Brew pseudo-pils with ale yeasts, or turn my freezer into a lagering set-up?

[duck911]

Hi all,

I am an ale and IPA brewer primarily, but I am big fan of Czech and German pilsners.

With basement temps, my ales ferment year 'round between 60 and 70 degrees. In that same basement, I have an unplugged, unused 5.0 CF chest freezer.

So my question is, how much of a difference will I achieve between brewing a "pseudo-pils (by using Kolsch yeasts, for example, at lower temps) and buying a temperature controller for the freezer and doing it right (fermenting @ 50 degrees, and lagering)

Truthfully, all of the temp issues with brewing lagers is a little intimidating, but I do have a freezer I can sacrifice.

thoughts?

thanks!

--Duck911

 

[tektonjp]

You can build a temperature controller for very cheap. And then you're set. Not only could you ferment at lager temps, you could also cold crash your ales overnight at 0c to clear them up nicely. If you have the freezer, go for it. Broaden your horizons.

 

[Cyclman]

There's a thread on adjusting the temp control on a freezer to control temps w/o an external unit. Lagers are awesome and addicting, I would go that route.