In absence of proper lagering

About a month ago, I bought a Munich Helles beer kit. New to beer making (I normally make meads), I didn't realize the strict temperature controls needed for lagering.

Having realized this, I decided to go ahead and brew the ingredients anyhow with the thought that, it may not be a proper lager, but it will likely still be beer (if more of a steam style).

My carboy is sitting in its secondary in my basement at about 52 degrees. It may get colder, it may not. There is a yeast cake on the bottom.

I have a number of clean #2 plastic spring water jugs (grocery store milk jug style). I was thinking of transferring my beer to these and making room in the refrigerator (we only have one fridge).

What are your opinions? Should I just bottle the darn thing as is, or transfer to the fridge? I've resolved to not producing a proper lager at this point, but would like to make it the best beer I can given the limited conditions.

52 actually isn't that bad for a lager... it may even eliminate your need for a diacetyl-rest (but be sure to taste it and if it's buttery or extra-slick on your tongue, bring it upstairs or a place where it's ~60-65 and let it sit there for a day or two.)

Then you can either bring it back down to leave at 52 for a while, put it in the fridge and really lager it, or just bottle it and store it in your basement at 52. Just keep in mind that beer ages faster in bulk.

EDIT: And don't worry about leaving it on the yeast. I've made a traditional Marzen that was brewed in March and lagered until October, on the yeast cake the entire time. It was stellar.

Thanks for the tips. It sounds like I'm still going to get "beer", so I'm happy.

So I don't have to open the carboy and expose it to air, I'm thinking I'll do the diaceytl rest anyway. Then, based on your experience, I'll just leave it in the coldest part of my basement for a few months. The less I have to tamper with it, the better. Thanks again!

dmomo said:

Thanks for the tips. It sounds like I'm still going to get "beer", so I'm happy.

So I don't have to open the carboy and expose it to air, I'm thinking I'll do the diaceytl rest anyway. Then, based on your experience, I'll just leave it in the coldest part of my basement for a few months. The less I have to tamper with it, the better. Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Sounds like a great plan