Steinlager clone recipe for homebrew beer
There's plenty of evidence around to suggest that Steinlager is one of the greatest beers that has ever been produced.
Despite the trend to craft beer drinking, Steinlager beer is holding it's own in the market.
Kind of...
Despite the trend to craft beer drinking, Steinlager beer is holding it's own in the market.
Kind of...
This is due of course to a strong marketing campaign* by Lion Nathan - it's the official beer of the all conquering All Blacks, the fact it's a New Zealand household name and the fact that it's actually a good beer to drink.
It really is, beer snobs need not contribute their opinion!
If you've found this page, chances are we do not need to sell you on Steinlager being a good drinking beer - and if you want to clone it, here's a Steinlager clone recipe that might just help you get an approximation of what many consider to be one of New Zealand's finest beers.
And just so there's no confusion, we are talking about Steinlager Classic, the original Steinlager beer.
Not this "Pure' version of it they market these days and let's be clear - there's no way we are even going to consider a Steinlager Tokyo.
That is simply marketing a new beer for the sake of marketing a new beer.
It has no soul.
Steinlager Classic, now that is a beer that has tradition, aspiration, balls and of course great taste.
So there are two ways to make a Steinlager clone. One way is rough as guts, and the other is your more refined home brewing process...
It really is, beer snobs need not contribute their opinion!
If you've found this page, chances are we do not need to sell you on Steinlager being a good drinking beer - and if you want to clone it, here's a Steinlager clone recipe that might just help you get an approximation of what many consider to be one of New Zealand's finest beers.
And just so there's no confusion, we are talking about Steinlager Classic, the original Steinlager beer.
Not this "Pure' version of it they market these days and let's be clear - there's no way we are even going to consider a Steinlager Tokyo.
That is simply marketing a new beer for the sake of marketing a new beer.
It has no soul.
Steinlager Classic, now that is a beer that has tradition, aspiration, balls and of course great taste.
A beer that you can actually have a good crack at making a homebrew clone!
Hops used in Steinlager
The actual recipe for Steinlager is a closely held trade secret, so it's a bit of a guess what goes into it but well-educated taste buds have been able to offer some handy insight.
Steinlager is noted for its key ingredient of the so-called 'green bullet' hops.
This hops is unique in that it was developed in New Zealand and it delivers a traditional bittering quality and hop flavor, ideal for lager making.
It's popularity has meant it's now a flagship hop within the New Zealand brewing industry.
So your Steinlager clone will at the least need bullet hops!
It's popularity has meant it's now a flagship hop within the New Zealand brewing industry.
So your Steinlager clone will at the least need bullet hops!
How to make a good clone of Steinlager beer
So there are two ways to make a Steinlager clone. One way is rough as guts, and the other is your more refined home brewing process...
Making a good Steinlager clone using a beer kit:
You will need the following ingredients:
Cold storage of your lager will be very handy - leave it in the shed?
Extra for experts: If you are trying to make a Steinlager Pure clone (hey, it's your life), note that Pure uses Pacific Jade hops, Nelson Sauvin hops and possibly some green bullet too.
If you're into boiling your wort and getting the timings of the hop additions just perfect, here's some a Steinlager clone recipe that seems pretty handy.
It comes from a bloke called Timmy:
You'll have an estimated 1.056 original gravity and final gravity of 1.014 and approx 30 IBU.
- A can of lager beer malt
- Green Bullet hops
- Beer enhancer
- You could use the yeast that comes with your kit or try a Budvar Lager yeast.
Cold storage of your lager will be very handy - leave it in the shed?
Extra for experts: If you are trying to make a Steinlager Pure clone (hey, it's your life), note that Pure uses Pacific Jade hops, Nelson Sauvin hops and possibly some green bullet too.
Steinlager clone recipe for more seasoned brewers
If you're into boiling your wort and getting the timings of the hop additions just perfect, here's some a Steinlager clone recipe that seems pretty handy.
It comes from a bloke called Timmy:
- 4.00 kg Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (3.2 EBC) Grain
- 0.25 kg Carahell (Weyermann) (25.6 EBC) Grain
- 0.15 kg Carafoam (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain
- 0.15 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBC) Grain
- 60 min 20.00 gm Green Bullet [13.50 %] (60 min) Hops
- 10 min 15.00 gm Green Bullet [13.50 %] (10 min) Hops
- 10 min 25.00 gm Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (10 min) Hops
- 10 min 0.50 items Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
- 1 min 25.00 gm Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (1 min) Hops
- 1 packet Budvar Lager (Wyeast Labs #2000) Yeast-Lager
You'll have an estimated 1.056 original gravity and final gravity of 1.014 and approx 30 IBU.
There are other Steinlager clone recipes around but they are more or less the same as this one.
One or two seem to suggest that the beer contains Hallertau Hops but others have countered that was an older version of the beer.
Indeed, given the green bullet hops wasn't first produced until 1972 and that Steinlager has been around since the late 1950's, the beer drunk since at least 1972 has a different hops than what the originally beer started with - which is probably no biggie as it was in 1977 when Steinlager was crowned the world's best beer.
It also won the Les Amis du Vin Award (a beer competition of renown) again in '78 and '80 so it's the green bullet hops that helped win the world over.
One or two seem to suggest that the beer contains Hallertau Hops but others have countered that was an older version of the beer.
Indeed, given the green bullet hops wasn't first produced until 1972 and that Steinlager has been around since the late 1950's, the beer drunk since at least 1972 has a different hops than what the originally beer started with - which is probably no biggie as it was in 1977 when Steinlager was crowned the world's best beer.
It also won the Les Amis du Vin Award (a beer competition of renown) again in '78 and '80 so it's the green bullet hops that helped win the world over.
This article has a sweet history of the beer as it became popular around the world.
* How about that poster eh? Classic sexist advertising from the 1980s.
Check out this Panhead supercharger clone recipe.
* How about that poster eh? Classic sexist advertising from the 1980s.
Check out this Panhead supercharger clone recipe.
I just read that Green Bullet hops were first produced in 1949 - checkout this site:
ReplyDeletehttp://beerlegends.com/green-bullet-hops
Interesting. I wonder how I got that wrong.
DeleteGreen Bullet was released for commercial growing in 1972. It was the breeding programme that started in the 1940s.
ReplyDelete