Basement cold enough for lager?

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FrewBrew

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I just started my first lager tonight, and am wondering if my basement floor will be cold enough to cool it. I live in Upstate NY, and the room in the basement that I brew in is usually about 55-60 degrees (generally the lower end) this time of year. Will this be cool enough for a lager?


btw, the brew is a German Bock lager
 
That's a little warm for fermenting most lager yeasts. Try putting it in an outside corner of the basement and covering it with a blanket or two to block the heat.
 
From what i understand true lagering requers you to step the temperature down to a pretty low level over a certian period of time. Do a search for lagering, theres a lot of posts on this.
 
I think their garden is right outside their door.

As long as the temp remains relatively stable there should be no problem...however, I don't think that is the case. You'll really need to regulate the temp a bit more strictly.
 
I think what he's suggesting is that you leave it outsode for lagering.

I don't know what weather lis like in New York, but here in Wisconsin you'd end up with a big beer ice cube.
 
Gotcha... not QUITE that cold out yet... I guess what I COULD do though, is setup some sort of a stand in my basement walkway, and put it there in another week - 2 weeks, as it's getting to that time of year where it'll be ~40 for a while.

Today, my fermenter was right around 62 degrees, it's still in the primary, so, from what research I've done so far, that should be good, once I transfer to 2ndary is when I have to drop it down... correct??
 
The two conditions I would make sure I could satisfy before setting a fermenter outside would be: 1) constant temperature day & night, 2) no light. A shed might meet the requirements.

In McGrath's case I would add another condition and that's that it is well hidden in case rioting Parisians make it across the English Channel.
 
Would a Kolch or California Common strain work at those temps? I'd imagine they'd ferment very lager like at those temps (assuming they'd work at all).
 
BeeGee said:
The two conditions I would make sure I could satisfy before setting a fermenter outside would be: 1) constant temperature day & night, 2) no light. A shed might meet the requirements.

In McGrath's case I would add another condition and that's that it is well hidden in case rioting Parisians make it across the English Channel.

We have a walkout basement doorway, which is enclosed (doors that close), and gets very little light. The only issue I'd be worried about is the temperature fluctuation. The temperature DOES vary, but Im thinking with the concrete steps and being enclosed, the fluctuation is going to be much less than what is going on outside.

hmmm... things to think about. I've got 10 days before I have to have a decisive decision
 
You can try moving the fermenter to a large tub filled with water, Add ice and monitor the temps closely. I have seen others here suggest this method so I can't take credit. :D
As an aside, glad to see another New Yorker, I'm down the thruway from you in Albany. Good luck
 
FrewBrew said:
The only issue I'd be worried about is the temperature fluctuation. The temperature DOES vary, but Im thinking with the concrete steps and being enclosed, the fluctuation is going to be much less than what is going on outside.

For around $20 you can buy a digital thermometer that will keep track of the observed high and low temperatures, as well as the current temperature. I've got one that works pretty well, and if it ever cools down around here again I'm going to stick it in my non-insulated garage and see if I'm dealing with a lager-able environment before winter proper sets in.
 
Hey, BeeGee...

Since you and I are dealing with the same temperatures here, here's what I have been thinking lately (granted, I benefit from having a dedicated brew-fridge in the garage, but....)

Have you ever noticed that a jug of iced tea (with ice cubes in it) in the fridge will sit there for several days before the last of the ice cubes actually melts? This means that the ice and tea mixture is maintaining 32F the entire time the ice is still present. Only after the last of the ice has melted will the temp start to go above 32 degrees.

If it drops and stays below 45 degrees here in the winter, I think that lagering at 32F would be pretty easy to do if the fermenter is kept in an ice-water bath in the garage (or in a fridge.)

Sure, you would have to add more ice from time to time, but if you have a half dozen empty milk jugs, you could rotate them out; three in the water bath, three in the freezer. When the three in the bath melt, swap them with the three in the freezer. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Seems like we could lager, even if the outside temp is in the low 40's.

-walker

disclaimer: I have not yet spent a winter in North Carolina, so I don't know if the temp will be in the 40's or not.
 
The temperature will be all over the place around here (sometimes highs < freezing and sometimes lows > 50), but I think your plan would work well for the lagering aspect. I think that would be fine...it's the fermentation that I'm concerned about since I'm brewfridgeless. I figure if you time it right around here you could ferment a batch or two in late fall, lager in early winter and be golden. If your garage is insulated it should be no problem at all...I just need to measure the day/night temperature swing in mine.
 
My garage is 'half-assed' insulated. I was seeing temp swings of about 10 degrees last week when we had that cold spell. (low 50's at night, low 60's during the day.)

The one thing that I don't like about the half-ass insulation job is that the master bedroom and my daughter's nursery are sitting on top of said garage. It gets pretty damn cold in those bedrooms at night, but just 15 feet away (above the 'normal' part of the house) it's much warmer.

-walker
 
My basement brew room stays 58-62 for most of the winter season. That range works well for scottish ales, alts, kolschs and steam beer.
Before I got my temp controlled cooler I used steam beer yeast for several lagers with good results. You can get a good lagerish beer without having to spend any time in the 30s.
 
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