possible ruined batch

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.

dryicekills

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
So, as a few of you may know from my first thread, I purchased a "Classic Pilsner" hopped liquid extract, and have already brewed it and it is fermenting now. The problem is, I completely failed to realize that this is a lager, and will require much more work to make. Currently, it is fermenting in my house sitting on an air vent, and is probably about 62 to 65 degrees. From what I've read in the past few hours, this is a problem. I hadn't planned on even attempting a lager, but now I'm too far in to abandon ship. What should be my Plan of Attack here? And also, what risks am I running by fermenting it as if it were a regular ale? PLEASE HELP!!!!
 
RDWHAHB. Call it a steam beer.

dump_beer.jpg
 
Keep it as cool as you can.
When it's done fermenting, bottle it and keep them as cool as you can. Brew ANOTHER batch! After a few weeks of cool, bring your bottles to room temp for 3 weeks to carb, Chill and drink.
 
Well, maybe you're making a "lager style" beer, which might mean you are using a clean neutral ale yeast to make a lager-ish beer and not an actual lager. What was the name of the yeast that came in your kit? (I'm betting that is actually the case- that you are making an ale anyway).
 
would it be ideal to put the fermenter into a fridge? also, im fermenting in a glass carboy. i know glass is usually a secondary, but is it okay to ferment a lager only in this?? and how long should i let it ferment, since it is a lager. sorry for the retarded questions. Thanks!
 
Well, maybe you're making a "lager style" beer, which might mean you are using a clean neutral ale yeast to make a lager-ish beer and not an actual lager. What was the name of the yeast that came in your kit? (I'm betting that is actually the case- that you are making an ale anyway).

not sure what the yeast said. it is gone now. if it helps, the kit was Edme "classic pilsner".
 
Every supplier lists it as a lager kit, so it is quite possible that the yeast is dry lager yeast. I still say RDWHAHB, leave it alone, and call it a steam beer.
 
Every supplier lists it as a lager kit, so it is quite possible that the yeast is dry lager yeast. I still say RDWHAHB, leave it alone, and call it a steam beer.

ive heard steam beers are fairly bad-tasting, but i may do it for learning's sake. just for gratification, would it be effective to simply refrigerate the batch for the fermentation?
 
ive heard steam beers are fairly bad-tasting, but i may do it for learning's sake. just for gratification, would it be effective to simply refrigerate the batch for the fermentation?

It depends on the yeast. Lager yeast should be fermented at around 50 degrees (most fridges would be too cold) and most ales should be fermented around 65-68 degrees. If you're using a lager yeast, it would be good to ferment it at 50-52 degrees but just taking it and putting it into the fridge would probably stall the fermentation.
 
Go buy a six-pack of Anchor Steam. Make your own judgment about the flavor. IMHO, it's not my favorite, but it's far from bad.

How long has it been fermenting?
 
it has been fermenting for about 20 hours. I have the ability to put the batch in the garage refrigerator, as long as its a good idea. i could almost definitely make this particular fridge sit at about 50-52
 
i LOVE steam beers. i made one at about 70°F once (due to breakdown of chiller) but it still turned out great.

i have to say, some of my california commons were FAR better than anchor steam :D

put that stuff in the fridge! better lower temps than higher ones.
 
The damage is likely already done, as esters and fusels usually manifest themselves during the first, very active portion of fermentation.

I still say, RDWHAHB. Leave it alone for now. Once it reaches FG, rack it, then cold crash in the fridge for bulk aging at near freezing temps.
 
The damage is likely already done, as esters and fusels usually manifest themselves during the first, very active portion of fermentation.

I still say, RDWHAHB. Leave it alone for now. Once it reaches FG, rack it, then cold crash in the fridge for bulk aging at near freezing temps.


forgive me for the lack of terminology knowledge, but do you mean to "cold crash" after bottling, or before bottling
 
Did we ever get an answer on what yeast you used? Do you remember the exact name? If you used an ale yeast, there's no point in cooling it down.
 
Did we ever get an answer on what yeast you used? Do you remember the exact name? If you used an ale yeast, there's no point in cooling it down.

i used the yeast that came with this kit, and it is sold as a lager kit. so, im imagining its a lager yeast
 
Ah, I was a little confused by your earlier post. I thought you just bought a can of Golden Pilsner syrup (malt extract) and had to buy all the other ingredients (such as yeast) separately.

I have no idea as to what is best at this point, other than to recommend that you not ask if you should dump the beer. The amswer's always the same.
 
thanks for all the advice. i guess im going the steam beer route. my only question now is how to go about the refrigeration before bottling that was mentioned before
 
Well, when fermentation is 100% done, you can leave the beer on the yeast cake to "clean up" after a bit. This will give the yeast time to eat its own waste products like diacetyl. Usually 14 days is pretty good. Then, you can either rack into a clean sanitized carboy or just keep it where it is, and put it in the fridge for a few days to a week or two. That will kind of "lager" the beer and help smooth it out some.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top