Do I lager my dead guy ale clone

[sirdrinkalot]

Hi,
Fermented my dead guy ale (kit) at 62 degrees bottled after 3 weeks in primary1.016 FG put in storage at 62 degrees but was just had a duh moment as in am I supposed to lager this in the bottle at 40-50 degrees? Did use a Cali ale yeast if i remember correctly.....does any one have experience with this? This is my first brew so Im a newbie thanks!

 

[sputnam]

i've never seen a kit that didn't have instructions...what do the instructions say?

 

[unionrdr]

Ales don't generally need to be lagered. & 62F after bottling is too cool to carb & condition the bottled beer at. Raise it to 70F or a lil more to do the job in 3-4 weeks. Temps in the bottle are different, since initial or "primary" fermentation is already done. So the upper temp range of the yeast doesn't matter, but the lower temp does. Too low a temp in the bottles will stall the yeast.

 

[AnOldUR]

Lagering is a process unique to lager yeast. Lager yeast will continue to work at 45 degrees where ale yeast will go dormant. Rogue's Pacman yeast will ferment lower than Cali Ale, but still not go down as far as a lager yeast.

All that said, your beer will probably benefit from cold conditioning.

John Palmer / How to Brew:

[...] High molecular weight proteins also settle out during this stage. Tannin/phenol compounds will bind with the proteins and also settle out, greatly smoothing the taste of the beer. This process can be helped by chilling the beer, very similar to the lagering process. In the case of ales, this process is referred to as Cold Conditioning, and is a popular practice at most brewpubs and microbreweries. Cold conditioning for a week clears the beer with or without the use of finings.


[...] Nominal lagering times are 3 - 4 weeks at 45°F, 5 - 6 weeks at 40°F, or 7 - 8 weeks at 35°F.

 

[sirdrinkalot]

Hi,
The instructions didn't specify I just know that it is a maibock/Helles style beer that is generally more of a lager style..... The instructions recommended to ferment at 60 degrees.... I was wondering about whether the high temp matters once bottled I could move the bottles into the house but it is hard to control the temp in here.... My wife likes it at 75 degrees 😁

 

[unionrdr]

To be more accurate, in the case of ales, I do that in the bottles at fridge time for 1-2 weeks. This forces the excess dissolved proteins to clump together & settle out. This is commonly known as chill haze, which takes 5-7 days to form & settle out, leaving clear, cleaner tasting beer in my experiences. Higher temps don't matter as much after initial fermentation is done. Raising the temp a couple degrees after initial fermentation can help the yeast finish fermenting down to the desired FG range. So higher temps in the bottles, 70F+doesn't matter, but lower temps do, as the yeast may stall & not carbonate the beer. 70F or a bit more is normal to carb the beer in 3-4 weeks on average for average gravity ales. The way ales are processed is decidedly different from how lagers are processed. Ales are easier in this regard, not requiring lower temps to ferment & give good flavor. That is why ale home brewing is so popular.

 

[sirdrinkalot]

Thanks for the advice it's been 62 for 3 days but I will bring up the temp so it can warm up and hopefully carb well... Thanks!

 

[stevehardt]

Can you check the website you bought it from and see if it lists what type of yeast you used?