Warm Fermented Lager Thread

[InspectorJon]

In my experience it might ferment out faster but it still needs at least a good week or more to become clear and start tasting in spec.

Vs. lagering for several weeks or months...

 

[beervoid]

Vs. lagering for several weeks or months...

I doubt you gain much time on a low temp ferment vs higher. Maybe a few days? After that its the same lagering time to get it in spec which is up to everyone's own pallet. For me they taste just fine after a week or so, the clearer the beer becomes the cleaner.
Maybe fining could speed it a little more.

 

[dmtaylor]

In my experience it might ferment out faster but it still needs at least a good week or more to become clear and start tasting in spec.

Oh no! An extra week or two! Say it isn't so!

I mean, I agree with you. Most beers taste better after an extra week or two of conditioning. Especially lagers. But NOT a MONTH OR TWO like traditionalists would have us believe.

 

[beervoid]

Oh no! An extra week or two! Say it isn't so!

I mean, I agree with you. Most beers taste better after an extra week or two of conditioning. Especially lagers. But NOT a MONTH OR TWO like traditionalists would have us believe.

Yes my point being, but perhaps im not such a lager connoisseur as others, I never really enjoyed the style much.

 

[sweetcell]

I've been reading and watching this thread for a while, but never quite figured out what folks are hoping to achieve. Is it just that it's OK to warm ferment a lager yeast and not have terrible beer, making the process easier? Or is it that the beer tastes better in any way?

my goal for warm fermenting - just me, personally - is to make a lager without having to invest in a fermentation fridge (read: SWMBO will murderlize me if i add yet another appliance to the basement). so: how to make the best lager at ambient temps?

i'm certainly not warm-fermenting for any flavor differential... at best, if all the stars align, a WF can taste as good as a traditionally cool-fermented lager. the risk of a few more esters is one i'm willing to take, vs. giving up on lagers entirely. luckily, so far, my WF lagers have turned out very clean. YMMV.

 

[Shenanigans]

my goal for warm fermenting - just me, personally - is to make a lager without having to invest in a fermentation fridge (read: SWMBO will murderlize me if i add yet another appliance to the basement). so: how to make the best lager at ambient temps?

i'm certainly not warm-fermenting for any flavor differential... at best, if all the stars align, a WF can taste as good as a traditionally cool-fermented lager. the risk of a few more esters is one i'm willing to take, vs. giving up on lagers entirely. luckily, so far, my WF lagers have turned out very clean. YMMV.

My sentiments exactly.
Especially with the SWMBO.
She's been green washed and if she see another fridge in the basement she will not be impressed
Happy wife is a happy life!
Although we are not married yet after over 20 years together

 

[rallenhall]

I've done warm fermented lagers (usually with wet t-shirt and fan, esp. when summer basement temp is around 70F), along with pressure fermented and traditional cold fermented. All make acceptable beers with the 34/70 family of yeast strains. I do find, however, that when I have brews of the same recipe to compare, I tend to like cold fermented the best. Not to say that the others are bad ... they're just fine when they stand alone.

 

[DevilsCups]

You might not have done

Hoping so! It's still going, bit by bit. Down to 1.012 today. Not the end of the world if it doesn't reach desired vols via spunding!

 

[Yesfan]

Would 34/70 be good for a Mexi-lager? I have the Atlantico kit from NB and was thinking about splitting the batch. 2.5 gallons with WLP-940 and the other 2.5 with 34/70. If another dry yeast is preferable I may just do a starter for the WLP-940 to ferment the whole 5 gallons.

 

[fluketamer]

i liked cellarscince baja for my mexican lager it worked well

 

[DuncB]

Hoping so! It's still going, bit by bit. Down to 1.012 today. Not the end of the world if it doesn't reach desired vols via spunding!

I think you'll get there, especially bumping temp up a couple of degrees now as well.

 

[DevilsCups]

I think you'll get there, especially bumping temp up a couple of degrees now as well.

I'll update in here, for posterity. Tomorrow is one week since pitch. The spunding valve is set to 25psi now @ 68-70ºF, and still off-gassing (whether or not it's ferm activity or just CO2 breaking out). We'll see what story the gravity tells starting tomorrow.

I'll likely plan on crashing once this is totally finished, then racking into a purged keg onto gelatin, then letting it sit for a few days.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

Tapped last weekend and I can’t get enough of it. I wish I would have tried this 15 years ago.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Agreed 100%

 

[DevilsCups]

What do you guys think - gelatin fining in keg or gelatin fining in pressure primary at crash temp?

 

[rallenhall]

I've always fined in the keg. Leave as much behind as you can during transfer.

 

[BongoYodeler]

I've always fined in the keg. Leave as much behind as you can during transfer.

Same here.

 

[DuncB]

I drop the yeast in the conical pressure fermenter ( spunded) after cold crash.
Then use super F, drop all of that out and lager for a few more weeks.
Then repeat dose of finings into the keg which is sanitised and purged before closed transfer.