lager

[william2010]

I'm really into the layers. I have made about three batches so far and I have always loved light lagers. Just needed to know if there was any more to making it then standard ipa which I have made. here is the link to what I wanted to make. Please let me know if you have good advice. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/maibock-extract-kit.html

 

[cjever19]

Yes, lagers are more complicated than ales. Do your homework. Most importantly, you need a lot more yeast and to be able to cool the wort to about 50F and keep it there for a few weeks.

 

[william2010]

At all times eh? Below 50 ?

 

[ThePonchoKid]

I haven't found (nor looked too hard) for a single source online resource for lagering. Yet somehow I've picked up on some clues.

You need lagering yeasts, and 2 packets if you're using dry. Right now I'm using a coopers pilsner kit with 2lbs'ish of pilsen dme, pitched with 2 packets of saflager s23. My fridge is set to 50'ish F and will remain so for 3 to 4 weeks, or 6. After that I'll be putting my fridge back to serving temps (37F), and leaving the pilsner/lager to sit for another 3-4 weeks before kegging.

As mentioned already you need a good amount of yeast. If I do this again I'll either make a starter or use 3 packets of s23. I also read that 46F is pushing the threshold for these yeasts. Any lower and the yeasts will likely go dormant. 46F is also well below the recommended temp range on the yeast packet, so I'm quite happy with 50F

 

[Brewskii]

^^ amen! Lagers Absolutely need starters, tight temperature control to at least 40 degrees, and good wort aeration is a must.
If you don't have these things, you can do it as an experiment but you probably won't like the results.

 

[Yooper]

Lagers are more temperature dependent than ales. Lagers should be fermented at 48-52 degrees for about 10-14 days. Then, a diacetyl rest is done for 48 hours (room temperature is fine for that) and then the beer is racked and kept at 34 degrees (or up to 40 degrees is ok) for 6-8 weeks. Then it is bottled.

It's not really hard, but it's far more involved and a dedicated temperature controlled fermentation area is critical.

Even under the recipe you linked it says: "2 stage cold fermentation" with a link to this page: http://www.northernbrewer.com/twostagecold/

If you can't do it, I wouldn't even attempt this beer. There is a reason it says "advanced technique"!

 

[william2010]

Yea. I really wish I had some people who have done it before. I mean I love trying things on my own because that's what makes it mine. But a little guidence on things that are so important are nice.

 

[ThePonchoKid]

Well, I think you can do it if you can sacrifice a fridge to ferment it at colder consistent temps. If you can't, then don't bother.

I sacrificed my only fridge to give a cold ferment a try.

I used a max/min digital thermometer and managed to get my fridge bouncing between 49F and to a high of 52F before the compressor kicks in. It's been a week now, and I'm going to leave it most likely for another 3 weeks before dropping it back down to food grade temps (lagering temps).

If you can do this then all you need to really worry about is getting the right yeast and ample of it in to your wort.

This will be only my third batch of beer and I'm pretty confident that it will turn out well

 

[FlyDoctor]

With most of the discussions on ales- temperature ranges are referring to the temp of the fermentation - not the ambient temp. Do you keep your fridge at 50 or are you monitoring the temp of the fermentation? I assume even with a lager that the yeast will kick it up a few degrees higher - and you might not want that right?

 

[ThePonchoKid]

I'm not even touching nor looking at the bucket. With a max/min temp gauge (w/probe in the fridge) I can constantly reset the max/min values and monitor what's happening any time I want to. It might have reached 53F at some point, but I had tinkered with the fridge thermostat over a couple of days to assure I could get some consistency before deciding to go through with this Pilsner/Lager. The fridge is certainly locked in on that 49-52F range.