Vienna Lager Water Profile and Recipe

Vienna Lager is a clean, malt-forward amber lager that originated in Austria in the mid-1800s. It was developed by Anton Dreher using new kilning technology that allowed for lightly kilned, richly flavored malt—the now-famous Vienna malt. The style is known for its elegant toasty, bready malt profile, balanced bitterness, and crisp finish. It’s typically amber to copper in color, with a firm but not heavy body, low to moderate bitterness, and little to no esters. Vienna Lager is clear, fully conditioned, and refined, which differentiates it from a more rustic, unfiltered Amber Kellerbier or Zwickelbier, which is often consumed young and hazy.

BJCP Style Guidelines categorize Vienna Lager as Category 7A. It is medium-light to medium-bodied, with an SRM around 9–15, IBU in the 18–30 range, and ABV between 4.7–5.5%. Compared to Amber Kellerbier, Vienna Lager is fully lagered, filtered or fined, with a drier finish and more polish. The hop character is supportive (often using noble varieties) but never dominant. The malt should never be overly sweet or caramelly—balance and drinkability are key. Though it originated in Austria, the style has flourished in Mexico due to brewing traditions brought by European immigrants.

Water chemistry for Vienna Lager should be clean and slightly malt-forward. Aim for calcium around 50–70 ppm, chloride around 70–90 ppm to enhance smooth malt expression, and sulfate at 30–50 ppm to avoid clashing with malt character. Magnesium and sodium should be low to avoid mineral harshness—<10 ppm for Mg, <25 ppm for Na. Keep mash pH between 5.3–5.4, which helps preserve malt clarity while aiding in fermentability and proper attenuation.

Simple Vienna Lager Recipe (5-Gallon Batch):

  • Grain Bill:

    • 7.5 lb Vienna Malt (base)

    • 1.5 lb Munich Malt (Light)

    • 0.5 lb Caramunich I or Crystal 40 (adds slight caramel depth)

    • 0.25 lb Melanoidin Malt (optional, boosts malt roundness)

  • Water Profile Target:

    • Calcium: 65 ppm

    • Chloride: 80 ppm

    • Sulfate: 40 ppm

    • Magnesium: 5 ppm

    • Sodium: <25 ppm

    • pH: 5.3–5.4

  • Hops (noble):

    • 0.75 oz Tettnang @ 60 min

    • 0.5 oz Hallertau @ 30 min

    • 0.25 oz Hallertau @ 10 min

  • Yeast: SafLager W-34/70 — clean, reliable, and widely used for Vienna-style lagers

  • OG: ~1.050 | FG: ~1.010 | ABV: ~5.2% | IBU: ~22

Mash at 152°F for 60 minutes. Ferment cool at 48–52°F for 10–14 days. Perform a diacetyl rest at ~60°F for 2–3 days, then lager at 34°F for 4–6 weeks for full clarity and smoothness. Package with moderate carbonation (2.4–2.6 volumes). You can optionally fine with gelatin or cold crash longer to ensure brilliant clarity.


Want your brewing water tested?

Curious about your water for brewing? We offer easy testing for minerals, pH, alkalinity, and more.
📘 Follow us on Facebook | 🌐 Visit our website

Location: Midway, GA 31320, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Residual Alkalinity: Balancing Mash pH for Style; Short Burst Hot Break- Fast reads. Big flavor.

Residual Alkalinity: Balancing Mash pH for Style Residual Alkalinity (RA) is a measure of how much your brewing water resists a drop in pH when mixed with malt. It’s driven mostly by the carbonate and bicarbonate content of your water, which act like a buffer. Since enzymes in the mash work best around pH 5.2–5.4, water that’s too high in carbonate will fight against malt acidity and leave you with a mash that’s stubbornly alkaline, hurting conversion efficiency and flavor stability. This balance is why pale beers and dark beers demand different RA levels. Pale malts are low in acidity, so if your water is already high in bicarbonate, you’ll struggle to pull the mash down into the sweet spot. On the flip side, dark roasted malts are naturally acidic, which means they can pair nicely with higher RA water — the malt acidity cancels out the alkalinity, landing the mash right where you want it. Historically, brewing cities around the world matched their beer styles to their local RA levels...
Read more

The Dreaded Mash pH; Short Burst Hot Break- Fast reads. Big flavor.

The Dreaded Mash pH When it comes to brewing, water is far more than just the base of your beer—it’s the foundation of your mash chemistry. The mineral content of your brewing water plays a key role in how well your grains interact with enzymes during the mash. Calcium, magnesium, chloride, and sulfate all contribute to how the mash behaves, from enzyme efficiency to yeast performance later on. By adjusting these minerals thoughtfully, you can create the right environment for your grains and hops, while guiding your beer’s flavor profile in the direction you want. One of the most important goals during mashing is to keep your mash pH in that sweet spot of 5.2–5.4. At this range, the enzymes alpha-amylase and beta-amylase are most active, breaking down starches into fermentable sugars efficiently. The malt will naturally pull pH downward, but often not quite enough—especially if your water is alkaline. That’s where mineral adjustments and sometimes acid additions come in. With the right...
Read more

Whats in a Lager?

 Whats in a Lager One of the secrets behind a clean, crisp lager isn’t just yeast choice or fermentation temperature—it’s the water. Lagers showcase subtle malt flavors and require a delicate balance, which means excess minerals or unwanted compounds in your water can quickly muddy the final beer. By testing your water first, you get a clear picture of its mineral profile and whether adjustments are needed to hit that “lager-friendly” range. Brewing salts allow you to fine-tune this profile. For lagers, brewers often target lower overall mineral content with just enough calcium to aid mash performance and yeast health. Adjusting chloride and sulfate levels helps bring out the malt character while maintaining a dry, snappy finish. Without this careful balancing, lagers can come across as dull or heavy, masking the refreshing quality that defines the style. The result of testing and precise adjustments is a beer that pours with brilliance and drinks with clarity. By reducing excess h...
Read more