Can my lager ferment warm?

[sidebung]

I bought my first lager ( a fosters clone) and after the fact thought about the temp. I can only ferment in my basement where it is a constant 66 degrees. I know that this is ideal for ales but what is going to happen to this lager if it's too warm?

 

[spw98k]

I think "steam" beer is made in that way. I have never tried it myself so the name is about all I really know about that fermentation method.

 

[z987k]

I bet if you bought a kit, it came with ale yeast... I really have no idea why they advertise that the kit is a "lager" when it clearly is not. Pitch the yeast that came with it or if it didn't come with any yeast, use a neutral ale yeast like nottingham or us-05 and it'll still turn out great.

 

[javedian]

I had a similar question to ask - assuming I am using one of the common true lager (White Labs) strains, what flavors would I get fermenting a 1.040-1.045 gravity brew at, say, 65-70*F? I know that there would be a lot of 'non-lager' fruity esters. How would they compare to the flavors produced by British or Belgian ale strains? I am considering this to get a good pitch of yeast to do a true lager without the time & expense of a big starter - I might as well get some beer for my time. Would I get an ale type flavor profile, or just some nasty funk?

 

[Schlenkerla]

I think it depends on the temperature range. What's the ideal fermentation temp for your yeast?

I have made lagers with superior lager yeast 47-68F. I fermented at ~60F then bottled, carbed-warm, and lagered in the fridge for 8 weeks. This is a high temp dry lager yeast.

It was clean and smooth. You might be able to get the same results if you have the fridge space for bottles.

As for steam beers, I think they have higher gravities and usually hopped well. Therefore being real smooth is easy on a beer w/ some flavor. If you are making low gravity beer and is lightly hopped it would be harder to get rid of the ale-like esters and fruitiness.

Try to give it time to mellow and refridge as much as you can and wait it out before you pass judgement or use Superior Lager Yeast or Nottingham Ale Yeast. Nottingham has good lager characteristics

 

[sidebung]

I bet if you bought a kit, it came with ale yeast... I really have no idea why they advertise that the kit is a "lager" when it clearly is not. Pitch the yeast that came with it or if it didn't come with any yeast, use a neutral ale yeast like nottingham or us-05 and it'll still turn out great.

Yes I bought a kit and the yeast is "White Labs Pilsner Lager Yeast WLP800" So if I use this yeast and ferment at 66 degrees will I riun the beer?

 

[hopsalot]

I made a bock and used ale yeast and it turned out alright, not a true bock but still a good brew. If you are using top fermenting yeast you can go warm but lager yeast need the low temps to ferment.

 

[Alamo_Beer]

you could aways use Kolsch yeast at that temp...

 

[TheJadedDog]

Fermenting a lager yeast at higher temperatures will result in a more esther production and fruity flavors. You will not get that nice clean finish that lagers are known for and your beer might end up a bit maltier than you had hoped. It won't ruin your beer per se, but it won't really be a lager.

To solve your problem you could try using ice in a cooler to keep the temperatures down and do a real lager. I am able to keep my temps down in the low 50s at the height of summer with this method.