"Cold Shocking" Lager yeast?

Newton said:

I'm going to take my first stab at lager beer. I have a crawl space under my stairs that stays a constant 50 degrees all winter and a fridge in my garage that ranges from 33 to 36.

My plan is to do the primary fermentation in the crawl space, rack to corny and then lager the beer till prime summer drinking time. The literature I've read really recommends stepping down the lager temp over several days to avoid "cold shocking" the yeast. I don't really have any means to do this as I don't have any temperature control over the fridge. Anybody have any tips on this? Does skipping the "stepping down" part of lagering really have any affect on the final product, or is this just another brewing old wives tale?

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Newton said:

Thanks for the tips Yooper. I'll probably do a diacetyl rest...but I was thinking also of trying the lagering method proposed in "Brewing Classic Styles". That method is pitching the yeast at 44 degrees and letting the beer rise to its primary temp. Supposedly the primary will then produce little if any noticeable diacetyl, thus eliminating the need for the rest. That being said, I'll probably end up doing a diacetyl rest anyway...

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