 20-21 IBUs against an OG of 1.048.

[Steve Ruch]

Munich would obviously bump the maltiness a bit, but still be summer-y and light with the maize. Sounds like a good beer to me!

You can brew a nice summer-y light beer without maize.

[Iliff Ave]

Munich would obviously bump the maltiness a bit, but still be summer-y and light with the maize. Sounds like a good beer to me!

You can brew a nice summer-y light beer without maize.

It take Jon's point to mean that it will be lighter in flavor and more summer-y with the maize than with something else.

[dmtaylor]

Use corn if you like corn.  Use more malt if you like more malt.  Personally, I like more malt. 

[HoosierBrew]

You can brew a nice summer-y light beer without maize.

No doubt about it. Actually, I just meant that with styles like cream ale, pre-prohibition pils, even this beer, you can use corn and end up with a beer that isn't thin, has nice body and is really drinkable. I thought the touch of using 20% Munich would help offset the corn's tendency to lighten body.