Primary lager temp minimum

Okay, so I usually brew ales because of temp control limitations. Over the last few weeks the temperature has kept at a near constant 40-42 degrees in my garage and I have lagered two ales in there. Now this is a bit below the primary temp for lagers, can I lager?

I was thinking about pitching double the yeast and putting a blanket around the lager. Let me know if this is a dumb idea or if I can make it happen. Nothing has been bought yet for ingredients but my budget is low so equiptment is out of the question other than what I have... Which is nothing.

You might be able to get away with fermenting at those temps depending on the yeast, but lagering needs to happen around freezing temps (32 - 34 F).

nukebrewer said:

You might be able to get away with fermenting at those temps depending on the yeast, but lagering needs to happen around freezing temps (32 - 34 F).

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It was my understanding that lager yeast needs the 50-60 range to ferment. And while I acknowledge that lagering in a secondary usually happens near freezing the closest I'm going to get to that is cracking my garage door open and hoping for even lower temps.

Thanlin said:

It was my understanding that lager yeast needs the 50-60 range to ferment. And while I acknowledge that lagering in a secondary usually happens near freezing the closest I'm going to get to that is cracking my garage door open and hoping for even lower temps.

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50 - 60 is the generally the optimum range, but it's not unheard of for it to work at lower temperatures, albeit a lot slower. If we assume you're fermenting at 42 F then the actual temperature inside will be at least a few degrees higher since the fermentation process generates heat, so I think you're safe there.

I don't think you should have any issues lagering at 40 F assuming you give it a while longer in the lagering phase than you would if you were lagering around freezing temps.