Lagering beer...
- Thread starter GraniteRiverBrewing
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Thanks, as you can see being a new lager brewer, if I let it be for now and when it slows down I transfer it to a secondary carboy can I lager that in my 48 degree tub? Or just go right to keg/ bottle and refrigerate for a month or so when done?
btw, my temp is currently 66/67 on the outside stick on thermometer (and bubbling pretty well) and I am getting near the top end . I tried to email the vendor so i will see what they say as well.
you have a few options:
1) let it reach FG, bottle, let it carb up, and then lager in the fridge for about a month. 48 is a fermentation temperature rather than a lagering temperature. lagering meaning cold storage, the important second phase of brewing lager beer. this terminology gets confusing i know.
then next time, approach your lager with a lot more yeast and let it stay at 48 until fermentation is complete.
2) if you haven't reached high krausen yet, go ahead and let fermentation finish at 48. if you have reached high krausen and are on the downside of fermentation, the cold fermentation isn't going to change the flavor much and doing this may just result in yeast dropping out early.
confusing 
I just got reply from the WYEAST lab stating;
"This strain can be used in the traditional way, as a lager yeast at warm fermentation temps. It is also used as a lager strain for lager fermentations.
If used in the high 40s, it will work, but the fermentation will obviously be slower. If you are planning on using this strain at those lower temps, I would recommend boosting your pitch rate to the traditional 1 million cells/ml/Degree Plato range."
now i am not sure which way to go. My fermenter temp is now reading almost 68F so I might have to put it in my garage in the tub at 49F but it's so close and I know it will slow down things. I think back to my old pale ale brew next time.
I just got reply from the WYEAST lab stating;"This strain can be used in the traditional way, as a lager yeast at warm fermentation temps. It is also used as a lager strain for lager fermentations.
If used in the high 40s, it will work, but the fermentation will obviously be slower. If you are planning on using this strain at those lower temps, I would recommend boosting your pitch rate to the traditional 1 million cells/ml/Degree Plato range."
now i am not sure which way to go. My fermenter temp is now reading almost 68F so I might have to put it in my garage in the tub at 49F but it's so close and I know it will slow down things. I think back to my old pale ale brew next time.
y2jrock60
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When I make lagers I chill my wort as much as as possible then place it in my fermentation chamber. When it reaches 50F I hit it why an oxygen tank and stone followed by my yeast starter slurry. When the gravity is a few points from finishing I raise the fermentation chamber temperature to 60 and hold for 2 to 3 days until the gravity no longer drops. I then purge my carbons with CO2 and transfer my beer into for lagering. I usually lager at 33F 4 to 6 weeks before kegging. This process has worked out for me. I don't really step raise temperatures, pitching at my fermentation temperature seems to work out great, no off flavors. I think this is because I make large starters with the proper pitching rate based on calculators. I also use fresh starters made a few days before brewing, they don't sit in the fridge for long.
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I will be doing my fermenting and lagering in my keezer with my other 2 brews I have currently in there. My question is will they be ok going from the 50* ferment up to the 60* rest and then slowly down to the 35* lagering. Or will doing so make them taste funny as well. Obviously any of those temperature ranges would be ok by them selves but will the change cause the other 2 to pick up different flavors or even ruin the beer?
that sounds like a typical lager schedule
Right, but will it affect my other beers in the keezer with it?
no it isn't a big deal. afaik, it is a myth that going from fridge temp to room temp and back is bad for me.
Awesome thanks for the reply.
Agreed, light strike is the true culprit. Unless one of the brews happens to be infected in which case warming it up may speed up the spoiling of it.
