Originally Posted at The Beer Nut
Just because Jack’s Abby isn’t brewing at the brewery yet doesn’t mean we aren’t making beer. We recently made a homebrew test batch of Leisure Timer Lager, our summer seasonal. Our goal was to create a refreshing golden lager with wheat and spice character. We envisioned a lager that would be perfect for the hot weather with an alcohol content of roughly 4.8%
The basic recipe for the homebrew test was ⅓ wheat malt with the remaining ⅔ consisting of pilsner malt. No bittering hops were added as our Leisure Time Lager will only have whirl and dry hops. This combination results in a beer with a strong hop taste and aroma but without bitterness. To spice it up, we used grains of paradise and lemon grass, and Glacier hops for the whirl and dry additions.
Obviously, since we were homebrewing, we could not get an exact feel for what will be possible in the brewery. The process helped us get a feel for the brew, and of course we had some fun experimenting with different flavors. We added grated ginger and Pacific Jade hops from New Zealand, for example, which gave us a great result.
We fermented our batch in a temperature-controlled refrigerator that allowed us to monitor the temperature in a homebrewing environment. When it is brewed at the brewery, we will have use of our glycol chiller that is powered by dual 7 seven horsepower compressors. We will be able to achieve a cooler and more consistent temperature that is ideal for lager fermentation.
We are entering this batch in a homebrew contest this Saturday. While it will not be a perfect match for what we plan to brew here, we hope to get a good idea of what is working so that when we start brewing in a couple of weeks we can brew Leisure Time Lager right away. Look forward to a sunny weekend this summer where you can sit back and relax with a Leisure Time Lager.
