Beer
intro
Crisp, golden homemade Bavarian lager with balanced malty sweetness and floral hop bitterness, served ice-cold for warm-weather gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Mash the base malt
Heat 3 liters (12.7 cups) of filtered water to 67°C (153°F) in a large 6L stockpot over medium heat. Stir in all crushed 2-row pale malt to break up dry clumps, then cover the pot and hold a steady temperature of 65–68°C (149–154°F) for 60 minutes to convert grain starches to fermentable sugar.
Strain and collect wort
After the 60-minute mash, set a fine-mesh strainer lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth over a second clean stockpot. Slowly pour the malt and liquid mixture through the strainer, then gently rinse (sparge) the trapped spent grain with 1 liter (4.2 cups) of 77°C (170°F) filtered water to collect all sweet, sugar-rich wort; discard the drained spent grain.
Boil wort with hops
Bring the collected wort to a gentle rolling boil over medium-high heat, then maintain this uncovered boil for 60 minutes total. Add 10 grams (0.35 oz) of Hallertau hops at the very start of the boil for clean bitterness, then add the remaining 5 grams (0.15 oz) of Hallertau hops in the final 5 minutes of boiling for bright floral aroma.
Chill and pitch yeast
Once the 60-minute boil is complete, remove the pot from heat and submerge the lower half of the sealed pot in an ice water bath to rapidly cool the wort to 12°C (54°F) over 20 minutes. Pour the cooled wort into a sanitized 1-gallon glass fermenter, sprinkle the full packet of lager yeast over the wort surface, then seal the fermenter with a sanitizer-filled airlock.
Ferment the lager
Move the sealed fermenter to a dark, temperature-stable space held at a constant 10–13°C (50–55°F). Leave the beer undisturbed to ferment for 2 full weeks, until bubbling in the airlock stops entirely, the beer turns clear, and a thin layer of tan yeast sediment settles at the bottom of the fermenter.
Bottle and condition
Boil 75 grams (1/3 cup) of priming corn sugar with 120ml (1/2 cup) of filtered water over high heat for 5 minutes, then cool to room temperature. Siphon the clear fermented beer off the top of the yeast sediment into a sanitized bottling bucket, gently stir in the cooled sugar solution to distribute evenly, then siphon the beer into sanitized 12oz glass bottles and cap tightly. Store bottles at 18°C (65°F) for 1 week to build carbonation, then chill for 3 days at 4°C (39°F) before serving.
Tips
2.Keep the pot uncovered during the full wort boil, as trapped steam carries sulfur compounds that create harsh, unpleasant flavors in finished beer.
3.Maintain steady, cool fermentation temperatures for lager; temps above 15°C (59°F) will produce off-flavors that ruin the clean, crisp profile.
OMG, this Homemade Bavarian Lager turned out so much better than the store-bought stuff I usually grab for game nights! I was nervous about the 3 week wait but it was 100% worth it — crisp, malty, just the right amount of hop bite. Brought a growler to our neighborhood potluck last weekend and everyone was begging for the recipe. Total game changer for my home brew setup!
I’ve been scared to try lagers because everyone says they’re way trickier than ales, but this recipe was so straightforward even as a medium difficulty! The 2 hours of active work was totally manageable on a Sunday afternoon. My husband said it tastes exactly like the lager we drank on our trip to Munich a couple years ago. SO good!
Took this recipe out for a test run ahead of our big college football tailgate next month. Only minor tweak I made was adding a tiny bit more Hallertau hops because I love that earthy, floral note. Can already tell after the first week of conditioning this is gonna be the hit of the parking lot. Already prepping a second batch!
Brewed this for our annual backcountry camping trip, poured into reusable stainless steel growlers to haul up the trail. It was so smooth after sitting in the cold mountain stream for a couple hours — even my teenager who usually only drinks seltzers asked for a second cup! Will absolutely be adding this to our annual meal prep rotation for trips.
Solid recipe, but I ran into a little issue with my first batch coming out slightly cloudier than I expected. Flavor was spot on, just didn’t have that crystal clear look I was going for. Any idea where I went wrong?
Brought a keg of this to our block party last weekend and it was gone in 45 minutes flat! I lost count of how many people came up to ask if I’d bought it from the local craft brewery down the street. 10/10, will be making this for every big gathering from now on. My kids even helped me sanitize the bottles on bottling day, it was a fun little family project!
First ever home brew attempt, went with this recipe because I love Bavarian lagers. I was so intimidated at first but the step-by-step instructions were super easy to follow. Just bottled it last night so I still have to wait for carbonation, but the little sample I snuck during bottling tasted incredible. Fingers crossed it carboy-drates right (bad joke, sorry)!
I’ve tried probably 6 different lager recipes online and this one is by far the closest to the real Bavarian stuff I had when I visited Oktoberfest a few years back. The balance of malt and hops is perfect, no weird aftertaste, super clean finish. My only note is that the total time was actually a little over 3 weeks for me because I let it condition an extra 5 days to mellow out the flavors, but that was just personal preference.
Made this to serve at my husband’s birthday BBQ, paired it with grilled brats, sauerkraut, and pretzels with beer cheese — chef’s kiss. The whole meal was a hit, his friends kept saying the beer tasted like something you’d order at a fancy beer garden. Will 100% be making this again, might even experiment with adding a little lemon zest next summer for a crisp twist.
Convinced my roommates to split the cost of a basic home brew kit with me so we could make this for our dorm pre-game nights. We messed up the first sanitizing step a little (oops) but it still turned out drinkable! Way better than the cheap beer we usually buy for parties. Already planning our second batch to be ready for syllabus week next semester.
I’ve been brewing beer at home for almost 40 years, and I’m always on the hunt for a solid Bavarian lager recipe that doesn’t require a ton of fancy equipment. This one is a new staple! It’s smooth enough that my grandkids (the ones over 21, obviously) love it, but has that traditional depth us old-school beer drinkers look for. Shared a bottle with my local home brew club and everyone wanted the link to the recipe.