lagering

So my first real lager is in the lagering phase. I moved to secondary and slowly dropped the temp to my available minimum in the fridge (approx 4c). My question is, when does the timer start? Does the temp drop phase count or is it just when it hits the colder temps to aid with clearing? The...

Hey all, I was looking for suggestions on an upright freezer, small in footprint, but large enough to hold a 5 gallon carboy. My intentions were to put a temp controller on it and utilize it as a fermentation chamber and once fermentation is complete be occupied by a 5 gallon corny keg for a...

Brewed a Premium American Lager about 5 weeks ago. I fermented for about a week and a half, and at the end of the fermentation (yes I checked with hydrometer) I did a Diacetyl rest for 2 days at around 65. I fermented at 55. When I transfered to secondary, there was no hint of Diacetyl...

I'm just about ready to brew my fifth batch of beer and need a little advice from some experienced brewers. My last batch was a cream ale partial mash that I really enjoyed. Next I would like to try something roughly along the lines of a Stella Artois clone, however I don't have the...

I've only brewed a half dozen batches of beer so far, but I've tried to learn and improve with each batch. My efforts have led to full batch boils, better yeast pitching rates and more thoughtful temperature control. (Got a category ribbon in my first contest!) I tend to prefer ales, but I'm...

So, I have a Frigidaire FRC445GB that will be converted to a kegerator soon. In the meatime, I am planning on using it to ferment and lager a Pils. The fridge runs too cold for fermentation, and I would rather not drop the $75 on a new thermostat (i did just buy all of the hardware for a...