Lager Temps

So I recently bought a fridge that I want to use as a kegerator and to brew some lagers in as well. I have a temp controller and have it set to 48 degrees.

I have seen that a lot of people ferment their lagers, do a diacetyl rest, and then drop the temp to 32-34 for several weeks. The only way I can get those temps is out in the garage during the winter.

So I was wondering if I can just keep it at around the mid 40s during the lagering phase or does it have to be stored in the low 30's? I presume that the lower 30's make the beer clearer and cleaner tasting.


Thanks

Surely the fridge can get into the mid to upper 30s°F. That would be OK for lagering. The colder, the better, but if you can get into the 30s°F it should still be good.

The way I do mine is I ferment around mid 40s till I think its almost done then I take it out of the fridge for a couple days and let it warm up to 55-60? whatever the temp in my garage is in the winter. Then after 2-3 days of that, back into the fridge and just turn the temp down a degree or two every couple of days till it gets to just above freezing. Then after a couple weeks really cold and the yeast has crashed out, I'll rack it into a carboy and put it back in there to stay for an indetermined period of time - it varies, basically I let it sit in there till I finish the keg that I want to put it in and am nearly out of similar beer to drink. So after anywhere from 2-3 weeks maybe up to 7-8 months of sitting in the fridge lagering, I'll keg it up. I use the same fridge for holding the kegs as I go for lagering which is not ideal because I have some Ales and generally they're not supposed to be served so cold - but I make do with what I have. I try to drink the Ales while the Lager is in the primary ferment and the temps are mid 40s-low 50s. Right now I have more Ales on taps than Lagers, and that needs to change because I drink a lot more Lager than Ale beer, that was kind of bad planning on my part but I've ended up with 2-3 big Ales and even though they're good, I'd much rather drink light hybrid type beers or Crisp Lagers where I can have 5-6 glasses or more and keep going - with my IPAs, APAs, and Browns might be able to have a second glass but generally to filling to drink.

Anyway, you make do with what you got you know ? If you can't get down to 30s, no need to fret about it.

He reason why I don't want to lower the temps to the 30s is because the fridge is my kegerator as well. I don't want to keep changing the temp of the beer. I would like to keep it at serving temp (45-48) and was hoping this was okay to lager at too

You'll make a good lager that way. I've done the same thing myself a few times, and can't say I can tell the difference between proper lagering. Of course, now I have an old fridge set to 32F, so I can keep myself in lagers during the summer. In the winter I lager at basement temps (40-45F) and am happy with the results.

Palmer talks about it here - How to Brew - By John Palmer - When to Lager