In defense of light(er) lagers from home brewers everywhere...I give you this LBBP take on the style. The name is simply derived from the equal split of Pale and Munich malts in the grain bill. This will be a "yard work" type beer that should be ready to go when it is stupid hot out in late summer, or when I am in the middle of raking leaves in the early fall (more dependent on kegerator space than anything else I'm thinking!)
- Canadian Malting Pale Malt - 3 pounds 4 oz - Best Malz Munich (light) - 3 pounds 4 oz - Hallertau Herbsbruker - 3/4 oz @ 60, 3/8 oz @ 20 - 34/70 yeast slurry
at 75% efficiency (measured): OG 1.049 - IBU 20 - ~5% ABV
Kegged on 6/1/2013 - FG came in all the way down at 1.008!!! Whoa there tiger...that's makes the new ABV 5.3%, and not surprising, it tasted quite a bit hoppier than originally anticipated. It's going to lager for several months now, so stay tuned!
As you can see from the picture, it doesn't look like a "typical" light lager beer...but that's EXACTLY what I wanted! Hues of gold to amber are much more pleasing IMO to see in the glass. The aroma is faintly spicy-herbal, but it is certainly there. The taste follows suit, with a touch of bready malty sweetness and a slight, yet distinct, "German lager" note to round it out. I've noticed this with each use of the 34/70 yeast, and I like it. It creates a separation from the mundane "Big 3" lagers while not being overbearing. While it certainly isn't the most exciting LBBP brew, I was glad to see that I could roll out a solid light lager if I were to want another one ;-)
Update: this keg was kicked by my BMC drinking family. Couldn't be prouder. Wish it was something "better" in the beer gamut, but I'll take it!