Lagering

hey all I haven't posted for a long time but a lot has changed for me. I've succesfully brewed two batches of all-grain stout that turned out great. Today I brewed two batches of beer. the first is an old recipe and one of the stouts I did. it's going to be a carob lavender stout.A recipe my girlfreind came up with. The carob works great. I don't think it's fermentable because it really came out in the fineshed beer. lavendar bitters the beer, I'm pretty sure through experience with this recipe. so, if any ya'll are interested in brewing with dried lavender be forwarned it adds bitterness. anyway, the real reason that I'm writing is because I brewed my first lager today and I'm really nervous. I am doing a light bohemien(spelling?) lager and I know it doesn't leave room for mistakes. all I have is a back closed in porch, two electric blankets, and a small space heater. so I'm wondering.... do ya'll have any lagering stories...froze, too warm, or any suggestions for me going into this?
p.s. I live in minnesota, It's november 14th, it's like 40 degrees out, and it frosts overnight!

cheers
-Bird

I'm brewing my first real lager at the moment, a recipe based off the BYO Warsteiner clone.

Fortunately everything has gone well for me so far, and it's coming into spring here, 20C ambient temperature roughly.

Primary ferment in my kegerator at 12C and lagering now at 5C in the kegerator.

Hopefully all goes well (for both of us )

Good luck!

A sucessful lager really requires constant cool fermenting temps before you reduce the temp to lager. Also pitching a healthy starter of sufficient yeast into well areated/oxygenated wort at fermenting temps.
Temps are dropping here also, but I'm fermenting my lager in my lager fridge.

Hope everything goes well for the both of you.

I live in the Northwest and the nights are in the high 30's to low 40's. My garage has my heater and hot water heater in it and so it sits at about 48 - 55 F most of the cold months. I have been doing my lager fermentations in the garage for the past 3 years and sitting my cornies outside for lagering. It has worked great! I am lucky that winters in the NW seem to have good temperatures for making lagers.

Dr Malt

I just brewed my 1st lager on sat. I pitched my yeast and still no action ( its just settling everything to the bottom). I called my HBS and they said to start out the fermentation @ 70* .Once the kreausen starts drop the temp to 50*-55*. does that sound right?

Huh... maybe I should of let the beer sit at warmer temps before putting in its cold porch home. I pitched a wyeast smack pack and It has stayed at about 55 or so. I brewed about six gallons so most of it is in a bucket and some is in a small gallon wine jug. the jug is going but the bucket isn't. I keep checking it and checking the temp outside and looking up the weather and...I really should be this frantic about Beer but..... you know. I got another question. so I have brewed some batches of ale this summer that got too warm and I definately can recognize the taste when it does. Do lagers get that bad offtaste at like 60 degrees? or what. what happens when lagers brew too warm?

attitude said:

I just brewed my 1st lager on sat. I pitched my yeast and still no action ( its just settling everything to the bottom). I called my HBS and they said to start out the fermentation @ 70* .Once the kreausen starts drop the temp to 50*-55*. does that sound right?

Click to expand...

Yes, they told you right. You have to make sure the yeast is working before getting it colder...

bird said:

Huh... maybe I should of let the beer sit at warmer temps before putting in its cold porch home. I pitched a wyeast smack pack and It has stayed at about 55 or so. I brewed about six gallons so most of it is in a bucket and some is in a small gallon wine jug. the jug is going but the bucket isn't. I keep checking it and checking the temp outside and looking up the weather and...I really should be this frantic about Beer but..... you know. I got another question. so I have brewed some batches of ale this summer that got too warm and I definately can recognize the taste when it does. Do lagers get that bad offtaste at like 60 degrees? or what. what happens when lagers brew too warm?

Click to expand...

No, they don't get off flavors but they do get esters (fruity). Esters are not bad in some beers.

homebrewer_99 said:

Yes, they told you right. You have to make sure the yeast is working before getting it colder...

Click to expand...

Again, I have to ask... do you start your ales at 80+ and cool to 68 to ferment?
I bet you don't.

Lager yeast is designed to work best at lower temps and this includes the start of fermentation. BUT you need an ample supply of healthy yeast ( make a starter ) and you need lots of O2 disolved in the wort to do it properly.

I made a light lager Saturday and pitched lots of yeast that was at 45F into well oxygenated wort that was at 48f and had high krausen on Monday. My fermentation temperture is still at 48f and the yeast is churning away as it would be if it were a ale I was brewing at 68f.

On the various sites I visit, I see posts of people who either pitch just a smack pack or vial of liquid yeast without making a starter into wort or who start fermentation at 70f before dropping the temps complain that their "lager" don't taste right. No big trick to do one. Just make sure your lager has the right tools to do the job.

well I jacked up the temp to 70* last night . Got up this morning and heard the plop plop plop plop of a fermenting beer. turned it down to 52* NICE

boo boo said:

Again, I have to ask... do you start your ales at 80+ and cool to 68 to ferment?
I bet you don't.

Lager yeast is designed to work best at lower temps and this includes the start of fermentation. BUT you need an ample supply of healthy yeast ( make a starter ) and you need lots of O2 disolved in the wort to do it properly.

I made a light lager Saturday and pitched lots of yeast that was at 45F into well oxygenated wort that was at 48f and had high krausen on Monday. My fermentation temperture is still at 48f and the yeast is churning away as it would be if it were a ale I was brewing at 68f.

On the various sites I visit, I see posts of people who either pitch just a smack pack or vial of liquid yeast without making a starter into wort or who start fermentation at 70f before dropping the temps complain that their "lager" don't taste right. No big trick to do one. Just make sure your lager has the right tools to do the job.

Click to expand...

HAHA!! No, I wouldn't start it at 80, just room temp...68-70.

If you've done it at lower temps with success then continue with it.

so my lager is just fine. all that worrying for nothing. I guess there was just a leak in my bucket around the lid. thats why the lock didn't bubble. I tasted the gravity reading and it tastes so smooth. no like fruity flavors that ales have. this is awsome. My back porch is doing just fine. I'm really surprised. it may get tougher going into december when the temps really drop here in minnesota but I'm going to be more optimistic about it.