Do you lager Pilsners?

[shoemaker27]

Like the title says, do you lager pilsners? I have read that lagering reduces fruity tastes in the beer.....my last batch of czech pilsner turned out a bit fruity and I'm wondering is this something I could have avoided by keeping the beer cold in secondary? I have another pilsner in primary ready for secondary and was wondering if it should go in the fridge even though the directions don't call for it.

Thanks for the help!
Christian

 

[philrose]

yep.

If Lagering is out of your control, think kolsch for a less fruity ale.

Whats different about brewing lager

 

[mysterio]

Lagering won't reduce fruitiness, it is mainly for chill-proofing.

Using a true lager yeast, pitching a lot of it, and fermenting cool will make your lager less fruity.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

There are two variants to the word "lagering" as it relates to beer.

The truest context of the word is to chill-proof as said before and is simple a conditioning phase.

The loosest context is lager fermentations, that is using a lager yeast. which will produce a cleaner fermentation.

However, in both contexts a non-lagered Pilsner is a Kolschbier.

 

[mysterio]

No, Kolsch beers are usually lagered, the difference is they are top fermented, and generally not as hoppy as Pilsner beers.

 

[BigEd]

Like the title says, do you lager pilsners? I have read that lagering reduces fruity tastes in the beer.....my last batch of czech pilsner turned out a bit fruity and I'm wondering is this something I could have avoided by keeping the beer cold in secondary? I have another pilsner in primary ready for secondary and was wondering if it should go in the fridge even though the directions don't call for it.

Thanks for the help!
Christian

Are you brewing a real lager? Reading between the lines, is what you have a "pilsner" kit of extract and dry yeast? If so it isn't a lager at all but an ale, hence the fruity esters from the ale yeast. Lowering the fermentation temp to the low end of the scale for an ale yeast can suppress ester production and help yield a cleaner profile.