Vienna Lager

So I took revvy's recipe for an all grain vienna lager https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f59/revvys-vienna-lager-147772/
and had my lhbs convert it into a partial mash. Anyhow I'm a little concerned about my temperature control. I can put it in the garage but the temp is going to fluctuate. So I figure I have a couple options I wanted some input. Temps in Utah are highs of 50's and lows of 35-40 and will be dropping here in the next few weeks. My garage is insulated but the door will be opened and closed a lot so I know I can't count on a constant temperature.

1) Pitch the lager yeast and hope it is close to that temp in the garage and then put it in the freezer at the 35 for the second month

2) Pitch the lager yeast and just leave it in the house around 65 and call it a steam beer.

3) Pitch my muntons ale yeast and just make a regular ole ale.

What do you think would be best? or is it just personal preference

I'd try the first. The yeast will generate some metabolic heat during active fermentation, so it'll probably be a little warmer than ambient air temps. To insulate it from getting too cold wrap a blanket around it at night. And keep one of those sticker thermometers stuck onto the fermenter to monitor the temp. It'll probably be just right!

Sweet thanks, I could use a keg to do the secondary right? then just switch to a serving keg when its done?

I don't have fancy temp control, I just ghetto lager it in my garage. So I would go with option #1 as well.

I'm trying to remember if I ever pitched an ale yeast on it, but a neutral ale yeast would probably make for a nice beer even if not a true vienna stout.

Hey will you post your lhb's extract conversion recipe in my thread, so other folks can use it?

Yes I will when I get home (who knows how close it will be) Also I just read the John Palmer post about when to move to a secondary and how he has changed his mind with new advancements made in yeast ect. He even said this can be the case with lagers. So do you think it is necessary for me to move this lager to a secondary or just move it to a lower temp.

benharper13 said:

Yes I will when I get home (who knows how close it will be) Also I just read the John Palmer post about when to move to a secondary and how he has changed his mind with new advancements made in yeast ect. He even said this can be the case with lagers. So do you think it is necessary for me to move this lager to a secondary or just move it to a lower temp.

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I still haven't quite made that comfort level jump to no secondarying with lagers. I know a few folks who do, and even though I am the biggest proponent of long primary/no secondary, for most lagers I would still secondary to lager. BUT most lagers are NOT darker lagers like viennas or bocks or swartzbiers... Maybe for darker lagers you can get away with no secodnary lagering, BUT if you are making a BMC-esque light lager I would still rack to a true secondary for that. Even a keg.

Revvy said:

I'm trying to remember if I ever pitched an ale yeast on it, but a neutral ale yeast would probably make for a nice beer even if not a true vienna stout.

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I brew 10 gallon batches and some times pitch an ale yeast to half and a lager yeast to the other half just to see what the differences are. Several times I've done this with a vienna lager (german lager yeast and a german ale yeast) and every time the ale seemed to end up having more flavor where the lager seemed cleaner, but less interesting.

I'll be brewing a vienna next week and using the german ale yeast on all 10 gallon.

sorry revvy tried to get the recipe but I don't have it they mixed all the grains into one bag for my partial mash and gave me 6 lbs of lme coopers light malt. I know he used the grains you have listed but I don't have the amounts