Since having the Bierstadt and Finn's Manor collaboration from May I've been wanting to do a blue corn lager. This beer has just over 20% blue corn from the southwestern US. I'm hoping for some blue/purple/pink color in the final product but not expecting much in the way of flavor contribution.
This will be the annual MURICA lager to be served on 7/4. Based on a Pre-Prohibition framework it contains as many American ingredients as I could acquire. Finding American lager yeast is tricky (read: I didn't order any in time for this brew) so I'm using Lallemand Diamond which is a German lager strain.
Full recipe is on BrewersFriend but here's the TL;DR:
- 2021-6-1 brew day
- Malts: Rahr Premium Pils, Proximity Munich 10
- Other Fermentable: SW grown Blue Corn Meal
- Hop: Sterling
- Yeast: Lallemand Diamond (Wisenschaftliche Station #308)
- OG: 13.4°P; FG: 1.8°P; ABV: 6.2%
- 2021-6-11 (+10): Moved to keezer for conditioning
2.3kg Blue Cornmeal
grains milled, heating mash water
Cereal mash for the cornmeal. it's t h i c c c
Added some mash water to help with dumping - don't want it all coming out in a block
Mash temp
Brew session beer
Mash complete. Quite a bit of color from the blue corn!
Floor Manager Steve was late to the shift
Late hops in and ready to chill
Chilling setup with recirc pump and immersion chiller
Forgot to get an OG pic (it was 13.4°P; 75% efficiency), but here's a wort sample
grains milled, heating mash water
Cereal mash for the cornmeal. it's t h i c c c
Added some mash water to help with dumping - don't want it all coming out in a block
Mash temp
Brew session beer
Mash complete. Quite a bit of color from the blue corn!
Floor Manager Steve was late to the shift
Late hops in and ready to chill
Chilling setup with recirc pump and immersion chiller
Forgot to get an OG pic (it was 13.4°P; 75% efficiency), but here's a wort sample
2021-6-2 (+1): I did a 'quick chill' and left the window open in the brewery last night to chill the last bit. This morning it was around 18-19°C so I pitched the yeast. 
And away we go - already got some airlock bubbles about 4hrs later
2021-6-19 (+18): Clarity check with the official gauge: a Hops & Pie sticker on the beer fridge. This is clearing up nicely and should be looking pretty good for 7/4. It's hard to tell from pics but it does have a pink/purple tint to it. Taste is getting cleaner by the day as the yeast particulates continue to drop out.
2021-6-22 (+21): How it started / how it's going: left side is keg #2 that just went in the keezer a few days ago, vs the one that went in on 6/11 and is now about fully conditioned.
2021-6-24 (+23): getting pics without condensation on the glass during summer is nearly impossible so I grabbed a thicker sample glass that is less than ideal as it seems a bit warped (it's the glass not the beer!). But the color is easier to see here.
2021-6-27 (+26): Full pour. Condensation is a bitch so it's nearly impossible to get a good clean shot, but this is 100% clear.
2021-7-7 (+36): Final pour before the keg kicked. Got super clear and tasting clean. Also this rested and warmed up a bit so I could get a clear pic without condensation.
And away we go - already got some airlock bubbles about 4hrs later
2021-6-19 (+18): Clarity check with the official gauge: a Hops & Pie sticker on the beer fridge. This is clearing up nicely and should be looking pretty good for 7/4. It's hard to tell from pics but it does have a pink/purple tint to it. Taste is getting cleaner by the day as the yeast particulates continue to drop out.
2021-6-22 (+21): How it started / how it's going: left side is keg #2 that just went in the keezer a few days ago, vs the one that went in on 6/11 and is now about fully conditioned.
2021-6-24 (+23): getting pics without condensation on the glass during summer is nearly impossible so I grabbed a thicker sample glass that is less than ideal as it seems a bit warped (it's the glass not the beer!). But the color is easier to see here.
2021-6-27 (+26): Full pour. Condensation is a bitch so it's nearly impossible to get a good clean shot, but this is 100% clear.
2021-7-7 (+36): Final pour before the keg kicked. Got super clear and tasting clean. Also this rested and warmed up a bit so I could get a clear pic without condensation.
