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billc68 · 04-30-2010, 01:31 PM

That is what I will do for all Lagers from here on in (except the Coopers as I do have one canned kit left to try)

Has anyone ever fermented Lagers at warmer temps? 68-70F? I was told I could as long as I was very patient. However I am not sure if this worked, I did get fermentation, I did rack to a secondary but am thinking of racking again as I have a lot of sediment, it is now sitting at 39F in my keggerator for the last two days, mind you this is a California Lager yeast so I might get away with the warmer temps.

billc68 · 05-04-2010, 07:31 PM

So lager for 1-2 months before carbonating?

I am guessing I messed this one up, I will just have to be patient to see what happens.

I can't remember the exact details but I fermented my Cerveza using California Lager yeast at room temp (about 70) it fermented for about 2 weeks, maybe 3 then I racked to a carboy for a few weeks. Then I decided, now that I have a keggerator, I moved it to the keggerator at about 40. It has been sitting in there for a week or two.

I now realize I have no room in my keggerator for my next lager which I want to do properly. Can I move this brew to a keg (which is way thinner than my carboy) and let it lager in there? Could I also add my priming sugar now and let it carbonate over the next 2 months or so?

billc68 · 05-13-2010, 12:26 AM

Ok, I have just partially kegged and bottled my lager and primed both the the keg and the bottles.

NOW, what temp do I carbonate at? 50 in my fridge? or 70 at room temp?

***Yooper*** · 05-13-2010, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billc68

Ok, I have just partially kegged and bottled my lager and primed both the the keg and the bottles.

NOW, what temp do I carbonate at? 50 in my fridge? or 70 at room temp?

Room temperature.

billc68 · 05-13-2010, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

Room temperature.

That was my assumption and that is where it is for now... two weeks and into the fridge.

stevehaun · 05-13-2010, 02:30 PM

Just to expand the discussion a bit. I do my lagers slightly differently than previous posters.
1. Chill wort to 60 F
2. Pitch generous amount of yeast slurry (minimum starter size 3 quarts per 5 gallons)
3. Cool wort to 50 F over the next 8 hours.
4. Ferment 3-4 weeks. I perform the diacetyl rest if the yeast strain requires it. If I do a diacetyl rest, I would warm the fermenter to 60F after about 10-14 days of fermentation. My total fermentation time would be shorter if I do the rest.
5. Rack into keg and lager at 35F for 1-2 months.

I use Wyeast 2206 almost exclusively for all my lagers. I have found that I do not need a diacetyl rest with this strain so I usually ferment for 3-4 weeks at 50F, rack to a keg and start lagering at 35F.

Brewing Clamper · 05-13-2010, 02:39 PM

So, now the question is, when you make a starter, what temp to you ferment that at?

billc68 · 05-13-2010, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevehaun

Just to expand the discussion a bit. I do my lagers slightly differently than previous posters.
1. Chill wort to 60 F
2. Pitch generous amount of yeast slurry (minimum starter size 3 quarts per 5 gallons)
3. Cool wort to 50 F over the next 8 hours.
4. Ferment 3-4 weeks. I perform the diacetyl rest if the yeast strain requires it. If I do a diacetyl rest, I would warm the fermenter to 60F after about 10-14 days of fermentation. My total fermentation time would be shorter if I do the rest.
5. Rack into keg and lager at 35F for 1-2 months.

I use Wyeast 2206 almost exclusively for all my lagers. I have found that I do not need a diacetyl rest with this strain so I usually ferment for 3-4 weeks at 50F, rack to a keg and start lagering at 35F.

I am brewing tonight using a Wyeast Czech Pilsner, my plan is to pitch it at room temp and the move it to my fridge set at 50, I am brewing 5 IMP Gallons almost 6 US gallons so I am sure it will be close to 8 hours for it to cool to 50.

How do I know if it needs a Diacetyl rest and how long do I rest it for?

Would I just remove the fermenter from the fridge, then rack to carboy after it warms up or rack right away?

Thanks

You guys are great by the way.

stevehaun · 05-13-2010, 06:16 PM

Brewing clamper:
I ferment my lager starters at room temp and then chill for about 24 hours to drop suspended yeast before decanting and pitching the slurry.

Billc68:
I think that as long as you chill the wort quickly (< 12 hours) you will be fine. I would start to worry about off flavors if it took much longer to chill the wort to 50F. This is a lager brewing controversy: chill the wort to fermenting temps and then pitch the yeast versus chill wort to 60-70F, pitch the yeast and then chill the wort to fermenting temps. My approach is somewhat of a compromise.

I learned from other brewers that 2206 doesn't usually need a rest. I don't know about the yeast you are using. There is no harm in performing a rest and it is quite easy to do.

Diacetyl rest is typically for 48-72 hours. To perform the rest you could move the fermenter out of the fridge (or raise the temp in the fridge) for 48 to 72 hours and then rack. You want the yeast cake present for the rest. It is really that simple.

billc68 · 05-14-2010, 12:47 AM

Well according to the yeast package, Wyeast recommends, pitching the yeast directly from the swollen smack pack at 70-75 and once fermentation is evident, adjust it to the desired fermentation temp.
That's what I will try for now.