Cold Fermenting/Lagering in Kegerator serving beer

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mcaffrey

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I'll be brewing my first lager this week, and since I live down in Texas I'll need to be using my kegerator refrigerator to cold ferment and lager my beer. It is plenty big enough, but the problem is that I am also serving beer out of that same refrigerator and we like our beer cold.

If my kegerator is at 40 degrees F, do you think that will cause a problem with the cold fermentation process of my American style light lager? The yeast recommends 50-55 degrees. I am hoping 40 will be fine if I just give it extra time. Should I take it out for an hour or so once a day to warm up a bit?

Also, my understanding is that for the lagering phase 40 degrees is close to optimal so that should be fine.
 
It will take a very long time for yeast to do anything at 40 degrees. Would be better off just doing it at recommend temps and just don't drink your other beer for that time frame. Once you start lagering then you can drink them again.
 
Well I have a couple social gatherings planned.

How about a compromise like raising temp to 50 for a few days, bringing it back down to 40 for a social day, then raising it back to 50 afterwards?
 
Take this opportunity to buy a dorm fridge off of craigs list on the cheap and use it to ferment in. Or, wait until after your gathering so that you can raise the temp for a week or so in your beer fridge.
 
I'll be brewing my first lager this week, and since I live down in Texas I'll need to be using my kegerator refrigerator to cold ferment and lager my beer. It is plenty big enough, but the problem is that I am also serving beer out of that same refrigerator and we like our beer cold.

If my kegerator is at 40 degrees F, do you think that will cause a problem with the cold fermentation process of my American style light lager? The yeast recommends 50-55 degrees. I am hoping 40 will be fine if I just give it extra time. Should I take it out for an hour or so once a day to warm up a bit?

Also, my understanding is that for the lagering phase 40 degrees is close to optimal so that should be fine.

50F is more usual as a fermentation temp for lager yeast. Drinking beer at 50 isn't the worst thing in the world :tank:

After about 7 days at 50F you can pull it out and warm it to 70 or so for another week as a D-rest. So your kegerator temp won't be up for a very long time.
 
Well I have a couple social gatherings planned.

How about a compromise like raising temp to 50 for a few days, bringing it back down to 40 for a social day, then raising it back to 50 afterwards?

Once fermentation starts I never go down in temp... only up.

40F is going to be a bit too low for most lager strains (that I am aware of).

You could add a brew belt or fermwrap to warm the fermenter while still drinking cold beer. I think that is the best answer for what you are trying to do.

I've temp controlled a belgian fermenting at a warmer temp, in a ferm chamber that was fermenting an ale at a cooler temp and it worked great. Seems like the same idea as using the kegerator while fermenting 10F warmer by applying heat.

After a week (or two), you can simply pull the fermenter out and let it warm up to room temperature in a cool part of the house for a d-rest and ensure it is totally finished out fermenting. Then just pop it back in the kegerator to cold crash for a few days before kegging.
 
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