Lager - fridge or freezer?

So after making ales, I am now going to try my hand at lagers. I have ordered myself a Yuengling lager kit and purchased a Johnson Controls thermostat.

My question is should I get a small chest freezer of a fridge for lagering? Does it make any difference? I am having a hard time finding a counter-height fridge on Craiglist where I can fit a 6.5g bucket in. It is going to go in my spare room upstairs, so I don't want anything too big or heavy.

It really depends on how low you want the temp when lagering.

Fridge or freezer for 50°F lagering... freezer for 34°F lagering.

About 50 for 2 weeks primary, then 40 for 6 weeks-2 months for secondary.

A fridge should be able to reach and hold those temperatures just fine. A freezer may hold temp easier.

Either should work for your situation.

I would recommend a small chest-freezer. Lagering is often best done around 33-34°F. A fridge would be running an awful lot to keep that temp.

I am going to see if I can find a cheap chest freezer on craiglist. thanks for the advice.

BTW - Can you keep chest freezers outside? I have a shady/ dry place on my patio where it would fit perfectly with a power outlet right behind.

Richie said:

BTW - Can you keep chest freezers outside? I have a shady/ dry place on my patio where it would fit perfectly with a power outlet right behind.

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You can use chest freezers outside. I've seen it done several times. It isn't the most efficient place in the world in the heat of summer but it will work. Be sure to protect the outlet / power and the coil / condenser from rain, even on a covered patio.

I'm not sure you want to keep any fridge or freezer outside exposed to the elements.

Here is the freezer I bought recently at Home Depot for about $160 that I use as a fermentation cabinet. I have temporary space limitations and this thing is perfect for single 5 gal batches. Cheap, easy on space, and will give you pretty much any temperature range you are looking for.

Hey dude,

I'm interested in trying this myself. Was there any temperature issues? What temps are you able to set it at out of the box, like 34-50?

I've read many different temps suggestions for lagering. I'm going to be making a Pilsner on Sat for the first time and have read that i should primary at 50-55F, and drop it down 10 degrees for secondary. Can someone shed a little light on the dif lagering temps and why? is it dependent on yeasts? type of lager? fermentation stage?

Cheers

Kruuuger said:

I've read many different temps suggestions for lagering. I'm going to be making a Pilsner on Sat for the first time and have read that i should primary at 50-55F, and drop it down 10 degrees for secondary. Can someone shed a little light on the dif lagering temps and why? is it dependent on yeasts? type of lager? fermentation stage?

Cheers

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Brewing a lager is more involved than an ale. You're right that the ideal temperatures will vary depending on the style, the yeast, and the stage of fermentation. A great source of info on lager brewing is "New Brewing Lager Beer" by Gregory Noonan.

Typically your primary fermentation will occur in the high 40's to low 50's for as much as a month or more until almost fully fermented. Then, because many lager yeasts produce diacetyl, you will gradually raise the temp up to 60 or so and rest there for several days to allow the yeast to clean up the diacetyl. Then the beer is transferred to a secondary "fermenter" for conditioning, where the temperature is lowered to 40 or below for at least a month.

It's a real test of your patience. Don't rush it!!

Minky said:

Typically your primary fermentation will occur in the high 40's to low 50's for as much as a month or more until almost fully fermented.

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I've never had a lager (of medium OG, i.e., 1.045 to 1.052-ish) take more than 2 weeks to finish primary fermentation... including D-rest. It's important to get the lager beer off of the primary yeast relatively soon after primary fermentation to prevent the risk of off-flavors associated with yeast cell decay.

menschmaschine said:

I've never had a lager (of medium OG, i.e., 1.045 to 1.052-ish) take more than 2 weeks to finish primary fermentation... including D-rest. It's important to get the lager beer off of the primary yeast relatively soon after primary fermentation to prevent the risk of off-flavors associated with yeast cell decay.

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Yeah OK. I thought about editing that "as much as a month or more", but I thought back to my early efforts (no starter, inadequate aeration, etc.) that did take a long time. I was trying to suggest a possible range ("as much as...") to emphasize the variability in styles and the problems that may be encountered by a novice. I suppose that the word "typically" was misleading.

My current experience with lagers in the "medium OG" range are, as you say, in the two week or less range.

Suffice it to say, I was not writing a book of instructions, but I did suggest one.