Lager/Hybrid with MO?

[lowtones84]

Hello all!

I'm looking to brew a lager or hybrid ale that could pass as a lager this winter. However, I have a sack of Marris Otter and don't feel like buying a bunch of pils malt for one brew when I have it around.

What I'm looking for is something light and mostly dry but with just a bit of malt and hop character. My girlfriend's family lived in Venezuela until around 10 years ago, so her dad is used to ice cold light lagers on the beach, but he's interested in trying new things, and has tried a few. I guess I want a "gateway" beer, but something that will also be nice and refreshing, but still have some flavor.

So should I do a kolsch? A steam beer? An American style lager with a little corn and rice but some malt flavor? A crisp German lager? A different type of hybrid that just uses some clean ale yeast fermented at low temps? I've never done a lager before and don't have the temp control that many have, but I can definitely get it under 40 for an extended period of time.

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[giraffe]

If you are using marris otter, the best you can do is look for a beer that uses vienna as a base malt. Such as a vienna lager. You could use a clean ale yeast, or an alt or kolsch yeast, ferment in the low 60s, and after it is fermented, leave it as cold as possible for 3-4 weeks to try to clean it up.

 

[lowtones84]

Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good plan. You think the MO flavor is too "Malty" for something like an American Lager with a little extra malt flavor? Thanks for the advice!

 

[giraffe]

Not malty per say, but toasty. And the color is significantly darker than pils. Vienna malt would be the "closest" of the traditional lager malts.

 

[lowtones84]

Yeah, gotcha on both accounts. I've taken a look at a few recipes and have some ideas. I don't have any problem with buying 1-3 lbs. of Pils malt by any means, I just don't want to make the whole recipe from it when I have this sack of MO lying around.