All-grain · 20 L (5.3 gal)
Alhambra Reserva 1925 Clone Recipe
BJCP 4C · Helles Bock
An amber lager at 6.4%, with toasty malt, a touch of caramel and Czech Saaz hops at the end: the homebrew recipe to get close to Alhambra Reserva 1925.
Alhambra Reserva 1925 Clone recipe by the numbers
- Batch size
- 20 L (5.3 gal)
- Original gravity
- 1.064
- Final gravity
- 1.015
- ABV
- 6.4%
- Bitterness
- 25 IBU
- Color
- 8 SRM (16 EBC)
- Mash
- 65 °C (149 °F) for 60 minutes
- Boil
- 60 minutes
- Fermentation
- 11 °C (52 °F) for 14 days and 4 weeks at 2-4 °C (36-39 °F)
- Bottling
- 5.2 g of sugar per liter (0.7 oz/gal)
About 195 kcal per 330 ml (11 oz) bottle, worked out from its original and final gravity.
Alhambra Reserva 1925 Clone recipe: ingredients and steps
Batch size
Recipe for 20 liters (5.3 US gallons) into the fermenter.
Malts
| Malt | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsner malt4 EBC (2 °L) | 4.25 kg (9.37 lb) | 73.3% |
| Munich malt15 EBC (6 °L) | 0.70 kg (1.54 lb) | 12.1% |
| Crystal malt120 EBC (46 °L) | 0.35 kg (0.77 lb) | 6.0% |
| Flaked corn1 EBC (1 °L) | 0.50 kg (1.10 lb) | 8.6% |
Hops
| Hop | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Magnum13.0% alpha acids | 14 g (0.49 oz) | 60 minBittering |
| Saaz3.5% alpha acids | 30 g (1.06 oz) | 15 minFlavor |
| Saaz3.5% alpha acids | 20 g (0.71 oz) | 5 minAroma |
You will also need
Yeast: Dry lager yeast, such as W-34/70: two 11.5 g (0.4 oz) packets.
Water: About 30 L (7.9 gal): 17.5 L (4.6 gal) for the mash and 12.5 L (3.3 gal) for the sparge.
Priming sugar: 5.2 g of white sugar per liter bottled (0.7 oz/gal): about 100 g (3.5 oz) for 19 L (5.0 gal). Lively carbonation, like a commercial lager.
Hops: pellets, kept in the freezer until brew day.
Step by step
- Heat 17.5 L (4.6 gal) of water to 71 °C (160 °F), add the crushed malt and flakes and stir until there are no lumps. It should settle at about 65 °C (149 °F): hold that temperature for 60 minutes, covered. A low mash temperature gives a dry, easy-drinking beer, like the original.
- Lift out the grain and sparge it with 12.5 L (3.3 gal) of water at 76 °C (169 °F). You should collect about 24 L (6.3 gal) of wort at 1.053.
- Bring to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, uncovered and vigorously: pilsner malt gives off a cooked-corn smell (DMS) that leaves with the steam. At the start of the boil, 14 g (0.5 oz) of Magnum. With 15 minutes left, 30 g (1.1 oz) of Saaz. With 5 minutes left, 20 g (0.7 oz) of Saaz.
- Chill as fast as you can down to 11 °C (52 °F), transfer about 20 L (5.3 gal) to the sanitized fermenter and take a gravity reading: it should be around 1.064. Aerate well.
- Pitch the yeast and ferment at 11 °C (52 °F) for about two weeks. At the end, raise it to 16-18 °C (61-64 °F) for two or three days so the yeast can clean up the diacetyl (the buttery flavor).
- Once the gravity sits at 1.015 for three days in a row, drop the beer to 2-4 °C (36-39 °F) and leave it there for four weeks: that cold storage is the lagering, which leaves it clean and rounded. Without a fridge with a temperature controller, you're better off brewing an ale.
- Bottle with the priming sugar and let it carbonate for two weeks at 18-20 °C (64-68 °F) before chilling it again. Serve it very cold.
Alhambra calls it an amber lager, but the BJCP International Amber Lager (2B) tops out at 6% ABV and an OG of 1.055. At 6.4%, its numbers fit the Helles Bock (4C), which is the style this recipe is calculated for, at the darker end.
Alhambra doesn't publish a full spec sheet: the 6.4% is on the label and the corn in the ingredients; the Saaz hops and the 26 IBU come from distributors. The rest is a homebrew approximation, not the brewery's recipe.
Saaz is low in alpha acids: if yours isn't 3.5%, use 30 × 3.5 ÷ your percentage and 20 × 3.5 ÷ your percentage, in grams.
The style: Helles Bock (BJCP 4C), with its history, its numbers and other ways to brew it.
Different setup? Recalculate with the water calculator, the IBU calculator and the priming sugar calculator.
Rating recipes and keeping a brew log need an account, which is only available in Spanish for now. English accounts are coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
How strong will this Alhambra Reserva 1925 Clone be?
About 6.4% ABV: it starts at 1.064 and finishes at 1.015, and (OG − FG) × 131.25 gives that percentage.
How long until it is ready?
One brew day, fermentation at 11 °C (52 °F) for 14 days and 4 weeks at 2-4 °C (36-39 °F) and about two weeks in the bottle: give it a little over a month.
Can I use a different bittering hop?
Yes. What matters is keeping the bitterness: if you use another hop instead of Magnum at 13.0% alpha acids, work out the grams from its alpha acids (or with the IBU calculator) to stay at about 25 IBUs.
What if my system does not get 72% efficiency?
Your gravity will come out different. Scale the base malt up or down (or add a little dry malt extract to the boil if you fall short) and recalculate the water with the calculator.
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