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Dos Equis Amber (Dos Equis XX Ámbar) is the more interesting of the two Dos Equis expressions, a Vienna-style lager with genuine malt character that predates the mass-market Mexican lager category. It was originally brewed by Austrian immigrant Wilhelm Hasse in 1897, and the Vienna lager heritage shows in its reddish-amber color and toasty malt profile. I’ve brewed this clone multiple times and find it one of the most rewarding Mexican beer clones precisely because it requires genuine craft rather than adjunct minimalism.
Dos Equis Amber clone recipe (5 gallon / 19L batch)
Target stats: OG 1.054, FG 1.012, ABV ~5.4%, IBU 20, SRM 12–15, clear reddish-amber. Grain bill: 7 lbs (3.18 kg) Vienna malt, the defining base malt for this clone. Vienna malt is the foundation of the Vienna lager style, contributing the toasty, slightly bready malt character and the amber-red color that are Dos Equis Amber’s signature. Do not substitute Pilsner malt, the character will be completely wrong. 1 lb (454g) Munich malt (10L), additional toasty malt depth building on the Vienna base. 0.5 lb (227g) Crystal 40L, caramel sweetness and amber-red color contribution. 0.25 lb (113g) flaked maize, small corn adjunct reflecting the Mexican brewing adaptation of the original Austrian recipe; keeps the body from being too heavy for a warm-climate beer. Hops: 0.75 oz Hallertau Mittelfrueh (60 min), 14 IBU. 0.5 oz Saaz (30 min), 6 IBU. Total IBU: 18–20. Dos Equis Amber has mild but perceptible hop character, the Saaz note complements the toasty malt without competing with it. Yeast: White Labs WLP940 Mexican Lager Yeast, the authentic choice for Mexican Vienna lager style, producing a clean fermentation appropriate for the malt-forward character. White Labs WLP820 Oktoberfest/Märzen Lager Yeast is an excellent alternative that emphasizes the Central European heritage. Ferment at 10°C (50°F). Water: Moderate mineral profile, calcium 75 ppm, sulfate 60 ppm, chloride 80 ppm. Slightly elevated minerals compared to the pale Mexican lager clones, the Vienna malt’s richer character benefits from moderate mineral support. Process: Step mash: 52°C (126°F) for 15 minutes (protein rest), 63°C (145°F) for 30 minutes, 70°C (158°F) for 20 minutes, 76°C (169°F) mash out. 90-minute boil. Ferment at 10°C (50°F) for 2 weeks. Diacetyl rest at 17°C (63°F) for 48 hours. Lager at 2°C (35°F) for 6–8 weeks. Fine with gelatin. Carbonate to 2.5 volumes CO2. Serve at 6–8°C (43–46°F).
Common Questions
What is the Vienna lager style and how does Dos Equis Amber fit into it?
Vienna lager is a 19th-century Central European lager style developed by Anton Dreher in Vienna in 1841, one of the earliest pale lagers, characterized by Vienna malt’s amber-red color, toasty-bready malt character, and moderate hopping. The style nearly disappeared in Austria itself but was preserved in Mexico by immigrant Austrian brewers in the late 1800s who brought the recipe to a market that hadn’t yet standardized on light Pilsner-style lagers. This is why the Vienna lager style survives most authentically today in Mexican brewing, Dos Equis Amber, Negra Modelo (more debated), and Bohemia Oscura are the most prominent examples of the living Vienna lager tradition. Authentic Vienna lagers: 4.7–5.5% ABV, toasty Vienna/Munich malt base, amber-red color (10–16 SRM), moderate bitterness (18–30 IBU), clean lager fermentation. Dos Equis Amber is a slightly lighter interpretation of the style, the small corn adjunct and lower end of the SRM range reflect its adaptation for Mexican market preferences, but it’s unmistakably Vienna lager in origin and character. For homebrewers building a German/Austrian lager portfolio: after brewing Märzen/Oktoberfest and Pilsner Urquell clones, the Vienna lager is the essential third style, it occupies a distinct malt-forward, amber position between the two. This Dos Equis Amber clone is the most accessible and widely recognizable Vienna lager clone for most homebrewers.
