Can I "lager" in the low 50's?

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timOD

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I'm looking into brewing my first lager, but I don't have the money or equipment to properly lager. I've found the sump pump closet in my basement remains a pretty constant 52 degrees. I figure thats good for the primary fermentation. Is there any benefit to a long "lager" period if I can only do it at 52 degrees?
 
You can ferment in the low 50's, not lager. Lagering generally takes place in the mid 30's.
 
Volcom-Brewer said:
Doesn't an Oktoberfest only stay at 52*F until it's ready?
Click to expand...

Well, you can ferment it at 52, depending on yeast strain. I know that before refrigeration, it probably didn't get much cooler than that while being stored. ("lager" means "to store")

But since refrigeration, I would say that most brewers will try to lager as cold as possible, near freezing, for the entire lagering period.

Kaiser has a great write up on lagers, here: http://www.braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fermenting_Lagers
 

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