Am I ready to try a lager....

[venquessa]

I'm tempted by this...

2.5Kg Malt extract
0.5Kg Corn sugar
50g Saaz hops (60min)
15g Saaz hops (5min)
WYeast Bavarian Lager activator pack.
Irish Moss

I think I have a place I can get 10-15C temps for fermentation. The rest period is easy, move it to a warm room. It's the cold crashing and lagering that worries me.... don't you have to like chill all the bottles for weeks?

Oh.. yes, point of the post, I remember... DME and LME doesn't seem to come as "Pilsner malt" that I can find. This I only found one brand that look new on the scene. So if you want to go lager with extract, can you choose any specific malt extract or just normal LME/DME light?

 

[wailingguitar]

Personally I would ditch the corn sugar, but that's me...

Your ferment temps sound great. Keep it at the lower end for most of the ferment, let it warm up for a couple days towards the end. After the primary ferment is done, if you can set the fermenter in a tub of some sort with some cold water. I like to freeze empty plastic water and soda bottles and have them float in it. Keep it that way for a couple more weeks at least. Then bottle normally. Even a lager will carb better at warmer temps.

 

[Yooper]

Typically you ferment at about 10C for 14 days or so, then do the room temperature rest at the end of that time. Then you rack to a new carboy, and lager at near freezing temps for about 6 weeks or so. That sounds like it would be hard for you to do, but that's what really exemplies the "clean, crisp" lager taste.

A lager fermented without the lagering would still probably be really tasty, but it wouldn't be the clean crisp lager you may be envisioning.

If you can lager in the carboy, you could lager in the bottles after the beer is carbed up if you have a fridge to store it in.

 

[venquessa]

I'm thinking the only way to try this is with 2x 1 gallon (or 5 litre) demijohns.

I can sacrifice the beer fridge.... yes you read that right... It will hold 2 x 5 litre demijohns or 10 1 litre bottles, and I can control the temp reasonably well. My actual beer can move to the kitchen fridge, SWMBO isn't too bothered.

But... I'll first need to make an ale batch in a 2 gallon batch to check the process / ratios etc.

 

[venquessa]

Okay, so my first 2 gallon batch process seems to have worked. A strong blonde ale, that is very light in color and I'd risk calling it a "lager-like" ale.

So, I'm thinking of using nearly the same ingredients, but using lager yeast and the fridge to regulate the temp.

Recipe:
Batch size: 10litres
Boil size: 10litres
Boil time: 30min
1Kg Extra Light DME
100g of assorted spec grains
100-250g Sugar for kick
15g Saaz hops - 30mins
15g Saaz hops - 15mins

Cool wort in kettle to below 20C (68F), place sealed in kitchen fridge to cool further to 10C - a good few hours I expect.
Shake Demijohns to aerate.
Pitch yeast.
Store in beer fridge at 10-12C for 2 weeks with blow off pipes as airlocks won't fit in fridge.
Leave to stand at room temp (70F) for 2 days. <-- ??
Prime and bottle and return to fridge at 10C, then turn the fridge up to max and keep an eye on the temp so it doesn't go below 2C.
Leave for 2-3 weeks, sample
Leave for 2-3 weeks, sample
Leave for 2-3 weeks, sample

Until nice and carbed up.

Question... will lager yeast carb the bottles at that temp or do I need to give them room temp storage to carb?