Recipe: A Royal English Lager ft. Crisp Chevallier® Heritage Malt
When most brewers and beer lovers think “English beer,” the first thing that comes to mind likely isn’t “lager.” But there’s a beer on tap here at RahrBSG that may change your thinking. The brewers at Rahr Eagle Brewery at Rahr Technical Center have developed an English Lager recipe for a crisp, clean, easy-drinking beer that showcases the rich maltiness of English heritage malts – specifically Chevallier® Heritage Malt from Crisp Malting Company.
Brewers Sean Tynan (right) and Jake Thompson (left) first brewed the beer to be served at CBC 2024, where it was well received by conference attendees. So much so that they chose to brew it again – with a couple of modifications – for visitors at Rahr Malting Company’s facility tour and social events as part of World Beer Congress 2024. They were joined in the brewery by Crisp Technical Sales Manager Josh Wurzbacher (center) for the brew day, which made it all the more fun and collabo-y!
We sat down for a pint with Sean and Jake to take a deeper dive into the recipe and talk through a tasting of this unique beer. But first, here are the vital stats and a brief desription:
ABV: 5.3% | IBU: 23 | SRM: 6 | OG: 12.2 | FG 2.5
Crisp Chevallier forms a flavorful malt foundation with rich marmalade character and lasting sweetness. Buoyed by Crisp Flaked Maize and Crisp Dark Munich, traces of rich toasted bread give way to balanced malt sweetness. A decidedly earthy, floral, and fruity hop profile comes from Fuggle, East Kent Goldings, and HVG Hallertauer Magnum varieties. Every ingredient shines in the end, as Fermentis SafLager™ W-34/70 provides a clean, refreshing finish.
RahrBSG: Talk a bit about the inspiration for this English Lager and what components you were most curious about?
Jake Thompson: We wanted a way to showcase both the Crisp Chevallier® Heritage Malt and Crisp Torrefied Maize, so we thought why not combine them to make a drinkable lager that lets the grist shine without distractions of a more expressive yeast.
Sean Tynan: We chose Chevallier due to its robust, intense malty flavor and sweetness, perfect for an English beer. Using the maize we were able to make the beer more drinkable, increase the alcohol content, add a subtle complexity to the brew, and still showcase the classic English malt characteristics of Chevallier.
Walk us through the malt, hops, and yeast, and how Version 1.0 differs from Version 2.0. Why did you make those slight changes?
Jake: Version 1.0 used 84% Chevalier Heritage Malt, 11% Torrefied Flaked Maize and 5% Light Crystal.
Version 2.0 used 78% Chevallier Heritage Malt, 11% Torrefied Flaked Maize, and 11% Dark Munich Malt.
Both used the same hops – East Kent Goldings and Fuggles for 24 IBUs – and Fermentis SafLager™ W-34/70. The goal for version 2.0 was to decrease the body and perceived sweetness a tad, so we added 10 minutes onto the mash time. This is also why we swapped Dark Munich for Light Crystal.
Sean: These adjustments create a very drinkable lager while maintaining a complex malt flavor.
You don’t hear the words English and lager often together. However, the yeast and conditioning work so well here. Based on the results of this beer, are there other styles you think would be fun or surprising to give the lager treatment to?
Jake: We’ve used Fermentis SafLager™ W-34/70 in everything from Helles to Schwarzbier to Italian and West Coast Pils to this English Lager. The consistency and fairly neutral profile works great for just about any style.
What is the end result of the beer being fermented with lager yeast and cold-conditioned versus what you would expect from more typical English ale, say like a British bitter and mild ale?
Jake: The end result is a clean malt-forward beer, slightly higher ABV, less chewy, and easy drinking. It really highlights the characteristics of the Chevallier.
Sean: The beer is biscuity and bready with slight notes of honey, caramel, and hay balanced with subtle noble hop aroma/flavor. It is lightly sweet but crisp with a medium body. I also noted that there is good foam stability, despite using maize.
The beer has been on tap at the Rahr Bierstube, but you’ve also had it on a side pour in the Rahr Eagle Brewery. What do you like about a beer like this on side pour?
Jake: The side pull is all about the foam! It’s just a fun way to be able to present various beers with different pouring styles. All foam, half foam, and anywhere in between. Depending on the pouring style you can make the perception of the carbonation more or less for a crisp or smooth drinking experience.
What would you tell another brewer considering incorporating Crisp Chevallier?
Jake: Chevallier is a wonderfully flavorful malt. However, it is a heritage variety and depending on your intended outcome may need changes to your mash schedules to accommodate.
Sean: Like most recipes, you’ll just have to adjust your recipe to get your extract and fermentability dialed in. But whatever you end up with, your beer should have a wonderful flavor.
Picture this: Fish. Chips. Your English Lager on draft. What’s on the stereo – The Beatles or the Stones?
Sean: The Beatles or The Kinks
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Contact RahrBSG or ask your sales rep about Crisp’s line of Heritage Malts and other ingredients used in this beer. Learn more about Rahr Technical Center & Brewery here.
