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- Last Updated on Monday, 01 March 2010 08:59
Recipe for Home Brew Beer in the Style of Blue Tongue Lager
I first encountered blue tongue lager on business trips to Melbourne and Sydney. I fell in love with it's lovely bitter taste, depth of flavor and nice, smooth finish. I especially love it on tap. I loved it so much I hunted high and low for a clone recipe. This one is a very close clone.
The recipe is simple but it has one catch. After primary fermentation, it needs to be racked and then kept under 12 degrees. This is not so hard if you have a beer fridge big enough to keep a cube in (a cube is a plastic jerry can style of container). I don't so I restrict brewing of this beer until the coldest winter months when I keep the cube outside for the 2 weeks.
But don't despair if you can do neither. I've also brewed this one just as we were moving into spring and the secondary fermentation was carried out at around 18 degrees. It still came out great. it was just a little less crisp and clean tasting and slightly more fruity. Still a great drop though.
Ingredients:
1 can of Coopers Heritage Lager
1Kg brew booster,or make your own,comprising 500 gms(light) DME and 500 gms dextrose .
15 grams Hersbrucker hops.
Saf 34/70 lager yeast is ideal, but SAF-23 Lager yeast works well also.
Method:
Use a large pot for this. I use a stock pot so I don't make a mess.
Dissolve half brew booster into 3/4 litres water, bring to simmer and add hops and boil slowly for 15 mins, take off flame. Dissolve remaining booster and the can of Coopers heritage Lager into the hot water and add to fermenter and top up to 23 odd litres.
Rehydrate the SAF yeast and pitch into the fermenter at 20c. Close up the fermenter and keep temperature for primary fermentation at about 20 degrees (primary will take 4 to 5 days).
Rack the brew into a cube or another fermenter (strongly recommend the cube). Place in a fridge or outside in winter and try to keep temperature between 9 to 12 degrees. Should take about 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks chilled, bring it back up to room temperature and bottle.
The yeast and correct fermentation temp is the key to this brew.
Notes:
This brew has always come out great even with the temperature not quite right.