Lager question

I've got a closet that sits at 50-55 degrees now that its colder out. I know this is cold enough for lager yeast, but is it cold enough for proper "lagering".

That's acceptable for a primary ferment, but generally speaking, you'll want to lager at near freezing.

does a Kolsch also need to be conditioned at near freezing temps?

A koleschy is typically brewed at ale temps and then lagered at lagering temps.

When you say lager a beer, you just mean let it sit in the secondary out in the cold?

The term lager comes from German, Lagerung = storage. The whole process takes a number of steps. If you search the forums, you'll find some very good detailed descriptions of the process. In brief, though, the 50-55 degree temperature will be about right for the initial fermentation, but after the diacetyl rest and racking to secondary, the temperature is brought down for long term lagering. Below 40 degrees is the target, with best results in the low 30s. The lower the temperature, the longer it takes, but patience gives the best beer, ales or lagers.

You can still make decent lagers without truely lagering them. Until recently that is what I did. The first lagers of the season would get some lagering in the garage, but the ones made in early spring got none (too warm then) of any kind - until they went into the kegerator.

Now I've got a proper lagering chamber so I can have clear lagers quicker.