what's a good strong lager for beginners?

[sirwobblez]

hey guys,
i'm a novice home brewer and it's all very exciting. i looked through the forums but couldnt find answers to a couple of questions, probably because i couldnt really figure out where to look. so apologies for stupid obvious questions and am happy to foollow links if the questions had already been asked.

our first brew, a cascade pale ale is happily bubbeling away and seems to go ok although we did not have any froth till now. we worried that the room would be a bit too cold. according to the outside paper indicator, the brew is at 14-16 degrees celcius.
that is a but low so im not sure if thats maybe too cold.

that is way i thought a lager would be good next. i read liquid yeast is better, so i thought of getting liquid yeast and start a lager - preferably a storng one. any brands to be recommended? i use brewing kits i guess, no fancy self mixed stuff yet.

we could put it into a room where the brew would be at around 10-12 degrees celcius.

what do you think? liquid yeast better? good brands? is it stupid that i ask these questions on a froum mostly visited by US brewers and brands are different in australia?

also what is secondary fermentation?

cheers guys

 

[starrfish]

using this

http://www.csgnetwork.com/tempconvjava.html
16°C = 61°F
and
12°C= 54°F

your safely in the ale temps... lager not so much

You may want to try a California Common or "steam" beer. they have worked well for me using certain lager yeasts at ale temps. produces an ale with lager profile.Saflager # S-23 works well at the higher end of lager scale. key to a good lager is cold aging after primary is done... steams don't need it.

 

[TomBrooz]

Muntons gold kits are great. Comes as two cans of liquid extract, you can just use that and top up with water. Super easy and decent results.

I know you're just getting started but for light lagers I would definitely recommend some hops for that fresh lager flavor.

For alcohol content, check what the box says for whatever brew you choose, and add about a half kilo of dextrose for an extra 1% if you want to.

I got some poor results from some other kits that I used that were single cans with fermentable dry boosters thrown in, but found the muntons to be tastier. Personally I would not add the dextrose but if you do need a higher ABV then that's the way.

Second poster is right on yeast, safAle or SafLager dry strains are great, and easier than liquid.

 

[kh54s10]

A lot of the extract kits that say they are lagers are really light ales.

Brewing a true lager takes a lot of yeast and a strict cold fermentation schedule that requires holding different low temperatures for different time periods. Typically brewing lagers is not something for a beginner.

Brew light ales until you have your processes down. Look into fermentation temperature control then advance to lagers.