T.Ra.Sh. Light Mexican Lager (previous)

This is the "Archive" page for T.Ra.Sh. Light Mexican Lager

A couple of years ago ... the SheppyBrew Brew Master created a beer in honor of the family reunions on his wife's mom's and step-dad's side of the family. His wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) has 5 brothers in this reunion. One is her actual brother and four are her step-dad's sons. Each of those brothers are married and each of them has at least 2 kids. Every two years, this whole group rents a house somewhere and spends a week together. Amazingly, everyone gets along well and there is none of the drama you would typically imagine with this large of a group.

These reunions have been named "T.RA.SH." (based on the initials of the last names of the people going to the reunion.

The beer that was created was a Vienna Lager and little darker in color than most of the adults at the "T.RA.SH." reunion would typically drink. In the summer of 2016, we thought maybe it may be worth creating a "light" version of the beer more in line with what the others might typically drink.

The recipe of the "light" version is very similar to the "regular" version with a little less malt (and therefore less ABV) and doesn't include dark Munich Malt at all.

For more about the T.Ra.Sh. Beers, see Sheppy's Blog: T.R.A.S.H.

T.R.A.S.H. Light Mexican Lager --- Batch 4 (292)

Style	International Pale Lager	Batch Size	6.00 gal
Type	All Grain	Boil Size	7.12 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency	68.00	Boil Time	60 minutes

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity

1.045 SG

Estimated FG

1.010 SG

Recipe Bitterness

22.0 IBUs (Rager)

Alcohol by Volume

4.7 %

BU : GU

0.486

Recipe Color

4.5 SRM

Color

Measured OG:

1.046

Measured FG:

1.008

ADF:

Measured ABV:

Ingredients

Ingredients
Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
8.43 gal	Denver, Colorado	Water	1	-	-
5.00 g	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)	Water Agent	2	-	-
1.00 tsp	Lactic Acid (Mash)	Water Agent	3	-	-
7 lbs	Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)	Grain	4	63.6 %	0.55 gal
4 lbs	Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)	Grain	5	36.4 %	0.31 gal
0.500 oz	Magnum [10.90 %] - Boil 40.0 min	Hop	6	15.7 IBUs	-
1.00 Items	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)	Fining	7	-	-
1.00 tsp	Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins)	Other	8	-	-
0.500 oz	Magnum [10.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	9	4.1 IBUs	-
1.000 oz	Saaz [3.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min	Hop	10	2.2 IBUs	-
1.0 pkg	Mexican Lager (White Labs #WLP940) [35.49 ml]	Yeast	11	-	-
0.50 tsp	Gelatin (Bottling 5.0 hours)	Fining	12	-	-

Mash Profile

Mash Steps
Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Saccharification	Add 33.71 qt of water at 155.8 F	150.0 F	45 min
Heat	Heat to 156.0 F over 10 min	156.0 F	20 min

If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort

Recipe Notes
Make 1.5 liter yeast starter a couple of days before brew day.
5g gypsum the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=68,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=138,Cl=23,HCO3=104
Acid addition to bring expected pH below 5.6
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 degrees as possible.
Ferment between 50 and 57 for a week, let rise to high 60's for another week.
Keg carbonate. Add geletin to keg after beer is chilled.

Brewing Record

Brew Date:		Strike Temp:
Mash Temps:
Pre-boil OG	(1.041 SG)	Pre-boil Vol	(7.12 gal)
Actual Mash Efficiency		Pitch Temp
Fermentation
Day 1:
Day ...
Day ...

Brewing Notes:

07/18/2021 esheppy
Picked up ingredients and made starter yesterday. Prepared water with salts and acid around 3am. Mash will begin closer to sunrise.

07/18/2021 esheppy
Brew day went well. 1.046 OG. Was able to get chilled to 57 before putting in fermentor and starting up the cooling system. Will pitch yeast a bit later. Done by 10:30

07/19/2021 esheppy
Starting to see signs, but wouldn't say fermentation has started yet. Sitting at 50 degrees. If I don't see bubbling by mid-day, I'll raise temp a couple degrees.

07/20/2021 esheppy
Bubbling nicely at 52 degrees.

07/20/2021 esheppy
Got the Tilt batteries today, so I threw the Tilt in. Says 1.031 at 53 degrees. The temp matches the anvil controller exactly. Lots of kraussen on the beer at the moment.

07/22/2021 esheppy
Bumped the temp up to 54. Tilt now says 1.023 at 54. Still bubbling pretty good.

07/24/2021 esheppy
56 degrees. Tilt says 1.012. Bubbling slowing down. Will most lokely turn off temp control to.orrow.

07/25/2021 esheppy
Tilt says 1.010 at 59 degrees.

07/26/2021 esheppy
Turned off the temp control this morning when the temperature was at 59. Now Tilt is saying 1.008 at 62F. Not much bubbling. Will probably keg this weekend.

07/30/2021 esheppy
Tilt is reading 1.006 at 67F. Might keg soon. Might let it sit for a bit.

08/02/2021 esheppy
Tilt still at 1.006. Temp is 70. Have an open keg, so will probably package soon.

08/04/2021 esheppy
Kegged. FG 1.008. Went in pretty clear. Great flavor. Got an extra gallon jug filled. Might have underfilled keg a bit.

08/08/2021 esheppy
Real pale color. Perfect flavor. Carbonation getting close. Clarity almost there. Yummy. ??

08/11/2021 esheppy
Brought to a work function. It was a hit, but I had trouble maintaining the right gas pressure. Transporting brought haze back into suspension.

08/15/2021 esheppy
Comparing to Ska's Mexican Logger. Color and clarity practically identical. TRaSh might have a bit more body and malt character. Its head is certainly thicker and longer lasting. Hop bitterness exact. Flavor very close. Mexican logger has more of that saaz character in the aroma. Interesting how close these are right now.

08/16/2021 esheppy
My last pint last night foamed up at the end of the pour in a way that makes me think I kicked this keg already. Bummer. I guess it was even more of a hit with my work people than I thought. ??

08/23/2021 esheppy
This beer is gone. It didn't last long, but it was good while it lasted. Luckily, I have Sin Lima ready to keg now too.

T.R.A.S.H. Light Mexican Lager --- Batch 3 (261)

Style	International Pale Lager	Batch Size	6.00 gal
Type	All Grain	Boil Size	8.23 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency	70.00	Boil Time	60 minutes

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity

1.047 SG

Estimated FG

1.009 SG

Recipe Bitterness

22.7 IBUs (Rager)

Alcohol by Volume

5.0 %

BU : GU

0.486

Recipe Color

4.4 SRM

Color

Measured OG:

1.047

Measured FG:

1.010

ADF:

Measured ABV:

4.9

Ingredients

Ingredients
Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
9.55 gal	Denver, Colorado	Water	1	-	-
5.00 g	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)	Water Agent	2	-	-
7 lbs	Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)	Grain	3	63.6 %	0.55 gal
4 lbs	Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)	Grain	4	36.4 %	0.31 gal
0.500 oz	Magnum [14.50 %] - Boil 35.0 min	Hop	5	16.5 IBUs	-
1.00 Items	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)	Fining	6	-	-
1.00 tsp	Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins)	Other	7	-	-
1.000 oz	Hallertauer [3.10 %] - Boil 5.0 min	Hop	8	1.9 IBUs	-
0.500 oz	Magnum [14.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min	Hop	9	4.4 IBUs	-
1.0 pkg	Mexican Lager (White Labs #WLP940) [35.49 ml]	Yeast	10	-	-

Mash Profile

Mash Steps
Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Mash In	Add 13.75 qt of water at 159.1 F	148.0 F	75 min

Batch sparge with 2 steps (2.00gal, 4.12gal) of 168.0 F water

Recipe Notes
Make 1.5 liter yeast starter a couple of days before brew day.
5g gypsum the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=65,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=127,Cl=23,HCO3=104
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 degrees as possible.
Ferment at 55 for a week, let rise to high 60's for another week.
Keg carbonate.

Brewing Record

Brew Date:		Strike Temp:
Mash Temps:
Pre-boil OG	(1.039 SG)	Pre-boil Vol	(8.23 gal)
Actual Mash Efficiency		Pitch Temp
Fermentation
Day 1:
Day ...
Day ...

Brewing Notes:

07/10/2020 esheppy
I know I just brewed this ... but I want to get it on tap again for my son's graduation party. Hope I have enough time.

07/19/2020 esheppy
Brew day today started slow. Had to get a starter going. Challenge getting strike water right. Windy. Things going good now.

07/20/2020 esheppy
Brew day went well yesterday after getting the starter and mash going. Wind died down and didn't affect the boil. Got to exactly 1.047. Yeast was pitched by 10AM. Anvil cooled to 48 by end of night, but rose overnight to 53. Changed ice and set to 52. Tilt 1.045 at 56. Starting to see a little bubbling in air lock.

07/21/2020 esheppy
Tilt says 1.039 at 53. Anvil still at 52. Raising 1 degree to 53.

07/22/2020 esheppy
Tilt says 1.030, 54. Anvil turned up another degree to 54.

07/22/2020 eshepp
Afternoon ... 1.028. 55. Setting Anvil to 55.

07/23/2020 esheppy
Tilt 1.023. 55. Raised set point to 56.

07/23/2020 esheppy
Tilt says 1.017 at 56. Moving temp up another degree.

07/24/2020 esheppy
Tilt 1.014 57. Set to 58. Will probably stop cooling by end of day.

07/25/2020 esheppy
Tilt 1.012 at 58. Unplugged the cooling pump. I expect that this beer should be almost done. Maybe another couple points.

07/27/2020 esheppy
Tilt has been at 1.009 for the past couple days. Going to call fermentation done. Now I just need a keg.

07/29/2020 esheppy
Kegged yesterday. Hydrometer reading puts the FG at 1.010. Flavor is awesome, but not very clear at all. Was planning on drinking / sharing this weekend. Not sure that is enough time to clear up.

08/05/2020 esheppy
Was a hit at my son's graduation party over the weekend. Probably not a whole lot left.

08/10/2020 esheppy
Beer model killed the keg yesterday evening.

T.R.A.S.H. Light Mexican Lager --- Batch 2

Style	International Pale Lager	Batch Size	6.00 gal
Type	All Grain	Boil Size	8.29 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency	70.00	Boil Time	90 minutes

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity

1.047 SG

Estimated FG

1.009 SG

Recipe Bitterness

22.5 IBUs (Rager)

Alcohol by Volume

5.0 %

BU : GU

0.482

Recipe Color

4.4 SRM

Color

Measured OG:

1.047

Measured FG:

1.010

ADF:

Measured ABV:

4.9

Ingredients

Ingredients
Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
5.00 g	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)	Water Agent	1	-	-
7 lbs	Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)	Grain	2	63.6 %	0.55 gal
4 lbs	Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)	Grain	3	36.4 %	0.31 gal
0.500 oz	Magnum [12.70 %] - Boil 45.0 min	Hop	4	20.6 IBUs	-
1.00 Items	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)	Fining	5	-	-
1.00 tsp	Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins)	Other	6	-	-
1.000 oz	Hallertauer [3.10 %] - Boil 5.0 min	Hop	7	1.9 IBUs	-
1.0 pkg	Mexican Lager (White Labs #WLP940) [35.49 ml]	Yeast	8	-	-

Mash Profile

Mash Steps
Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Mash In	Add 13.75 qt of water at 159.1 F	148.0 F	75 min

Batch sparge with 2 steps (2.03gal, 4.14gal) of 168.0 F water

Recipe Notes
Make 1.5 liter yeast starter a couple of days before brew day.
4g gypsum in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=59,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=116,Cl=23,HCO3=104
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 degrees as possible.
Ferment at 55 for a week, let rise to high 60's for another week.
Keg carbonate.

Brewing Record

Brew Date:		Strike Temp:
Mash Temps:
Pre-boil OG	(1.038 SG)	Pre-boil Vol	(8.29 gal)
Actual Mash Efficiency		Pitch Temp
Fermentation
Day 1:
Day ...
Day ...

Brewing Notes:

05/15/2020 esheppy
Picked up ingredients yesterday. Apparently, I only ordered one ounce of Hallertau, so I guess it will be a little less hoppy. Should brew Sunday. delete

05/17/2020 esheppy
6 cup starter yesterday. Brew day today. Nailed the OG at 1.047. Still working on chilling the wort. delete

05/17/2020 esheppy
Pitched yeast at 55 in the tilt. 52 on anvil. delete

05/18/2020 esheppy
Tilt down a couple points, and there is some bubbling. Tilt temp 54. Anvil 50. delete

05/19/2020 esheppy
Fermentation is going. I actually opened the lip and saw krausen. Tilt temp 53. Anvil 52. Pump seems to be running almost constantly to stay at this temp. delete

05/20/2020 esheppy
Tilt says 1.038 at 53 degrees. Bubbling a bit slower today. Anvil says 52. Setting Anvil to 53. delete

05/21/2020 esheppy
Set anvil to 54 in morning. 1.033. Still bubbling away. delete

05/22/2020 esheppy
Tilt says 1.029 at 54 degrees. Bubbling pretty slow now. Raised set point to 55. delete

05/23/2020 esheppy
Forgot about switching out bottles and my temp rose to 61. After switching out bottles set at 60. We'll leave it here for a few days. Tilt says 1.025. delete

05/26/2020 esheppy
Tilt says 1.016, 60 degrees. Since estimated FG is 1.009 ... still a ways to go. I think I'll switch out the ice bottles one more time and then let the beer finish at room temp after that one melts. delete

05/28/2020 esheppy
Overnight, the temp rose to 66. Unplugged the pump and will continue at room temperature. Tilt says 1.014. Hoping for another 4 points before kegging. delete

06/01/2020 esheppy
Tilt says 1.010. Whenever a keg opens, I'll fill it with this batch. delete

06/07/2020 esheppy
Kegged. Calling the FG 1.010. Nice golden color. Fairly clear, but I'll probably add gelatin once the beer is cool. Sample tasted perfect. delete

06/09/2020 esheppy
Added gelatin to keg and set gas to around 12 psi. Will try it out in a couple of days. delete

06/11/2020 esheppy
Poured some. Pretty good carbonation. Ok clarity. Fantastic flavor. The Beer Model loves it. delete

06/12/2020 esheppy
Fantastic beer. Still not great clarity, but I'm sure that will clear up. Carbonation is about right now. delete

06/14/2020 esheppy
Clarity pretty good now. Carbonation about right. Not really a "light" Mexican lager, but I still love the flavor. delete

06/18/2020 esheppy
Added to untappd https://untappd.com/b/sheppybrew-home-brewery-t-ra-sh-light-mexican-lager/3832549 delete

06/28/2020 esheppy
Clarity right where I want it. Wonderful "craft" lager. Probably not what most people would call "light". delete

07/04/2020 esheppy
Took to Copper Mountain for 4th of July weekend. Killed keg. Nice easy drinking beer. delete

T.R.A.S.H. Light Mexican Lager --- Batch 1

Style	International Pale Lager	Batch Size	5.50 gal
Type	All Grain	Boil Size	7.76 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency	75.00	Boil Time	90 minutes

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity

1.045 SG

Estimated FG

1.009 SG

Recipe Bitterness

21.3 IBUs (Rager)

Alcohol by Volume

4.7 %

BU : GU

0.476

Recipe Color

4.0 SRM

Color

Measured OG:

1.045

Measured FG:

1.012

ADF:

Measured ABV:

4.3

Ingredients

Ingredients
Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU
4.00 g	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins)	Water Agent	1	-
5 lbs 8.0 oz	Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)	Grain	2	61.1 %
3 lbs 8.0 oz	Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)	Grain	3	38.9 %
0.250 oz	Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ) [15.20 %] - First Wort 60.0 min	Hop	4	16.3 IBUs
1.00 Items	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)	Fining	5	-
1.000 oz	Hallertauer [2.70 %] - Boil 15.0 min	Hop	6	2.8 IBUs
1.00 tsp	Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins)	Other	7	-
1.000 oz	Hallertauer [2.70 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	8	2.1 IBUs
1.0 pkg	Mexican Lager (White Labs #WLP940) [35.49 ml]	Yeast	9	-

Mash Profile

Mash Steps
Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Mash In	Add 11.25 qt of water at 159.1 F	148.0 F	75 min

Batch sparge with 2 steps (2.15gal, 3.88gal) of 168.0 F water

Recipe Notes
Make 3 liter yeast starter a couple of days before brew day.
4g gypsum in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=59,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=116,Cl=23,HCO3=104
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 degrees as possible.
Ferment at 55 for a week, let rise to high 60's for another week.
Keg carbonate.

Brewing Record

Brew Date:	6/26/2016	Strike Temp:	160
Mash Temps:	150 tp 148
Pre-boil OG	1.039 (1.036 SG)	Pre-boil Vol	7.75 (7.76 gal)
Actual Mash Efficiency		Pitch Temp
Fermentation
Day 1:
Day ...
Day ...

Brewing Notes:

06/23/2016 esheppy
Designed recipe and bought ingredients today. Will brew this Sunday.

06/26/2016 esheppy
Brew day went well. Need to fix a leak in the input of the chiller.

07/04/2016 esheppy
Fermentation seems about done. Was gone a few days so I didn't check temp. Was in mid-50s last I checked.

07/04/2016 esheppy
1.012. Tastes perfect for the style. Needs to clear a bunch.

07/30/2016 esheppy
Finally kegged this Thursday. Hope that wasn't too long in the fermentor. There was a little bit of a mildew flavor in the beer. We'll see if that improves in the keg. Might have to dump this batch.

08/26/2016 esheppy
I have decided that this beer is not going to get better. Going to have to dump it.

09/11/2016 esheppy
Finally dumped the keg. Took a taste. Still tasted mildewy. Made room for Laser asalt, though.

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Brewing Notes