Lagering Pros vs Cons???

I kinda get what lagering is, seems it takes a lot more equipment and time. Is it worth it? A lager is like Budweiser or Heineken right? Well I prefer the darker beers more anyways so should I just stick to Ales, Porters and Stouts?

Pros of lagering:
- You can make lager.

Cons of lagering:
- You're not making ale.

Seriously though, the fundamental difference as I understand it is the temperature at which you are fermenting (and conditioning). In practical terms, yes, Heineken/Corona/Bud, etc. are lagers, while Guinness/Newcastle/Sierra Nevada are ales. There are a trillion subcategories and styles, but that's the bones of it.

Me? I'm an ale man. And not just because I can't ferment my beer at anything but ambient.

EDIT: Just noticed you're fermenting an Oktoberfest. Are you not lagering that?

Different breed of yeast, that tends to produce a cleaner beer than an ale yeast. I do occasional lagers in the winter and one of my favorites is Schwartzbier.

I guess it's an Octoberfest Ale

borden said:

Pros of lagering:
- You can make lager.

Cons of lagering:
- You're not making ale.

Seriously though, the fundamental difference as I understand it is the temperature at which you are fermenting (and conditioning). In practical terms, yes, Heineken/Corona/Bud, etc. are lagers, while Guinness/Newcastle/Sierra Nevada are ales. There are a trillion subcategories and styles, but that's the bones of it.

Me? I'm an ale man. And not just because I can't ferment my beer at anything but ambient.

EDIT: Just noticed you're fermenting an Oktoberfest. Are you not lagering that?

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akthor said:

A lager is like Budweiser or Heineken right?

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No, you have the implied syllogism backwards. Yes, Budweiser and Heineken are lagers but not all lagers are Budweiser and Heineken.

akthor said:

I kinda get what lagering is, seems it takes a lot more equipment and time. Is it worth it?

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That depends if you like lagers, at least certain ones, well enough to make them yourself. I love good pilsners, Festbiers, Dunkels, bocks and other great lager styles so for me the answer is a resounding yes. If you don't care about lager styles then no, it isn't worth it.

I wouldn't lager if it weren't for the German beers. Oktoberfest, Munich Dunkel, Bock, Doppel Bock. All are fantastic beers.

Agreed, please do not dismiss lagers as American Light Lagers. That is one small style that happens to be a lager.

akthor said:

I guess it's an Octoberfest Ale

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Sounds good to me. Prost!

I am not a fan of Hieneken or Becks either does this mean I wouldn't like the Lagers you listed? Don't get me wrong I drink it if it's free but I don't buy it. Hence I wouldn't make a lager if they are similiar to Heineken or becks.

jason.mundy said:

I wouldn't lager if it weren't for the German beers. Oktoberfest, Munich Dunkel, Bock, Doppel Bock. All are fantastic beers.

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akthor said:

I am not a fan of Hieneken or Becks either does this mean I wouldn't like the Lagers you listed? Don't get me wrong I drink it if it's free but I don't buy it. Hence I wouldn't make a lager if they are similiar to Heineken or becks.

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Lagers are WAY more diverse than those beers on your "will not drink" list. THere is just as much diversity in lagers as there is in ales. Hoppy, malty, bitter, light-colored, dark, etc...they're all there. They all tend to be "cleaner" in ester profile (so not much in terms of fruity apple/pear flavors like a lot of English ales). As a general rule, since most lagers are of German origin, they use German hops.

Here's the BJCP style guide - http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php - categories 1-5 are lagers, and 6 and 7 are "lager-like". Take a look and you'll notice that lagers are more than Heineken and Becks and Budweiser.

What we are really talking about is Lager yeast doesn't add many distracting flavors like polyphenols and esters, lagers allow the malt layers to shine through in the flavor profile. All the German styles are very malt forward. Ales on the other hand add the polyphenols esters to produce different flavors. Like Hefe ale yeast produces a very banana and clove flavor or Rosealare produces a tart sour cherry flavor. Yes Lagers are hard to do well but the rewards of a great malty beer like an Octoberfest are worth the wait and trouble.

Its not really a pro/con thing, its whether you really want to brew the styles. Vienna Lager, Munich Dunkel, Schwartzbier, All of the Bock beers, Oktoberfest. Really, there are just about as many lager styles as there are ales. Even well brewed light lagers can be excellent. Take Victory's Prima Pils for example. Its a German Pils and an excellent beer.

Cons of brewing lagers in general is dedicated space for temp controlled fermentation, and lagering.