Lager Yeast Temp???

Hey guys I'm trying my second lager and I started wondering about temp ranges for lager yeast.

I'm using Wyeast #2206 Bavarian Lager and it has a temp range of 46-58

Does it matter where in this range you ferment? Does fermenting on the higher or lower end of this temp range effect taste like it does w/ Ale yeast?

Thanks,
Al

By my understanding (someone correct me if I am wrong, I am by no means a lager officianado) shoot for the middle of the range, ~50ish for your main fermentation. This will keep off flavors to a minimum and help to keep diacytel production to a minimum.

Bump.. Thanks weed. Any other opinions from the lager gurus?

Regards,
Al

Well, you should ferment within the recommended temperatures given by the yeast. There would be no reason to worry about the lower end of it, or the higher, unless you were to fall below it, for example.

Agreed Yooper. The only 'advantage' of fermenting in the middle of the range is that you have some leeway to correct temperature differences much easier. Other than that, go with what Yooper said.

For a 1554 clone, I used WLP830 German Lager yeast. The primary was fermented at 66-68 F for 2 weeks. I did a 4 week cold secondary at 40 F. There was an article in the May-June 07 (?) Zymurgy on using yeasts outside their normally recommended temp range, with minimal off tastes. The only issue I had was minimal bottle conditioned carbonation. I used my normal 3/4 cup of corn sugar for priming. There may not have been sufficient yeast left in suspension. If I do this recipe again, I might add some ale yeast at bottling. Otherwise, it came out great. One of my best brews yet.