hey guys ive been wanting to do a lager, but i want to do it the easiest way possible, if i stuck my fermenter in a large plastic bucket with ice water and kept it around 40 or so and just checked it once a day and added ice when needed, would this work out? or just be too much of a hassle? Thanks in advanced
Lagering setup?
- Thread starter Buck33
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I use this method to stay around 50 and it works fine for me. I check temp and add ice as needed twice per day. The ambient air temp where the fermenter is stays at 60. If it were 70, it would be too much of a hassle to maintain temp.
bruin_ale
Well-Known Member
that will work for primary, but how are you going to do an actual (near freezing) lagering phase?
rycov
Well-Known Member
in the fridge?
This is all dependent on his marital/relationship status.
Edit: I suppose Buck could be female, but "his" is probably safe.
rycov
Well-Known Member
lol. sorry man
check this out: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Fermenting_Lagers
Basically, you are fermenting cold (depending on yeast strain, usually 45-55), then storing the beer at even colder temps (as low as 32) for awhile. If you are bottling, you would do that after the lagering period.
esarkipato
Well-Known Member
I say go for it! I am, and I'm in the same boat as you. I've pitched a 1/2 gal starter of WLP810 into what is otherwise a pale ale with Hallertau hops. I put the 6g carboy in an 18 gallon tote filled with water, on my basement floor. No ice additions, but I'm thinking it's fermenting around 50-55 right now. I am going to see what the forecast is outside in a few weeks when it's time for secondary. I might lager in the garage with some janky insulative setup to stabilize temps. Otherwise a long "cold-condition" around 50 in teh basement will at least be something.
If you are like me, you are just curious what the profile of a clean lager yeast has to offer, and whether you are able to make it happen without keezers etc.
If you are like me, you are just curious what the profile of a clean lager yeast has to offer, and whether you are able to make it happen without keezers etc.
The beer would freeze and the glass carboy would break.
I have a Yooper Lagerator (pictures in my gallery). It's just an Ice Cube cooler, and I made a new lid out of foam insulation so that the airlock pokes out. By putting a water bath in the cooler, and the fermenter in the water bath, I drop a frozen water bottle in there whenever needed or just change them out every other day. I float a floating thermometer in the water batch to check on it, and I can easily maintain 50 degree fermentation temperatures. After that, I can easily take it out, do the diacetyl rest, then rack the beer and start lagering. By adding more frozen water bottles, I can keep it at 34 degrees for weeks. It's easier to do this in the winter in my basement, though! I wouldn't try it in a hot attic in the summer.
What's great about that setup is I can also bring fermentation temperatures UP with a cheap aquarium heater if I need to.
What's great about that setup is I can also bring fermentation temperatures UP with a cheap aquarium heater if I need to.
Similar threads
