Good lager

[Willbrew]

Does anybody have a simple good lager recipe which can be fermented in a refrigerator

 

[lowlife]

Lagers need fermented at 48-55 usually. I dont think a regular refrigerator gets that warm.

 

[Willbrew]

Lagers need fermented at 48-55 usually. I dont think a regular refrigerator gets that warm.

Do you have one unit for all your fermenting

 

[worstbrewing]

I brewed a version of this months back and really liked it. In some ways it reminded me of Yuengling Lager but better.

Batch size: 5 gallons
8# Pale Malt
0.5# Munich Malt
1.5oz Pearle 8% @ 60min
1oz Hallertauer 4.8% 0min
Munich Lager yeast

I'm not sure what you mean by in a fridge, but when I did this I actually scaled it down to 2 gallons so I could use 2x 1 gallon containers so this could lager in my fridge. Overall it turned out decent, I'd brew it again.

 

[lowlife]

I have an external thermostat on a chest freezer that i use for fermenting lagers at 48-50 degrees. I havent tried anything else with lager fermentation.

 

[PaulHilgeman]

Here is one my my recent favorites:

5 Gal
7 SRM
30 IBU
1.055 OG
1.010 FG

8oz Crystal 60, Remainder Pilsner Malt to 1.055 (generally 10-11lbs)

1.3 oz Cascade at 90
1 oz Liberty at 10
1 oz Liberty at 0

WY2124, big pitch, ferment at 50 degrees.

I call it SOLID GOLD LAGER for short, or MR. T's SOLID GOLD LAGER for long.

 

[Willbrew]

Here is one my my recent favorites:

5 Gal
7 SRM
30 IBU
1.055 OG
1.010 FG

8oz Crystal 60, Remainder Pilsner Malt to 1.055 (generally 10-11lbs)

1.3 oz Cascade at 90
1 oz Liberty at 10
1 oz Liberty at 0

WY2124, big pitch, ferment at 50 degrees.

I call it SOLID GOLD LAGER for short, or MR. T's SOLID GOLD LAGER for long.

Share with me what a big pitch means

 

[Kaewan]

Share with me what a big pitch means

Pitch lots of yeast. Multilpe vials/activator packs or make a large starter.

 

[Homercidal]

I think you could ferment at 50F fine in a fridge, but it's the lagering at 33 ish that might be a problem. Some fridges I've owned would freeze milk over, so it may be possible if you cranked that sucker down and helped it out with some blocks of ice.

 

[passedpawn]

Here is one my my recent favorites:

5 Gal
7 SRM
30 IBU
1.055 OG
1.010 FG

8oz Crystal 60, Remainder Pilsner Malt to 1.055 (generally 10-11lbs)

1.3 oz Cascade at 90
1 oz Liberty at 10
1 oz Liberty at 0

WY2124, big pitch, ferment at 50 degrees.

I call it SOLID GOLD LAGER for short, or MR. T's SOLID GOLD LAGER for long.

Hey Paul... ever perfect that Prima Pils recipe you were working through on the NB site? (sorta on topic... I think)

 

[Willbrew]

I think you could ferment at 50F fine in a fridge, but it's the lagering at 33 ish that might be a problem. Some fridges I've owned would freeze milk over, so it may be possible if you cranked that sucker down and helped it out with some blocks of ice.

So what happens if you ferment at 50 but are unable to get to 33 or so for lagering. What would be the outcome of your beer.

 

[Yooper]

So what happens if you ferment at 50 but are unable to get to 33 or so for lagering. What would be the outcome of your beer.

Well, lagering is part of the flavor profile for sure.

From our wiki, talking about lagering after fermentation is finished:
-haze forming proteins will precipitate and the beer will be stabilized
-hop polyphenols will drop out leading to a milder hop bitterness
-yeast cells sediment which cleans up the beer and removes the yeasty smell and taste associated with young beer
-some of the alcohols, esters and acids in the beer react to create new flavor compounds.
-some yeast activity may be present which leads to further clean-up of the beer

A lager is very crisp and clean, in part due to the actual lagering, while the hops bitterness is smoother (again, due to the lagering).

 

[Willbrew]

Well, lagering is part of the flavor profile for sure.

From our wiki, talking about lagering after fermentation is finished:
-haze forming proteins will precipitate and the beer will be stabilized
-hop polyphenols will drop out leading to a milder hop bitterness
-yeast cells sediment which cleans up the beer and removes the yeasty smell and taste associated with young beer
-some of the alcohols, esters and acids in the beer react to create new flavor compounds.
-some yeast activity may be present which leads to further clean-up of the beer

A lager is very crisp and clean, in part due to the actual lagering, while the hops bitterness is smoother (again, due to the lagering).

Well that was a good bit of info. Thanks for the insight.

 

[Yooper]

Well that was a good bit of info. Thanks for the insight.

If you've got some fridge room but not a lot, you could try making the lager and then bottling after the diacetyl rest. Allow the beer to stay at room temperature to carb up, and then lager in the bottle. My fridge is a bit warmer than a lagering chamber at 38 degrees, but it should work if yours is, too.

You'd end up with a bit more sediment in the bottle rather than the carboy, but otherwise I can't think of any negative consequences.

 

[Willbrew]

If you've got some fridge room but not a lot, you could try making the lager and then bottling after the diacetyl rest. Allow the beer to stay at room temperature to carb up, and then lager in the bottle. My fridge is a bit warmer than a lagering chamber at 38 degrees, but it should work if yours is, too.

You'd end up with a bit more sediment in the bottle rather than the carboy, but otherwise I can't think of any negative consequences.

I am pretty sure our spare fridge will get close to freezing temps cuz of iced over milk before and it has somewhat of a temperature control. Right now i am monitoring the temp swing from high to low with a digital thermostat to make sure i have the proper temps to work with. If all looks well i think i will give it a go. Your thoughts are much appreciated. Im excited to move on to the next batch

 

[Homercidal]

That's what I'd do. Ferment at 50. D-rest for a few days after the 4 week ferment, then lager as cold as you can get the fridge. Honestly, the Germans didn't have freezing temps in their lagering caves. The yeast will be a very large part of the flavor and the ferment and lager too, but I think you could do it if you can get the fridge around 40.