How do I make a set up for lager brewing.

Ok so I am not quite ready for this but eventually, lager brewing is something I am going to want to do. From my understanding the equipment i will need (in addition to what I already have for my ale homebrews) includes :

A fridge or freezer.
Some sort of upgraded thermostat to control the temperature in a wider range and more specicfically so that I will be ablew to ferment in the mid 50's and lager in the high 30's.

This is all I know. I am just trying to get an idea as to how mutch i will have to spend on this type of setup, and how difficult the modifications will be. Please let me know. Also what is better a chest freezer or a decent size firdge. The freezer to mee seems to be best but can it be regulated to a temperature in the 50s?

Get a chest freezer ($200) and a johnson controller ($59) and that's it. You can spend more on bigger freezers and digital controllers, but after tax, you are looking at $300 to get started with new stuff.

sweet, i have found good condition used chest freezers for 75 to 200 bucks so that'll be sweet, For the johnson controllers is their a website that would sell them or would a hardware store have it? where should i look?

I just picked up a Johnson A19ABC on ebay for $25 shipped, so if you know how to wire it, you can save some cash. Otherwise, any of the brew supply shops online have them ready to go for ~$50-$60.

Scimmia said:

I just picked up a Johnson A19ABC on ebay for $25 shipped, so if you know how to wire it, you can save some cash. Otherwise, any of the brew supply shops online have them ready to go for ~$50-$60.

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sweeeeeeeet! for less than $100 You could have(if you already have them) a Keezer. Well, you'd have no collar and would have to already have some picnic taps... but still!!!

The best part of these things is that they're flexable. Right now it's going on a dorm fridge for fermentation temp control. In the future, who knows!

Don't forget figuring out how you're going to get your wort down into the 50's at chilling time. I know people sometimes pitch warm and then refrigerate but it's not ideal.

Bobby_M said:

Don't forget figuring out how you're going to get your wort down into the 50's at chilling time. I know people sometimes pitch warm and then refrigerate but it's not ideal.

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Good thought. I have a copper wort chiller that i hook to my hose that is pretty effective. If that doesnt get temp to 50 in the summertime, an ce bath should do the trick right?

Ice will work, i have a small submersible pump that i put into a cooler of ice and pump ice water through the chiller and return to the cooler. I use the hose to get the temp down to the mid to low 100s and switch over to the ice, which will take it as low as you need to go.

Bobby_M said:

Don't forget figuring out how you're going to get your wort down into the 50's at chilling time. I know people sometimes pitch warm and then refrigerate but it's not ideal.

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read somewhere on www.howtobrew.com you should pitch the lager yeast at 70 deg then take it down to your fermenting temp.

I prefer to pitch cool (50-55F) and not have to worry too much about diactyl rests, but it does depend on the yeast strain and type of beer.

thooper41 said:

read somewhere on www.howtobrew.com you should pitch the lager yeast at 70 deg then take it down to your fermenting temp.

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Nope, he says that some people do that, but you should pitch at the fermentation temperature.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10-4.html

Scimmia said:

Nope, he says that some people do that, but you should pitch at the fermentation temperature.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10-4.html

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hmm i swore thats where i read that. Oh well i take tips from that website over anywhere else. once i start doing lagers ill do them like it says on that website

Just thought I would comment for future thread searchers, but it is possible to lager without a fridge or chest freezer. I lagered over the summer in a 70qt Igloo Ice Cube Cooler just by switching out bottles of ice every day. I managed to keep the lagering temp at 40 degrees with ambient air temps of 90 or more.