Lagering Question

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Z

zproducer

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Messages
14
Reaction score
1
Location
Granite Falls, NC
I've been home brewing for quite a few years, but I have never brewed a lager. I would really like to brew a pilsner, but I really don't want to by any refrigeration equpment. My basement stays in the mid 60's through the winter and I was wondering if this would be an OK temp to try a lager. I have read that you need to take them down to just above freezing, and I have read that you dont have to. Any advice?
 
Usually, lager yeasts like to ferment in the low 50s for primary fermentation and after that is done you rack it and chill down to just above freezing for the lagering phase for 4-8 weeks. There are a few strains (wyeast 2112 comes to mind) of lager yeast which ferment fairly clean well into the 60s, but then you're looking at a steam beer. Fermenting a normal lager strain at higher temps will produce a bunch of off-flavors.
There are a few plans for fermentation chambers in the DIY forum, check those out. If you have a concrete floor in your basement, it may be as simple as building a styrofoam box to keep the warmer air out. I was able to ferment at 52F with that method. You'll still need some fridge space for the lager phase though.

Cheers.
 
You'll be all right if you use this yeast:

2112 California Lager Yeast. Particularly suited for producing 19th century-style West Coast beers. Retains lager characteristics at temperatures up to 65° F, (18° C) and produces malty, brilliantly clear beers. Flocculation - high; apparent attenuation 67-71%. (58-68° F, 14-20° C)
Click to expand...

Of course it would be best if you could cold store the beer for a few or several weeks before bottling, or kegging.
 
Damn, you beat me. I must have had the window open for several minutes before I posted.

zproducer, how cold does it get out side where you live, during the winter months? Do you have a garage? Our garage gets down to about 5-8 deg celcius (40-46F) during the winter, and is bit colder near the garage door.

We are around -10 to -20C out side, for the most part, during the winter.
 
I am was in the same boat...never been able to do a lager.
I then used my laundry sink, taped on a few sheets of styrafoam, and wrapped with insulation and a plastic cover. I added water..and ice almost everyday. I also made a lid. Ambient temp is low 70s..and this keeps temp in the 50F range.
Its not perfect (adding ice)....but I have made a pilsner that i am quite proud of.
I didnt drop the temp much below 50 for the impatient lagering phase...but still made a damn good beer. Maybe one time i will try a longer, cooler "proper" lager phase...but am happy with my $20.00 solution so far.
 
It will get below freezing in the winter here (I'm in North Carolina.) I do have a garage, but it is connected to the house, I would assume that it is probobly a few degrees cooler than the basement, but I doubt that it gets into the 40's.
 
In the summer here it gets very hot. Since I can't fit another freezer in my current suite, I gave up on brewing lagers in the summer. I just brew a lager recipe with a very neutral yeast like nottingham or mauribrew, then filter.

Mauribrew seems hard to find. I got some in bulk from a Ubrew in town once. Really liked this yeast for summer brews. It's rated for temps as high as 86F! Really vigorous fermentation and very, very clean taste. Also Muntons Gold and Coopers should ferment fairly clean.

How about near the garage door? Usually the doors are not insulated so the temp might be low enough.

Of course you could also build a small brewing chamber then run some ducting to the outside.
 
I will put a thermometer by the garage door tonight as we are having some unseasonably cold weather and I should be able to gage it like a winter day. What temperature shoud I want to keep for lagering?
I think that I will start this batch next month as temperatures should stay pretty chilly at night in November. Also, we can get a warm snap in the winter, would it hurt the lager if the temperature went up for a day or two?
 
I'm doing my first lager with dry Superior Lager yeast right now. The recomended temp range is 48-65'F. Perfect for a cool basement. Saflager-23 is a very similar dry yeast too.

I plan to ferment around ~60'F about 3 weeks or so, then bottle, carbonate at the same temp for two weeks. Then bottle condition 4-6 weeks at ~44'F.

I read this next best to doing a full fledged true lager. "Better Beer and How to Brew It", by M.R. Reese ISBN 0-88266-257-0

I wouldn't fuss with the garage and fluctuation of temps. My basement is very consistent 59-61 right now. In a month, the nominal temp will be about 55'F.

Good Luck!
 
Where in NC? My garage (insulated on two walls) is usually in the mid 40's in the dead of winter. Diurnal fluctuations are what you need to be concerned about. If they're too great it could degrade your yeast performance.
 
Chairman Cheyco said:
Usually, lager yeasts like to ferment in the low 50s for primary fermentation and after that is done you rack it and chill down to just above freezing for the lagering phase for 4-8 weeks. There are a few strains (wyeast 2112 comes to mind) of lager yeast which ferment fairly clean well into the 60s, but then you're looking at a steam beer. Fermenting a normal lager strain at higher temps will produce a bunch of off-flavors.
There are a few plans for fermentation chambers in the DIY forum, check those out. If you have a concrete floor in your basement, it may be as simple as building a styrofoam box to keep the warmer air out. I was able to ferment at 52F with that method. You'll still need some fridge space for the lager phase though.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
do you have a link to the fermentation chambers?
 
Is fermenting at 50F +/- 5F too much variation for a lager? I've got a fridge with a high-temp of 45F but I want to use a Christmas light timer to prevent it from running full-time and keeping the beer at 45. I figure it would be hard to keep it any more accurate than +/- 5F with this method.

Thanks,
Doug
 

Similar threads

M
Frozen Kolsch - need to repitch when bottle conditioning?
Replies
20
Views
986
mhopperman
M
Z
Lagering Temp?
Replies
19
Views
3K
Basspaleale
Basspaleale
Clint Yeastwood
Can you Make a Really Good Lager with Corn?
Replies
15
Views
1K
DuncB
D
R
Question regarding lagering
Replies
10
Views
1K
Beerstein
Beerstein
H
First Lager - Slow Start
Replies
5
Views
766
VikeMan
VikeMan

Latest posts

Back
Top