Fermenting temperature question

I am working on my first beer. It is the Brewer's Best European Bock. This beer is supposed to be lagered, which I did to understand when I bought it. However, the kit says you can also ferment at Ale temperatures. It gives initial lagering temps at 53-59. It says you can ferment at Ale temps of 64-72. I am not set up to lager.

My basement is currently 61, right in the middle of their range. Should I care about this temp difference? I can probably find another place in the house to make it warmer, but the temps in the basement are the most stable.

Thanks in advance for any advice. The beer was brewed in the last 24 hours.

Matt

Leave it in the basement. 61 would be a good temp to ferment that at. Cooler temps would most likely just give you a cleaner taste. Also, active fermentation creates heat, so the beer will actually be at a higher temperature than your ambient temperature, maybe by a degree or two.

I guess it depends on the yeast strain...whether it was an ale yeast or lagering yeast. Do you know what the kit came with?

It was a lagering yeast. Unfortunately, the recipe doesn't list any additional information.

Matt

Definitely not cold enough for a lager, just about perfect for an ale. 64 would be too warm for my taste- during active fermentation you can get up to 10F warmer than ambient. If you're using something like the SF lager yeast, you can ferment low 60s for a nice clean steam beer.

Fantastic information, thank you. It sounds like my best path forward is to go with what I have and let it ferment at this temperature. Thank you for your help.

mappler said:

Fantastic information, thank you. It sounds like my best path forward is to go with what I have and let it ferment at this temperature. Thank you for your help.

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How did this beer end up tasting? Any details on the process?

Rick,
The beer initially ended up with an "Apple Cider" flavor. This was my first beer, so I was very eager to get it serving as soon as possible. I kegged it and force carbed it. I did not realize that I had the off flavor until I put it in the fridge and started drinking it. The cider flavor stuck around for about 30-45 days, and then eventually faded away.

Once the apple cider flavor was gone, it was a very tasty beer. My friends and I enjoyed it. However, I like the Left Hand Milk Stout clone from Austin Homebrew better. I also like the Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat from Northern Brewer (technically an oatmeal stout I think).

If I were brewing this again, I would make sure to taste it at the end of fermentation. I would also let it sit in the keg for a month or two to give the yeast time to clean up. The beer got consistently better the longer it sat, and that was in the fridge.

-Matt