Who actually Lagers, is it worth it?

I've had a couple lagers that were pretty good and a ton of ales that I loved. For me it's just not worth setting up something for lagering. Maybe if I ever get sick of ales (unlikely) or find a lager style I really love (definitely possible) I finally break down and set up something to lager. Until then I have tons of ales to brew.

Craig

what do you guys mean that lagering cleans up the beer?

how viable is it to just wrap your carboy with ice in a cooler?

El_Borracho said:

what do you guys mean that lagering cleans up the beer?

how viable is it to just wrap your carboy with ice in a cooler?

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There's a couple of things going on with lagers "cleaning up" a beer. The yeast are still acting (albeit slowly) and processing some of their byproducts. Probably more importantly, cold storage helps make things like tannins and proteins fall out of suspension.

Lots of people do primary fermentation for lagers using some kind of water/ice bath (usually frozen water bottles so as to not add more water volume as they melt). For longer-term lagering, it would seem tough to get down into the 30°s or low 40°s, but it still should be OK.

hjherbenson said:

I usually brew 10 gals then split it betwen two carboys one gets a ale yeast the other gets lagered. This week I'm doing my Phat Tyre one with Fat Tire ale yeast the other with a Octoberfest then just before bottling brew a Imperial version and poor right on the origanal yeast cake. Should be lots of fun

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Helles Yes! Nice experiment. I love it.

I like to have at least 10 gallons actively lagering at any given time. Right now I have 20 gallons lagering, my bohemian pilzner, and my SMP (single malt pils). I recently picked up a 14.5 gallon conical fermenter for lagering.

There are many benefits to lagering. One of the biggest IMHO is that it does make for a crisp, clean, polished beer.

I find lagering to be yet another arrow in my quiver, along with making decoctions. Doing it right is not complicated, but refining it with pinpoint precision may take some time. On a side note I typically cold condtion all my stouts nowadays.

Just something else to ponder. I feel that with Lagers it is all about simplicity, straight forward ingredient choice and most importantly process. With lagers, because of these aspects (generally speaking here) your skill set and experience as a brewer will show more.

zoebisch01 said:

Just something else to ponder. I feel that with Lagers it is all about simplicity, straight forward ingredient choice and most importantly process. With lagers, because of these aspects (generally speaking here) your skill set and experience as a brewer will show more.

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agreed

Munich Helles is in the bottle to finish Lagering. I cracked one open last night just to check it out and test carbonation progress.
It tasted good! Much more malt flavor than I expected. When I bottled it, the few samples I got tasted like water, not sure why.

Mild malt flavor, barely a hint of Hallertaur, no floral or fruityness(PHEW!!) I think it will be good!

Decided to brew a Marzen right on that yeast cake. It is bubbling away. I may be a winter lagerer for life now. I may even pick up a used fridge and have one going all of the time!

That's what I have. I always have a lager going in there seeing as it is cooling the rest of my homebrew. Lagering is definitely worth it-it mellows out the beer for a more favorable flavor profile.

cheezydemon said:

Munich Helles is in the bottle to finish Lagering. I cracked one open last night just to check it out and test carbonation progress.
It tasted good! Much more malt flavor than I expected. When I bottled it, the few samples I got tasted like water, not sure why.

Mild malt flavor, barely a hint of Hallertaur, no floral or fruityness(PHEW!!) I think it will be good!

Decided to brew a Marzen right on that yeast cake. It is bubbling away. I may be a winter lagerer for life now. I may even pick up a used fridge and have one going all of the time!

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Glad it's turning out well! Let us know how it is when it's done carbonating. Mine tasted VERY malty when I tasted it before it was done carbonating/conditioning. After 3 to 4 weeks in the bottle, all of the malt and subtle hops seemed to meld together into a nice balance. It was awesome! Sounds like yours is on the right track.

Thanks to all, criticism and help alike, but most of all to you mensch, and yooper too!

I just pulled my mini fridge out of the basement for use in lagering. Some of you have mentioned you added in a temp controller with your lagering fridge. How easy is it to add in a temp controller like that? My minifridge is a Haier.

I make a lot of lagers and while they are good, they are not exactly what I'm looking for in my lagers. I'm still experimenting with different hops and yeast strains to get that "taste" I'm looking for. Basicially, I'm looking for an exact Molson Canadian clone. I've made clones of Heinekin, PU, and German lagers which are good, but I do love the taste of a cold Molson's.
Might take a while to acheive, given the time it takes to make a good lager, but I will do it eventually.

I think I might try the wyeast 2112 California Lager. My basement is just the right temperature now.

menschmaschine said:

Glad it's turning out well! Let us know how it is when it's done carbonating. Mine tasted VERY malty when I tasted it before it was done carbonating/conditioning. After 3 to 4 weeks in the bottle, all of the malt and subtle hops seemed to meld together into a nice balance. It was awesome! Sounds like yours is on the right track.

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Yes, something is going on there when the beer is lagered or just aged for a longer time. Maltiness, that wasn't there after primary fermentation, suddenly starts to appear. Especially in the aroma.

I'm never satisfied with the taste from the primary, but I learned to wait and see what the beer will be like after a few more weeks.

Kai

Thank the maker! I was thinking at bottling "oh what have I done?!?!". Now I just have to be patient and let them finish. I am certain at this point that they will be good, and that they will only improve with more cold weather.

I'm picking up my cheapo lagering fridge this afternoon, and I have a n00b lagering question: assuming there's no hurry to produce a beer, would there be a benefit to lagering any beer - even an ale or a strong Belgian? To put it slightly differently, would a month of cold secondary be better than a month of room-temperature secondary?

If you have the room for it, Danek, the answer is yes. If you bottle condition though, it would behoove you to bottle first and leave it at 70 degrees for 3 weeks, THEN cold condition. If you're kegging, well, then just keg it.