Altbier and cold conditioning.

[Brewme]

My first brew I did (last weekend) was meant to be a clone of Alaskan Amber. According to my HBS, they recommended Salt Hops for both bittering and finishing. I used an extract kit as well (with specialty grain).

Now that you are up to speed, here is my question. I just found a kit meant to clone this very fine brew and they recommend (online) to condition Alt's in the fridge! My HBS didn't say anything about this. How important is it to do this. My wife care a 3 out of 10 for storing a carboy in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Thanks for the help.

 

[MrNate]

Cold conditioning is pretty important for an Altbier IMO. Not to say you'll get a terrible beer if you don't, it just won't quite be an alt.

 

[Brewme]

What exactly does the cold conditioning do for the beer?

 

[jezter6]

Depends more on what yeast you chose than anything. I've made 5-6 Alt's and the only cold conditioning they get is in the keg while I'm drinking it.

I've noticed no bad flavor, but I'm using German Ale and or Nottingham yeasties. If you're using a lager yeast, you'll definately be better served conditioning low, but you should be fermenting kind of low anyways.

What yeast are you using??

 

[Brewme]

I used an Ale liquid yeast, but I am not sure what kind (recommended by my LHBS). I have the fermentation happening in a room at 63-67 degrees. Should I put it in my basement where it is cooler by 10 degrees? Should I be worried about stirring up the wort now that it is 5 days old? FYI, fermentation started within 12 hours and bubbles have now slowed down dramatically. I know that is not a sign of stalled fermentation, but I thought I would through it out there. Man...I love this stuff!

 

[jezter6]

If you used an Ale yeast, you're probably fine at 63-67. Why would you stir? At 5 days, it's probably near done. You can't know unless you take gravity - and 5 days is really too early to worry about that. Give it another 3-8 days, and when it stops and you feel confident that it's done, take a gravity. If it's reached the final gravity - you're fine. It's probably still slowly working and doing it's thing - or it could be near done, you just don't know. Don't over think it, let it sit and follow the advice of the brewers here. You'll be fine.

 

[MrNate]

First off, don't worry about cold conditioning an alt until you have it in secondary or in a keg. In my case, I keg, so I just rack it from primary right to the keg. If I'm cold conditioning I put the keg in the fridge but I don't tap it for a couple of weeks. As the beer clears, sediment settles to the bottom. Then all you have to do is tap it, and you can draw a pint or 2 of trub off the bottom, and the rest of the keg will be clear. If I'm not cold conditioning, I just leave the full keg in my basement as a sort of "secondary."

 

[menschmaschine]

Altbiers are really lagers brewed with an "ale" yeast. They are intended to be lagered. Lagering allows the yeast to reabsorb compounds that are considered "off-flavors" in Alts (esters, sulfur compounds, diacetyl, etc.). So, for all intents and purposes they're brewed, fermented, etc. very similar to lagers, but fermented with a top-fermenting yeast.

 

[Brewme]

Hmm, so because Ale yeast is used, I should still make sure the temp. is b/w 65-70 degrees, right? My neighbor told me she has a mini fridge I can have, so as long as the carboy fits, I will cold condition in that. If not, my garage is damn cold right now and I can put my secondary in there.

 

[menschmaschine]

Most Alt yeasts optimum fermentation temperatures (primary) are in the mid to upper 60s. In general, primary fermentation for an Alt is a little colder than for a typical ale. Keep in mind that it's fermentation temperature, not ambient air temperature. Primary fermentation will create heat and raise the fermentation temperature beyond your ambient air temp by several degrees. Your lagering temperature would be roughly the same as any lager (low to mid 30s).

 

[TeleTwanger]

I think all beers benefit from some kind of cold conditioning but only after both primary and secondary fermentations are complete. I keep Ales at 58F 1 week prior to bottling but not before 2 weeks primary +1-2 weeks secondary.

 

[Brewme]

I think all beers benefit from some kind of cold conditioning but only after both primary and secondary fermentations are complete. I keep Ales at 58F 1 week prior to bottling but not before 2 weeks primary +1-2 weeks secondary.

Why do you think they benefit with cold conditioning? Storing them in bottles in the fridge won't accomplish the same thing?

 

[Yooper]

Why do you think they benefit with cold conditioning? Storing them in bottles in the fridge won't accomplish the same thing?

Well, you could do that after it's carbonated. Altbiers really benefit from cold conditioning after fermentation. What I did was fermented it out, and then put it in my Igloo Ice Cube cooler, with some water surrounding it and stuck some frozen water bottles in there. I use that technique for lagering, too, in the winter in my basement.

 

[TeleTwanger]

Why do you think they benefit with cold conditioning? Storing them in bottles in the fridge won't accomplish the same thing?

The beer clears better when cold conditioned and also when conditioned on the yeast in either a primary or secondary vessel the yeast clean up off flavors produced during primary fermentation. Sure they do this in the bottle too but with a lot less yeast and besides the beer will invariably be bottle conditioned anyway why skip secondary? I see no need to rush beers other than the need for speed. I'm only talking 1 week not a 6 month 'real' lager time which would be superfluous for most Ales.