So Confused , Please help

Ok so I am brewing my first batch.
Pilsner Urquell clone

I let it ferment in the primary for 10 days and then it stopped.
I transferred to secondary and it fermented for about 30 minutes.
- transferred to my basement were it is about 55 degrees and the fermentation stopped.

Here is where the confusion sets in. I have seen that the secondary is for clarity but in the clone brew book states to " add beer to secondary fermentor, add 1/2 oz saaz and left ferment.
when fermentation stops add sugar and bottle."

Does it still need to ferment?
Is the secondary only for clarity in this one?

I have also ready that the lager's need to lager, what does that mean?

Sorry for the confusion.

wdent said:

Ok so I am brewing my first batch.
Pilsner Urquell clone

I let it ferment in the primary for 10 days and then it stopped.
I transferred to secondary and it fermented for about 30 minutes.
- transferred to my basement were it is about 55 degrees and the fermentation stopped.

Here is where the confusion sets in. I have seen that the secondary is for clarity but in the clone brew book states to " add beer to secondary fermentor, add 1/2 oz saaz and left ferment.
when fermentation stops add sugar and bottle."

Does it still need to ferment?
Is the secondary only for clarity in this one?

I have also ready that the lager's need to lager, what does that mean?

Sorry for the confusion.

Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken Saaz is a hop, therefore you would be adding more hops to secondary, this is called "Dry Hopping".

Typically secondary is for letting you beer settle out, therefore clearing it. Some beers do not really require this, Wheat beers for example.

Sometimes when your beer is transfered to secondary it stirs up the yeast and causes a little more fermenting. This is common and will settle down.

One saying that some people follow, myself included, is the 1-2-3 method:
1 week in primary
2 weeks in secondary
3 weeks in the bottle

If you are ever unsure as to whether you are ready to move to secondary or to bottle, your hydrometer will tell you.

Now here is a question for you, what kind of yeast did you use?

You picked a lager as your first beer, which is alot different from brewing an ale, if you are using lager yeast and don't have the proper temperature control it is not going to turn out well. Hopefully this wont turn you off to home brewing, but the type of yeast you use makes a difference for the answers to your question about lagers needing to lager.

If you did use a lager yeast, they are refering to storing the beer at cool temperatures 34 to 45 degrees farenheit usually for a couple months, think inside your refridgerator cold. The temperature also needs to remain relatively constant.

Thanks for the replies.
I used a Czech yeast (lager) from the recipe.
The temp was around 55-60 during primary fermentation
My basement has dropped in temp now and during the secondary it is 50-55 degrees.

Will this make the beer taste bad?
I will never give up.
Going this weekend to get ingredients for the second batch I may pick an ALE this time.
During winter I will try a few more lagers

On a side note. Within the next few weeks it should be cooling off and the basement would be that temp. What would happen if I left the carboy to Lager or is it too late since it was warmer during fermentation.

Your beer will taste very different from what you were expecting, the proper lagering schedule for different kinds of lager yeasts can be found on the internet, usually I do mine at 50 to 55 degrees F in the primary for 10 days, and then a minimum of a month in the secondary between 34 and 38. I don't have much better temperature control than that, and sometimes I wish I did, I imagine my product would come out a little more consistent.

When you brew with lager yeast at ale temperatures it is technically called a "Steam Beer" you should look it up on the internet. I cant specifically tell you what your beer is going to taste like or know what additional flavors the lager yeast will add. It will definitely be drinkable, but might not be the best tasting or taste the way you want. Ales are much easier and take less time than the lagers. The term lager comes from the German word "to store", so they take time, you could conceivably brew an ale this weekend and have it ready before your lager.

I myself brewed an oktoberfest or "Marzen" back in June, and it is not going to be ready until about thanksgiving, so some lagers need to be stored for quite a while. Good luck, and let me know how this turns out.

not to mention that many times a lager needs to be warmed up at the end of primary for about 2 days for a 'diacetyl rest', then put in secondary and cold conditioned.

expect your clone to have a little more 'character' than a traditional Pilsner Urquell (a tastey lager by the way).

you didn't ruin anything, it'll be plenty drinkable. however you might wanna look at some ales for your next few batches until you can maintain and regulate lager temps.