Good Lord I Think I Busted This One!!!

Okay, here is the deal!! I went to my HBS about 2 weeks ago to get some info on brewing a lager alt bier. They told me my fridge in the garage would be too cold for this and would need a regulator. I asked at what temp should I lager and they said between 50-60....Okay, he is a master brewer and now I am totally lost here because everyone talks about lagering at 32-40. And not too mention I was told to ferment at the normal temp of 68-72, which I did and it bubbled away for over 4 days straight.....so now what do I do with this as it's in my secondary carboy sitting in the garage at around 50-52 degrees.....just put it out there about an hour ago now.......Good Lord I am screwed up here......

Yes, I think you were misinformed. You should ferment between 50 - 60 F for a lager depending on the yeast you use. If it is a major brand, go to their website and check the optimum ferment temp for that strain. The fermentation can take a few weeks because of the cooler temps. Then you rack and "lager" at near freezing temps (33 - 40) for weeks or even months. This is the traditional method.

Fermenting lagers at ale temps will give you an ale type profile on the beer. It won't be ruined, but it won't be a lager either. I would get a second opinion on anything your LHBS tells you from now on.

Prosit!

Now I am even more confused here.......I used (WLP011)
Malty, Northern European-origin ale yeast. Low ester production, giving a clean profile. Little to no sulfur production. Low attenuation helps to contribute to the malty character. Good for Alt, Kolsch, malty English ales, and fruit beers. Attenuation: 65-70; Flocculation: Medium; Optimum Ferm. Temp: 65-70

Okay, am I a real moron here, but isn't an Alt Bier a lagering beer? Now my question is, I fermented at the correct temp, so what if I keep in the garage at temps around the 50-55 degree mark, what will this do to the beer?

GOOD LORD AM I CONFUSED HERE!!!! I NEED ANOTHER BREWSKIE.....

Dusseldorf-style Altbier

Well hopped and malty with copper to dark-brown color. Alt is the German word for "old" or "old style". It is more or less the German equivalent to an English ale. Traditionally fermented warm but aged at cold temperatures.

Per the style guide, you're on track. All you need to do is age it cold.

RHAHB!

Very cool then.....he he......so how cold do I need to age it?? In the fridge or in temps in the garage that are around the 50 degree mark? And how long would you say age it for? 3-4 weeks or more then that??

Thanks so much everyone!!

45-50F and at least 4 weeks. 6-8 if you can wait that long.

you can use ale yeast to produce a lager stlye beer, you just ferment at the lower end of the ale yeasts temp range, then cold condition it at the lager temps. like dave said, altbeer was traditionally ale, that was aged in colder temps, usually in caves or even in pits in the ground for up to a year or more.

You can also ferment lager yeast at ale temps. Theres many posts on this. There is many ways of doing things, reserch, get lots of opinions, and experiment.
Have fun.

david_42 said:

Per the style guide, you're on track. All you need to do is age it cold. RHAHB!

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I couldn't agree with you more.

Forget what anyone at the HBS says (or even us for that matter).

Do your research and brew to the style if that's your goal. You'll be happier for it.