1st Real Lager

[Schlenkerla]

My question has to do with the general 1-2-3 rule of thumb; 1week primary, 2 weeks secondary, 3 weeks carbonating.

Since lager yeast is bottom fermenting, does it make sense to pull it off the primary after week one? Or is the 1-2-3 rule just for ales?

I've found several different examples. I found some do the 1-2-3 and some just do 3 weeks in the primary and then cold lager down to 44'F. (in the bottle or in the secondary)

I am doing a 5 gal American Cream Ale; 6lbs light malt extract using Superior dry lager yeast

I can only go down to the 50-60'F range temperature-wise.

Any ideas???

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

Nope, it's time to throw the 123 rule out the window and go by whether it's actually ready.
Lagers take quite a lot longer to ferment, so you'll need to watch it and play by ear.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Thanks!! -

I was debating over starting off in the 6.5 gal pail or going straight to my glass carboy. I think I will start with carboy and a blow off hose.

Basically from now until next March my basement will be 50-60'F. In the past during winter I brewed ales upstairs and fought with the SWMBO about the thermostat. Fall thru Spring will be lager time or steam beer season down stairs.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

You'll be able to observe the fermentation easier in the carboy as well. Good luck, true lagers are a trial of patience, but are well worth the effort!

 

[Mikey]

I am doing a 5 gal American Cream Ale; 6lbs light malt extract using Superior dry lager yeast

Ummm, this might be obvious, but if you use lager yeast at lager temps, then it won't be an 'ale'.

Cream ales use either ale or lager yeast (depending who you talk to) but are fermented at ale temps.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Ummm, this might be obvious, but if you use lager yeast at lager temps, then it won't be an 'ale'.

Cream ales use either ale or lager yeast (depending who you talk to) but are fermented at ale temps.

Yeah, I know what you mean, "Cream Ale" is a double mis-nomer. There's no cream about it, secondly its not necessarily an ale. Its considered a hybrid beer. You can use Ale or Lager yeast. Its either warm fermented lager (Steam) or cool fermented ale, and in some cases both can be pitched. After the primary fermentation then you lager. Its whatever you make of it really.

This style is kind of like a Kolsch (German Cologne-Style Beer). Its fermented with either yeast at ale temps then cold conditioned.

It think when most people drink a cream ale they don't even make the lager vs ale distinction like any of us would do. I imagine most comercial cream ales are actually lagers.

By the way, I chose this style because I didn't know which yeast I was going to pitch. Because I wasn't sure what temp I could hold in the basement. Half the time my heat hasn't been on, now its cooler, hence the decision for the lager. I'm making my first beer with home grown cascade hops. I wanted something light and very quaffable.

 

[mysterio]

From what I've tried of cream ales, I would imagine that they are fermented on the very cool end of the ale spectrum. I think you'd be quite right to use a lager yeast (even though it is called an ale) because it's a fairly smooth, clean beer.

Like is being said, do not pull it out of the primary while it is fermenting. In fact, I have had excellent results primary'ing and lagering in the same vessel.