Ale bottle conditioning using lager yeast

[MisterMike]

Dear all,

After 15 of homebrewing, I decided to reduce my workload as a lab head in chemistry and took over the small brewery of my home village. They brewed only lager beers and performed the bottle conditioning in the basement which is actively cooled to 11°C. I want to brew new types of beer (IPA, Witbier,...). Now my question, did someone already ferment ales at ale temperature, add lager yeast and performed the bottle fermentation at lager temperature?
Many thanks!
Greetings from the Swiss Alps,
Michaël

 

[IslandLizard]

Welcome to HBT!

The (ale) yeast that's left over (suspended) in the (almost) clear beer is typically enough for bottle conditioning. You just add priming sugar when bottling. That leftover yeast will ferment out the added priming sugar, causing the beer to carbonate over several weeks when held at at cellar or low room temps. Then the bottles are stored cold for a few days to several weeks to fully absorb the carbonation, creating fine dense foam when pouring.

In some cases extra yeast is added at bottling time, but for ales never a lager yeast.

 

[MisterMike]

Welcome to HBT!

The (ale) yeast that's left over (suspended) in the (almost) clear beer is typically enough for bottle conditioning. You just add priming sugar when bottling. That leftover yeast will ferment out the added priming sugar, causing the beer to carbonate over several weeks when held at at cellar or low room temps. Then the bottles are stored cold for a few days to several weeks to fully absorb the carbonation, creating fine dense foam when pouring.

In some cases extra yeast is added at bottling time, but for ales never a lager yeast.

I know this but the only place where I can perform the bottle conditioning is the basement at 11°C. I do not think that ale yeast will be able ferment the priming sugar at this temperature

 

[IslandLizard]

I know this but the only place where I can perform the bottle conditioning is the basement at 11°C. I do not think that ale yeast will be able ferment the priming sugar at this temperature

OK, I now better understand what you're aiming at.

No way to condition the bottled ales in a spare area that's between 60 and 70F? Then cellar at 11C.
If not, I guess you could add some lager yeast when bottling. But... typical ale conditioning (not just carbonating) requires higher temps and is faster while lager conditioning (at low temps) is much slower. Not sure if lager yeast conditions the ales the same as an ale yeast would, either.

Hoppy beers (e.g., IPAs) in general need to be consumed quicker, fresher, as hop sensation drops off fast. Bottling hoppy beers is not optimal for many other reasons too.

 

[Vale71]

I know this but the only place where I can perform the bottle conditioning is the basement at 11°C. I do not think that ale yeast will be able ferment the priming sugar at this temperature

Yes it will, it will just take longer.