Gringo Mexican Cerveza All Grain Recipe
Mexican Lager
Yeast strains appear in order of our personal preference. We highly reccomend adding a gel ice pack to shipped orders containing liquid yeast.
Select Hops:
Tick the box to add the hops used in this recipe. If any are sold out, we recommend choosing a suitable substitute before checking out. You can use our Hop Substitution Chart to help find the right alternative.
Bright, crisp, and ultra-refreshing with a clean, neutral malt base. Pale in colour and delicately hopped, it’s the perfect thirst-quencher.
Mexican cerveza is all about lightness, clarity, and refreshment. The style was born in the late 19th century when Austrian and German immigrants brought their lager-brewing traditions to Mexico. Inspired by Vienna lagers but brewed for a warmer climate, these beers gradually evolved into a distinct style that is pale, crisp, and exceptionally drinkable.
A hallmark of Mexican cerveza is the use of corn as an adjunct alongside barley malt. The corn lightens the body, adds a touch of sweetness, and enhances the beer’s clean, refreshing finish. Expect a pale straw colour, lively carbonation, and subtle malt character with just a whisper of hop bitterness. The flavour is delicate and crisp, designed more for refreshment than complexity.
Vitals
Original Gravity: 1.047
Final Gravity (Fixed): 1.010
IBU (Tinseth): 19
BU/GU: 0.41
Colour: 5.5 EBC
ABV: 4.9%
72% efficiency
Batch Volume: 23 L
Boil Time: 60 min
Mash Water: 17.6 L
Sparge Water: 13.79 L
Total Water: 31.39 L
Boil Volume: 28 L
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.042
Mash
Sacc Rest — 64 °C — 60 min
Mash Out — 75 °C — 10 min
Malts (4.7 kg)
3.2 kg (68.1%) — Joe White Maltings Pilsner, Malt Craft Export — Grain — 3.2 EBC
1.3 kg (27.7%) — Briess Corn Yellow, Flaked — Grain — 2.6 EBC
200 g (4.3%) — Weyermann Carapils/Carafoam — Grain — 3.9 EBC
Hops (20 g)
11 g (15 IBU) — Magnum 12% — Boil — 60 min
9 g (4 IBU) — Magnum 12% — Boil — 10 min
Miscs
1.2 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash
1.4 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash
2 ml — Phosphoric Acid 88% — Mash
0.94 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Sparge
1.1 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Sparge
1 items — Whirlfloc — Boil — 15 min
15 ml — Biofine Clear — Primary
Yeast
1 pkg — Bluestone Yeast BSY-L015 Bluestone Tijuana Yeast 75%
3 pkg - Cellar Science BAJA
2 pkg - Cellar Science German
2 pkg - SafLager 34/70
1 pkg - Bluestone Freiburg
Fermentation
Pitching Temp — 10 °C — 1 days
Primary Ferment — 10 °C — 5 days
Primary Ferment — 13 °C — 4 days
Primary Ferment — 17 °C — 1 days
Diacetyl Rest — 19 °C — 2 days
Carbonation: 2.9 CO2-vol
Water Profile
Ca2+: 38
Mg2+: 0
Na+: 8
Cl-: 37
SO42-: 45
HCO3-: 16
Yeast substitutes: 2 packs W-34/70 or 2 Packs CellarScience Baja
Lager for extended periods of time at close to freezing temperatures 0 degrees celsius for best results and best clarity.