# 🍺 Top-down Brew: International Dark Lager

## Data Entry

Recipe variables
name: International Dark Lager og: 1.051 malt: Pilsner malt, 76, 2, 80 malt: Flaked corn, 10, 1, 80 malt: Munich, 10, 20, 80 malt: Carafa II, 4, 400, 70 ibu: 17 hop: Tettnang, 100, 4.5, 60 yeast: lager vol: 5.5 system: US eff: 75 prime: 2.5, 65

### Conversion to malt extract

- Delete the pilsner, corn, and Munich malt lines.
- Add sugar: Corn sugar, 10, 1, 80
- For liquid malt extract, add sugar: Liquid dark malt extract, 86, 5, 76
- For dry malt extract, add sugar: Dry dark malt extract, 86, 3.5, 96
- Set the mash efficiency variable to 55% (eff: 55) for steeping the Carafa II.
- Option: Skip the corn sugar. Increase the malt extract percentage to 96%.

### Explore other malts, sugars, and hops

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## Results

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## Notes

International pale lager: Dark ingredients: "Two- or six-row barley with corn, rice, or sugars adjuncts. Light use of caramel and darker roasted malts. Commercial versions may use coloring agents."

Vital statistics - dark: OG: 1.044 – 1.056, FG: 1.008 – 1.012, IBUs: 8 – 20, SRM: 14 – 30, ABV: 4.2 – 6.0%

The base malt should be pilsner malt. Corn or rice (10 to 20%) is a common adjunct grain. All-malt versions are also possible.

Specialty grains are needed to achieve the dark color. This includes toasted malts like Munich or Vienna (15 to 40%) and crystal malts. Roasted malts are typically 3 to 5%. Some recipes use chocolate malt and similar roasted malts. Roasted malt flavors can be avoided by using debittered black malts like Carafa I, II, or III (Weyermann) or Black Prinz (Briess). Extract brewers can steep small amounts of crystal or roasted, debittered malts.

The hops are usually noble European varieties like Saaz, Hallerau, and Tettnanger. Magnum is a possible bittering hop. American hops bred from European varieties, such as Mount Hood, are acceptable.

Clean lager strains like W-34/70 are the most common yeast.

## Sources

Beer-analytics.com International dark lager

Zainasheff, J. & Palmer, J.J. (2007). Brewing Classic Styles, Chapter 8 - Dark Lager, Brewers' Publications, Boulder, Colorado.