Yamanote-sen is inspired by the “premium” lagers of Japan, which rely on rice to lighten body. Rice lends a crispness to this style of beer and helps dry out the finish. Unlike big macro-lagers, though, you’ll find plenty of hop flavor and aroma here, including the characteristic lemony contributions of Sorachi Ace, a hop variety originally developed for Japan’s Sapporo brewery. The Yamanote-sen is one of the busiest rail lines in Tokyo. It’s also the name of a Japanese drinking game.
Recipe courtesy of Dave Carpenter, reprinted from the book, Lager: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Brewing the World’s Most Popular Beer Styles (2017: Voyageur Press). Watch a video about this and other rice lager homebrews in our episode of Chop & Brew.
Yamanote-Sen Rice Lager Homebrew Recipe
Vital Stats
Batch Size: 5 gallons (18.9 liters)
Boil Time: 90 min.
Original Extract: 12.3P (1.051 SG)
Apparent Extract: 2.3P (1.009 SG)
Alcohol: 5.6% by volume
Bitterness: 22 IBU
Color: 3 SRM
Malts
- 8 lb (3.63 kg) Pilsner malt
- 2 lb (907 g) Flaked rice
Hops
- 0.25 oz (7g) Sorachi Ace [13% aa] at 60 min.
- 0.5 oz (14 g) Strisselspalt [4% aa] at 10 min.
- 0.25 oz (7g) Sorachi Ace [13% aa] at 10 min.
- 0.5 oz (14g) Strisselspalt [4% aa] at 0 min.
- 0.5 oz (14g) Sorachi Ace [13% aa] at 0 min.
Yeast
- Weihenstephan 34/70
Mash Schedule
- 45 minutes at 144°F (62°C)
- 45 minutes at 162°F (72°C)
- 10 minutes at 170°F (77°C)
Brewing Notes
Mash per the indicated schedule and collect enough wort to yield 5 gallons (19 liters) after a vigorous 90-minute boil, about 6.5 gallons. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops per the schedule above. After knockout, cool wort as rapidly as possible to 46°F and transfer to primary fermenter.
Pitch 350 billion healthy yeast cells and ferment per the Narziss schedule (see below). Lager for 3 weeks before kegging or bottling with 2.7 volumes (5.4 grams per liter) of CO2.
Narziss Fermentation Schedule for Lagers
Start fermentation cold (46-50°F or 8-10°C) and keep it there until the specific gravity of the beer falls about half way from measured original gravity to the expected final gravity. Then, the temperature is raised to 54°F (12°C) and held until the beer reaches terminal gravity, after which time it is gradually cooled by about 2°F (1°C) per day to the lagering temperature near 32°F (0°C) and conditioned for several weeks or months.
Chop & Brew note: You could also consider fermenting this beer using the Fast Lager Fermentation technique made popular by the late, great homebrewer Mike “Tasting” McDole.