“Make Your Best” Highlights

Going beyond the simple question of “what” and instead exploring the “why” will help you understand how to design and brew better beers.

The German Leichtbier is basically just a German version of the Light American Lager, but to be fair to the style (and the Germans), it doesn’t have nearly the reluctance to feature beer-ish flavors that the Light American Lager does. Style: Where the German Leichtbier and the American Light Lager cross paths is in color and ABV: this is a very, very pale beer and maxes out in the guidelines at 3.6 percent ABV. Despite these superficial, statistical similarities to American Light Lager, Leichtbier is actually far closer in flavor profile to German Pilsner than to any American style. For one thing, it’s surprisingly bitter, not in absolute terms, of course, with an IBU range of 15–28, but in its Bittering Unit to Gravity Unit (BU:GU) ratio. When we factor in the 22 IBUS in our recipe against a gravity of only 1.034, we get a BU:GU ratio similar to that of American Pale Ale or Helles Exportbier. It also features a fair amount of hops flavor to go with its bitterness, with particular emphasis on the herbal and spicy flavors associated with Saaz and other noble hops. It is also a fully attenuated, very light-bodied beer. Recipe: I’d been brewing this beer for years before it was added to the 2015 guidelines: I just didn’t know it. I called it “Cheap German Blonde” because that’s what it was: a beer with a low-weight, simple grist, made with leftover hops, using the remains of my yeast starters. It was easy to make, fermented out cleanly and quickly, and was easy to explain. And people really liked it. The recipe is simple: about 5 pounds of classic German Pilsner malt plus half a pound of Victory malt. We want some light, sweet grainy flavors to predominate the malt bill, and the Victory is just a little nudge of toasty background flavor that works perfectly here. Hopping is also pretty simple: 20 IBUS of any Continental hops (I like Styrian Goldings—i imagine that a touch of that earthy, herbal flavor persists into the finished product) at the top of the boil, some Saaz with 2 minutes to go, and some Hallertau at flameout/in the whirlpool. It gives me a healthy amount of hops aroma and flavor without being overtly hops-forward. I ferment this beer with a cool approach to my Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast. The 1007 is nice because it’s fast and clean. Process: I recommend mashing 75 to 90 minutes to get a slightly more-fermentable wort and then lautering/sparging and boiling as usual. Chill, then pitch your yeast and drop the temperature to about 58°F(14°C) and hold it there for 5 days. At that point, let the beer free rise to 70°F (21°C) and wait it out. It won’t be long: there’s not much sugar, and this is a beer that is prone to “phantom fermentation,” showing almost no krausen. Post-fermentation, cold crash to help clear it and package, carbonating to a nice, full 2.5 volumes of CO2. The carbonation will help fill the mouth and add a slight flinty bite but will leave the lighter flavors intact and detectable, especially in the finish/aftertaste.