The lagers that made “Mexican-style” a category of their own share a few things in common: light color, a clean corn-driven crispness, and just enough hop bite to keep the finish from tasting sweet. This recipe, adapted from Brew Your Own’s classic Mexican Lager, gets you there with an all-grain mash.
Why Corn Is the Key Ingredient
Flaked maize is what separates this style from a standard European pilsner. It thins out the body and adds a faint sweetness without the heavier, breadier character that an all-barley grain bill produces. Most commercial Mexican lagers rely on it for exactly this reason.
Vienna malt adds a touch of golden color and a light toasty note, while the Pilsner malt keeps the base clean enough that the corn character can actually come through.
The Recipe
Mexican Lager (All-Grain Homebrew Recipe)
Ingredients
Grain Bill
- 1.6 kg German Pilsner malt
- 0.9 kg US 2-row malt
- 0.9 kg German Vienna malt
- 1.25 kg flaked maize (corn) adds the light, crisp character typical of the style
Hops
- 9 g Tettnanger hops first wort hop, 4.5% AA
- 19 g Tettnanger hops 45 minute addition, 4.5% AA
- 14 g Tettnanger hops 5 minute addition
Yeast and Other
- 1 pack White Labs WLP940 Mexican Lager yeast or Lallemand Diamond Lager yeast
- 1/4 tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 19L of brewing water, to reach pH 5.5
- 1 tsp calcium chloride (CaCl2) added to the mash
Instructions
- Mill the grains and prepare reverse osmosis brewing water. Add the phosphoric acid and calcium chloride to reach a mash pH of 5.5 at room temperature.
- Mash in the Pilsner, 2-row, Vienna malt and flaked maize at 65°C (149°F) and hold for 60 minutes.
- Raise the temperature to 76°C (168°F) to mash out, then recirculate for 15 minutes.
- Fly sparge with 76°C (168°F) water until you collect roughly 24.5L of wort.
- Boil for 75 minutes. Add the first wort hops before the boil starts, the 45-minute hops at the 45-minute mark, and the 5-minute hops near the end of the boil.
- Chill the wort to 10°C (50°F), rack to the fermenter, oxygenate, and pitch the lager yeast.
- Ferment at 10°C (50°F) until fermentation is complete, then rack off the yeast cake to avoid oxidation.
- Lager the beer at 0°C (32°F) for 4 to 8 weeks.
- Rack, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate before serving.
Notes
Getting the Lager Fermentation Right
The biggest difference between brewing a lager and an ale is patience. Fermenting at 50°F (10°C) is slower than ale fermentation and takes real temperature control, ideally a dedicated fridge with a controller rather than a garage that swings with the weather.
The 4 to 8 week lagering period at 32°F (0°C) is what rounds out the flavor and drops the beer bright. Skipping or shortening this step is the most common reason homebrewed lagers taste rougher than the commercial versions they’re trying to copy.
Checking your gravity readings along the way matters just as much as temperature control. Our Beer Calories Calculator and other homebrewing calculators can turn your OG and FG readings into ABV, calories and more once this batch is done.
Equipment That Makes This Recipe Easier
You do not need all of this to brew a Mexican lager, but each of these solves a specific problem this recipe creates: holding a steady fermentation temperature, reading your gravity accurately, and mashing grain instead of steeping extract.
Curious what the yeast is actually doing at each stage? Our Is Beer Fermented? explainer breaks down the science behind the process this recipe depends on. If you would rather brew with software tracking your numbers, our BeerSmith 3 review covers the tool many homebrewers use to plan recipes like this one.
If you’d rather buy than brew, our Mexican Beer Brands roundup covers the commercial versions of this style worth trying while you plan your next brew day.
FAQs
Can I make this recipe with malt extract instead of all-grain?
Yes, an extract version works by substituting pale liquid malt extract and brewers corn syrup for the grain bill, using the same hop schedule and yeast.
What yeast works best for a Mexican lager?
White Labs WLP940 Mexican Lager yeast is purpose-built for the style, though Lallemand Diamond Lager yeast is a reliable substitute.
How long does this beer need to lager?
Plan on 4 to 8 weeks at close to freezing temperature before packaging, which is what gives the beer its clean, crisp finish.
