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BigFloyd · 01-08-2013, 10:30 PM

Lagering doesn't necessarily mean cold lagering. It can mean carbonating/conditioning your ale in bottles at 70F or using whatever other temp is required for the style.

Wow - a real lager beer first time out of the chute? Here I thought I was being overly ambitious by adding steeped specialty grains and dry hopping to my first Mr. Beer kit.

allanyork · 01-09-2013, 01:25 PM

Turns out the room temp is 21 c hmmmm....turned the thermostat down to 10 in the storage room. I might return the lager a buy an ale

allanyork · 01-10-2013, 06:34 PM

Can I use this wort and put in a different yeast? Perhaps an ale yeast?

**whoaru99** · 01-10-2013, 06:44 PM

Yes, you could use an ale yeast.

I too had concerns about doing a lager (a maibock) considering the necessary lower temperatures. Suggestions were given that I could use a clean ale yeast like US-05 and not need those low lager temps. I ended up making a fermentation chamber from a freezer and doing the lager instead of using ale yeast.

allanyork · 01-11-2013, 12:04 PM

Hmmmm. I'll have to stop into the store to see if I can find some yeast or I might just wing it with what I have.

**pjj2ba** · 01-11-2013, 01:58 PM

One of the more important things about brewing is proper temperature control. Mastering this is one major key to producing great beer batch after batch. This is why it is typically suggested to brew ales first as the temperatures that they ferment at are much easier to adjust/control. Plus with many lagers, the flavors are not as "strong" so any flaws are more noticeable, which can frustrates newbies.

Substituting an ale yeast might not be a bad idea. Plus ales mature quicker so you don't have to wait as long. Now if you do have a place where you can maintain 10 C for the 2-3 weeks while it ferments, and you like lagers, and have the patience to wait, then go for it. Then ideally it should be cold conditioning for 3-4 weeks (lagering) at just above freezing. I brewed quite a few lagers though were I had no way to chill below 10 C and those beers turned out fine. I just took longer for them to condition (yeast to settle). I now can lager year round

allanyork · 01-12-2013, 04:26 PM

OK. But if I was to go pick up an ale yeast is the wort so different that it would taste off? I'm wondering what it would do to the flavor of the blonde lager wort. The s 23 yeast that glcomes with the kit says it can ferment between 18-23 but ideally 8-12. I'm considering picking up a liquid ale yeast and using that if I'm not going to create an abomination. So the type of yeast has a large impact on flavor?

**rklinck** · 01-12-2013, 04:29 PM

See if you can get Kolsch ale yeast. A kolsch is basically an ale version of a German pilsner.

**whoaru99** · 01-12-2013, 05:44 PM

Don't think the wort is the main difference, the yeast and fermentation process is, afaik.

You're not going to get an abomination by any means, but by the same token you're not going to get the exact style intended if you use a different yeast.

freisste · 01-13-2013, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allanyork

OK. But if I was to go pick up an ale yeast is the wort so different that it would taste off? I'm wondering what it would do to the flavor of the blonde lager wort. The s 23 yeast that glcomes with the kit says it can ferment between 18-23 but ideally 8-12. I'm considering picking up a liquid ale yeast and using that if I'm not going to create an abomination. So the type of yeast has a large impact on flavor?

If I am not mistaken, 8-12 will give you the lager you are looking for. On the other hand, 18-23 will give you a California common. Basically you use the same yeast, but stress it into creating "off flavors" to a specific style.

Someone correct me if I am wrong. I almost made the mistake of buying a yeast with a much larger temp range because it would allow me to lager at ale temps. Not so much...