Altbier pseudo-lager

[thepartsmancometh]

I brewed an Alt of my own concoction (never really tried this style before) and I have read that alts like cold conditioning. I don't have any fermentation cooling methods available except mother nature.

the secondary is currently in my spare bedroom with the heat vents closed. the room is staying 47* F - 50* F

How long should I let this sit at these cooler temps to (hopefully) drop clear?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

generally you lager one day for each gravity point, i.e. a 1.050 beer is lagered for 50 days. with the warmer lagering temps, i'd go quite a bit longer, at least 50% longer. did you use Kolsch yeast? or an actual lager yeast? i use Kolsch yeast in my Alts, lager them for 30 days around 35 degrees. OGs in the mid 1.040's.

 

[thepartsmancometh]

Fermented with WLP029. OG was 1.055

does the lager rule of thumb still apply since Alts aren't actually lagers?

Thanks for the quick reply! :rockin:

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Fermented with WLP029. OG was 1.055

does the lager rule of thumb still apply since Alts aren't actually lagers?

Thanks for the quick reply! :rockin:

yeah, you should lager a Kolsch strain, which is what 029 is. i'd go at least the 1 day per gravity point, since you're a bit warm for lagering. but 6 weeks or so should smooth it out. what temps are you fermenting at?

i'm brewing an Alt this weekend, actually. using Wy's Kolsch strain, OG 1.046 according to my software. i'll ferment it around 55 and lager for 4 weeks or so at 35-40.

 

[thepartsmancometh]

it was fermented in the low 60s (stayed between 60-63), and it finished out around 1.014. Its currently between 47-50 in there depending on the daytime temps. I intentionally brewed this when I did to make use of the cold drafty room....of course, this year winter has been overly warm so I'm not sure if I can keep the temps that low for another 5 weeks.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

no prob, bro. i enjoy talkin' beer. as for temps, you can always use a large bucket and place the carboy in a water bath. keep it cool with frozen bottles. it's how i primary all my beers, ales, hybrids and lagers. if you already have a cool room, it should be easy to keep temps in the 40's doing that.

 

[thepartsmancometh]

killer idea, I might have to try that.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

killer idea, I might have to try that.

awesome. enjoy your Alt! Altbier is one of my favorite styles of beer.

 

[thepartsmancometh]

Looking forward to it! I've never made it or really tried it (haven't seen any commercial examples). I've been brewing for a long while now and figured why not try something new.

Thanks again for the help!

Time to go rock out for the night. Mastodon and esb!

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Time to go rock out for the night. Mastodon and esb!

:rockin: great beer for a great band! enjoy. i'm not sure if you can get Schell's beer in IL, i moved from there some years age, but their Smaltz's Alt is a great example. Grand Teton Amber and Alaskan Amber are both Americanized Alts (more 'ale' like), but still tasty. there's just not a lot of commercial examples out there, unless you find a good local brewery or brew pub that makes one. i say just brew 'em!

 

[thepartsmancometh]

Ill look for schell's next time I'm at the liquor store ( we have a very large store with a huge selection here). If anyone has it, they will.

I'm excited for this batch, the hydro samples tasted awesome

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

looking at the Schell's site this morning it looks like they really only distribute to a handful of states, IL not being one of them. MN, WI, IA, MI, PA, NE, and the Dakota's. so if you find yourself crossing the border either west or north, keep your eyes peeled. they have some very nice, very authentic German beers. the Alt is great, their Firebrick (vienna) and Dark (dunkel) are both very nice beers. it also looks like Alaskan Brewing hasn't made it's way there..... yet.... but it's very recent that anyone off the pacific northwest has their beer, so that's probably a matter of time.
either way, it's more fun to brew a style than to hunt high and low for it in stores! :rockin:

 

[thepartsmancometh]

Yea, Illinois is sort of a beer black hole. We get all the major MICROS, but miss a lot of the smaller ones. Next time im in wi i will look for it.

Thanks again for the input

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

yeah, i kind of remember that. there's some great beers in the Chicagoland area, but the selection of craft beer was nothing like it is here. i remember tons of bigger craft beers and imports, but not the selection of smaller craft breweries that you see in other parts of the country. and it's an even smaller selection outside of the Chicago area, i went to school in Champaign/Urbana and remember a very small craft selection at the local bottle shops.

 

[thepartsmancometh]

I'm just down the road from Champaign in the Bloomington area. We do have friar tuck's which carries some assortment.