Forgiving Lager

I just got a chest freezer, and my control unit is on the way. Anyone know of a Lager that is good for the first time Lager brewer?

I have to say, my first lager was a Killian's Red clone kit from AHS and now that it's been in the bottle for a month, it is by far my favorite home brew to date. Then again, it's also the ONLY lager I've done that is ready to drink so I can't compare it to other lager recipes.

If you stick to a kit, I don't suppose you can go wrong.

BOCKBOCKBOCKBOCKBOCKBOCK...............yummy

It's my favorite style, so I'm a bit biased........

My first lager is doing the diacetyl rest thing right now. It's an Octoberfest AG kit from Midwest HB. I'll be brewing a Maibock AG kit from Austin HB on New Years eve.

Pick something simple for your first lager. Single infuse, and make sure you ( and this is my take on lagers ) pitch a BIG starter at slightly below fermenting temps into well aerated wort at fermenting temps. Keep your lager at steady fermenting temps until it almost finished ( 2 to 3 weeks ) and raise the temps to 60f until fermenting is finished. Rack into secondary and drop your temps to about 34f and lager for a month or more. Bottle or keg using your preferred methods of normal carbonation. If bottling keep at room temps for a week or so before dropping back to cold temps for storage. It may take a while to carbonate in bottle as the yeast isn't as active as it would be say for an ale.

And least but not last, have patience. Making good lagers isn't as forgiving as making ales, but it gives me better satisifaction in doing something I'm not susposed to be good at and proving people wrong.

I love lagers for drinking but love ales for the taste.

I like beer...it makes me a jolly good fellow... I like beer....

Oh oh oh I can't wait till we get our own house. I don't think I'll have the ability to lager until then :/

ablrbrau said:

BOCKBOCKBOCKBOCKBOCKBOCK...............yummy

It's my favorite style, so I'm a bit biased........

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umm... a chicken beer? ... woah... I've had way too much coffee this morning...

I ended up getting a Brewers Best kit at my local brew store called Continental Pilsner. I substituted the dry yeast for the Wyeast Pilson lager. It’s sitting in the chest freezer now at about 50 degrees and I’m getting a bubble per second 24 hours after pitching.

unclefrank said:

I ended up getting a Brewers Best kit at my local brew store called Continental Pilsner. I substituted the dry yeast for the Wyeast Pilson lager. It’s sitting in the chest freezer now at about 50 degrees and I’m getting a bubble per second 24 hours after pitching.

Click to expand...

If all you've brewed is ales, don't wait for the fermentation to become vigorous - it won't. As long as something is going on, it should be fine. A lagers fermentation is slow.

Ales = Hare
Lagers = Tortoise