Explain Your Lagering Setup...

It's getting close to Lagering Temps here in the North East. My Basement is at a steady 64 degrees already, all day. To Warm to Lager, but it's coming!!!:rockin: Anywho, I have read here that quite a few people have special Fridges set up just for Lagering. Could a few of you go into more detail as to what type of Fridge you are using and how you go about Lagering a Batch?

Watch Craigslist or your local classifeds for a used fridge or chest freezer, then get an external controller like a Ranco or Johnson Controls to regulate temps and your set to go. Doesn't matter what kind, as long as it holds your lagering vessel.

I picked up a sanyo minifridge at costco for $150 - $50 rebate. Turns out, it's the same model fridge they "modify" to make their keggerator. It fits a 5gal carboy just fine with a blowoff hose and container on the side. Even has space for some beers in the back. I have it controlled with a Johnson thermostat. Got a bavarian pilsener in there right now, 3 days into fermentation at 50˚F. The freezer section is good for storing hops, too, as i never fully "defrosts." Yeast goes in the door.

Bernie Brewer said:

Watch Craigslist or your local classifeds for a used fridge or chest freezer, then get an external controller like a Ranco or Johnson Controls to regulate temps and your set to go. Doesn't matter what kind, as long as it holds your lagering vessel.

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I always wondered why you need an external controller for the lagering fridge. Why not just set the thermostat? I know I am missing something, please splain.

Kayos said:

I always wondered why you need an external controller for the lagering fridge. Why not just set the thermostat? I know I am missing something, please splain.

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Internal fridge thermostats have a differential of about 10˚F...which creates too much of a temperature variation for yeast to like, and to be reliable. Most fridges won't let you set the temp much above 50˚F either, with any bit of reliability anyway.

The external thermostats have a differential of between 4 and 1˚F, and a better temp sensor.

Mine is just your basic older model fridge that I installed a Johnson controller
on. It will hold 2 carboys or 1 carboy and 2 kegs.

Kayos, I suppose the confusion is really the fact that a good lager setup is capable of regulating the lager primary ferment (48F-55F) and the lagering itself down in the mid 30F area. Most fridge stats only adjust between 38F and 45F or so which isn't ideal.

My favorite concept of a lagering setup is one that requires the least amount of energy to maintain a relatively tight temp tolerance. That would be like providing heating/cooling in a fridge in a garage that is already at 45F or so. The worst setup would be trying to maintain 35F in a garage that sits at 95F in the summer. I brew in the garage so I'd love to ferment there too. Unfortunately, it's just too darn hot in the summer so I bring the fermenter to the basement where it's always about 70F ambient. That is, my fermenting freezer uses less energy there.

I have a chest freezer from Sam's Club fitted with an analog Johnson temp controller. Works like a charm. Very accurate.

I'll be using my old kegger, which is a 10 cu ft, for all fermentation from now on. I've got a Ranco controller and a min/max thermometer as a check. Ran the probe cables through the hole where the CO2 line ran. Before I only lagered in the winter. Ferment in the unheated, but insulated brewery; then lagering in the new garage. I have the option now of cranking the fermentation cabinet's temperature down, or putting it to lager in the new kegger.

Like the others, I got a scratch and dent chest freezer and hooked up a controller to it. That's all it takes.

If you are concerned about energy conservation (like we ought to be), a chest freezer is the way to go. If you are more concerned about your back, then you may want a standup refrigerator.


TL

Great info. I am getting my mindset straight now.

Next:

Lagering procedure. Can you explain? I see ferment at 45-55, then condition (lager) at 35-45? Is that all there is to it? How much time at each stage?

(sorry for the thread jack)

I usually ferment at around 50 and condition at 34. For time, that's up to your beer. Ferment until the fermentation is done, and condition until the beer is yummy. The first lager I made still smelled like rotten eggs after a month. I forgot about it for a couple months, on purpose, and then it was excellent.


TL

So do you condition after bottling or condition in the carboy cold? Just wondering how you can tell when it is "yummy". Keep drawing samples of the still beer or bottle, warm to carb, then cold condition.

Well, I've never actually bottled a lager. I keep it in the secondary for a few weeks or so and then rack to a keg, carbonate, and lager at 34F. I take a sample every so often to see when it's ready to drink.

If I were to bottle, I would open a bottle every two weeks or once a month to see where the beer was in its development. There is no reason to check very often, and I would give it AT LEAST a month after bottling. It probably wouldn't hurt to give it six weeks, if you can stand it that long.


TL