I read several posts on this topic and couldnt find exactly what I am looking for.
Anyways, I just started brewing in February and want to try my hand a some lagers this winter. I have a fermentation chamber and have no issues controlling the the temp. However, I dont want to run the fridge that long if I dont have to. Where I live (Cleveland area) its gets very cold during the winter and the average highs in the winter are generally in the low to mid 30s.
So, would it be okay to just transfer the beer to a keg after fermentation and let it lager in my detached garage for 6-8 weeks? My main concern is that it can get very cold at night, into the teens, and sometimes we have stretches where the high is only in the 20's. If the beer freezes while lagering, will that cause any issues. I know it can kill the yeast, but since im kegging, that doesnt matter to me.
I figure they use to lager this way before refrigeration, so I dont see why it wont work now
Anyways, I just started brewing in February and want to try my hand a some lagers this winter. I have a fermentation chamber and have no issues controlling the the temp. However, I dont want to run the fridge that long if I dont have to. Where I live (Cleveland area) its gets very cold during the winter and the average highs in the winter are generally in the low to mid 30s.
So, would it be okay to just transfer the beer to a keg after fermentation and let it lager in my detached garage for 6-8 weeks? My main concern is that it can get very cold at night, into the teens, and sometimes we have stretches where the high is only in the 20's. If the beer freezes while lagering, will that cause any issues. I know it can kill the yeast, but since im kegging, that doesnt matter to me.
I figure they use to lager this way before refrigeration, so I dont see why it wont work now