Cloning Steinlager

Earlier this month, I received an e-mail note from Bill Duffield of Ontario, Canada requesting help in putting together a recipe for brewing Steinlager, the New Zealand pilsener-style beer that is popular in many parts of North America. This article covers the research and calculations that went into developing a recipe and ends by presenting a full recipe for those who would also like to brew this type of beer. Also, those interested in the process of recipe development may find that this article helps to shed some light on how to make the key decisions when trying to copy a beer that you like.

Research information

In "The New World Guide to Beer," Michael Jackson tells us about New Zealand's Steinlager:

"This is a mildly dry (22 units of bitterness) Pilsener-type, with a pleasantly hoppy aroma and a firm palate. It has a gravity of [1.045] and 3.7 percent alcohol by weight; 4.8 percent by volume. Whole hops, grown in New Zealand are used and fermentation is at very low temperatures." Other Jackson notes say it is "lightly malty, flowery, pollen-like, dry finish."

From a source on hops, (1) I find that several different hops are grown in New Zealand. The most popular varieties are high-alpha-acid (12-14%) types that are rarely seen in the U.S., including Sticklebract, Green Bullet, Pacific Gem and Super Alpha. Also grown are a "New Zealand Hallertau" as well as Hallertauer and Tettnanger -- although these three account for a very small portion of the total hop crop.

From this information, we can put together a recipe that should produce a reasonable facsimile of the classic Steinlager beer.

Here are my thoughts on the topics of malt, hops, yeast and water. A full recipe is presented at the end of this piece.

Determining the malt bill

From Jackson's descriptions we know that Steinlager is an all-malt pilsener-style beer. From this we know that the grain bill will consist of little more than a very pale pilsener or lager malt. Purists might acquire European pilsener malt for this purpose, but I suspect that American two-row will do just as well. Extract brewers are advised to use the palest product available and to supplement the extract with a mini-mash of at least three pounds of pilsener or two-row malt.

The only additional ingredient that we might add would be some cara-pils or dextrine malt to provide a little additional body if needed. To determine this, we can look at the starting and finishing gravities. Jackson tells us that the OG is 1.045 and that the alcohol by weight (ABW) is 3.7 percent. To find the difference between the starting gravity and the finishing gravity, we can reverse the calculation normally used for determining alcohol content. Normally, ABW = (OG-TG)*105 (2). Since we know the ABW is 3.7, we divide by 105 to get 0.035 as the difference between the OG and TG. We know that the starting gravity is 1.045, so the expected final gravity should be 1.045 - 0.035 or 1.010.

Knowing this final gravity tells a couple of important things. First, 1.010 is a fairly low finishing gravity for an all-malt beer with this OG. Thus, the beer will be fairly light in body and it should not require any cara-pils or other body-enhancing additives. Furthermore, the saccharification temperature during the mash should be relatively low -- no higher than 150 deg F, and perhaps as low as 146 deg F. Extract brewers are also put on notice to select a brand of extract that will give a low residual body.

As a result of our research and calculations, we know what we want in the malt bill, now we need to determine how much will be needed.

If we want 5 gallons of beer in the fermenter, we will calculate assuming about 5.75 gallons of beer in the boil kettle at the end of the boil. To hit a starting gravity of 1.045, this means that we will need 259 gravity units of extract. Gravity units are equal to the last two digits of the specific gravity reading times the volume of beer. In this case, we take 5.75 gallons times 45 (from 1.045) to equal 259.

From any common table of potential extracts (3) we can find the gravity contributed by the ingredients we will be working with:

 OG of 1 lb in 1 gal    GU/lb

Pilsener/Two-row malt     1.035-1.037            25 

Dry Malt Extract          1.045                  45

Liquid Malt Extract       1.038                  38 

As you can see, the GU values for the malt extracts are easily derived from such tables. For grains, you simply multiply the potential extract numbers by your expected mash efficiency. For most homebrewers (as well as small-scale commercial brewers) this is about 70 percent. So the potential gravity in GU of each pound of pils or two-row malt would be 36 x 0.70 or about 25.

Now, to find how much of any one ingredient we would need, we divide the target GU of 259 by the potential GU of an ingredient. Thus for an all-malt recipe, we would need 259/25 or 10.4 pounds of pilsener or two-row malt.

To create a extract/grain recipe, add the gravity contributed by each ingredient to achieve your desired total. For instance, if you were going to use one four pound can of liquid malt extract, that would give us 4 x 38 or 152 GUs. Assuming that we will use grain to make up the remainder of the gravity, we will first subtract the 152 GU contributed by the extract from our desired total of 259 to find that we will need 107 GU from the grain. Dividing this by 25, we find that 4.25 pounds of grain should bring us to the desired gravity.

So, depending on how you approach things, our malt bill might take one of three forms:

All grain: 10.4 pounds of pilsener or two-row malt

Grain-Extract:
4 pounds of liquid malt extract + 4.25 pounds of pilsener/two-row malt
or 3 pounds of dry malt extract + 5 pounds of pilsener/two-row malt
or 3 pounds of pilsener/two row + 3.3 pounds liquid extract syrup + 1.3 pounds of dry malt extract.

Hop bill

When it comes to hops, we must consider the types of hops to use, how much to add and when to add them. Generally, hopping can be divided into two areas for consideration: 1) flavor and aroma hops and 2) bittering hops. The calculation of bitterness is easier if we determine the flavor and aroma hops first.

For many beers, we can find literature references that tell us the specific variety of hops used, and sometimes even the timings of the additions. In this case, we are stuck working with much less information. We know that New Zealand-grown varieties are used and that reference is made to hop aroma or flavor in the beer. (Your own tasting of the beer can also provide some guidance on this issue -- although I haven't personally been able to taste the Steinlager product in many years.)

Based upon the available information, I'd say that we can achieve our flavor and aroma objectives with a single small hop addition near the end of the boil. For a five gallon batch, I would suggest one-quarter to one-half ounce about 5 minutes before the end of the boil. Most of the New Zealand-grown hops are fairly unattractive as aroma hop candidates due to their very high alpha acid levels. However, it does look like the New Zealand Hallertau hop accounts for a large enough portion of the annual hop crop that it could be used by Steinlager for this type of application. While I don't think that you'll find New Zealand Hallertau anywhere in the U.S, you might use U.S.-grown Hallertau as a substitute.

So, the first element of our hop bill is

0.5 oz U.S. Hallertau hops Boil 5 minutes

Moving on to bitterness, we know that our goal for this beer is to have a total bitterness of 22 IBUs, based upon the Jackson writings.

Now, our first task is to determine the bitterness contributed by the flavor and aroma additions. Assuming that the U.S. Hallertau hops have about 4% alpha acid, they would contribute just 1.5 IBUs. (If you don't already know how to do these calculations, you'll have to trust me on this.) Now we know that our bittering hop addition will need to produce about 20.5 IBUs.

Assuming that pellet hops are being added 60 minutes before the end of the boil, you would need just 5 alpha acid units to achieve the desired bitterness level. An alpha acid unit is equal to the number of ounces added times the alpha acid content, for example, 5 AAU would be equal to 1 oz of 5% alpha acid hops or 0.5 oz of 10% alpha acid hops. If you have 4.2% alpha acid hops available to you, just divide the target AAU value by this to determine the quantity to add. Thus 5 AAU/4.2 = 1.20 oz. Similarly, if you have a 12% alpha acid hop, you would need just 5/12 or 0.42 ounces.

The variety you select for bittering has less impact on the character of the beer than those selected for flavor and aroma additions, but it will still have some impact. I would guess that Steinlager is bittered with one of the high-alpha New Zealand varieties, so if you can find one of these, I would use it. Alternately, you might choose a neutral high-alpha U.S. variety such as Bullion, Galena or Eroica. As an alternative, you might use the same U.S. Hallertau hops selected for the aroma addition, although I think it less likely that Steinlager is bittered in this fashion.

So the second element of our hop bill is:

5 AAU High Alpha Variety pellets 60 minutes boil

Yeast and fermentation

Since we are trying to make a pilsener-type beer, we must obviously select a lager yeast for this project. While there are a limited number of choices among lager yeast, we nonetheless want to select the one that would be most suitable. Jackson's comments on the "dryness" of the beer are noteworthy as we make this decision. In addition, we will want to consider the level of attenuation achieved. Earlier, we determined that the OG was 1.045 and the TG was 1.010. Apparent attenuation is simply the percentage of the original gravity that was lost during fermentation. This is calculated by dividing the difference between OG and TG by the OG itself once all these have been converted to gravity units. Thus, for this beer, the percent apparent attenuation is equal to (45-10) / 45 or 77.7% This is a high level of attenuation for any yeast.

Among the lager yeast, several are theoretically capable of achieving this level of attenuation, including the Munich, Danish, Bavarian and American strains offered by Wyeast. Unless some other factor strongly recommends it, I would rule out the Munich because of the steps required to manage fermentation with this yeast. The American strain can be ruled out because of its woody, and sometimes diacetyl character. This leaves the Danish and the Bavarian. Between the two, I would select the Danish as being more appropriate. It is regarded as producing a "crisp and dry" effect while still giving a "soft, light profile." The Bavarian, by contrast, is noted for producing a malty, fuller-bodied effect that would not be in keeping with the desired effect in this case.

To prepare adequate yeast, I recommend that you start with two packets of yeast. Once they have expanded to their bloated condition, pitch them into a half-gallon of starter wort to further increase the yeast population. Of course the actual primary fermentation must be carried out at temperatures between 46 and 56 deg F, followed by lagering at 34-40 deg F for at least three weeks.

Water

While we know little about the character of the water used to make Steinlager, we can assume from the tasting notes that it is probably low in carbonate and chloride, although perhaps well endowed with sulfate. As a result, I would suggest using water with less than 50 ppm of carbonate. If your water is harder -- as mine is -- dilute it with distilled or softened water. Then use one or two teaspoons of gypsum in the mash. These measures should be sufficient to ensure that you get the desired dryness.

Steinlager Clone

For those who want to see the whole recipe in one place, here it is:

5.75 gallons at end of boil, 5 gallons to fermenter.

Use water with < 50 ppm of carbonate - 9 to 10 gallons will be required.

10.4 pounds of pilsener or two-row malt (See above for extract alternatives.)

Mashed with one rest at 148 deg F.

Boil for just over 60 minutes in total.

Add 5 AAUs of Galena, Eroica or Bullion hops 60 minutes before end of boil.

Add Irish Moss 15 minutes before the end of the boil.

Add 0.25 to 0.5 oz of U.S. Hallertau hops 5 minutes before end of boil.

Ferment using Wyeast Danish Yeast (#2042) at approximately 50 deg F for 7 to 10 days.

Transfer and lager for 3 weeks at 35 to 40 deg F.

Those of you who are Steinlager lovers, please brew this up and give it a taste. Your comments on refining it would be welcomed by all who visit this forum.

Also: Those who are interested in additional information on recipe formulation should see Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers web page.

References

(1) The Hop Atlas, Barth, Klinke & Schmidt; p 345.
(2) The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing, Papazian, C. p 47.
(3) Designing Great Beers, Daniels, R. p 31.