First lager advise

[MrFeltimo]

Im thinking of doing my first lager soon, so any tips, advise or what receipe to follow, what can i expect and what not to do.
Thanks
Dan

 

[Jorb]

Use a yeast starter. Fermentation will take off much quicker at lager temps if you have the right number of yeast cells.

 

[Hankins2010]

Vigorously aerate your wort for several minutes before pitching your yeast. I just use a whisk to whip in oxygen after its cooled till it gets a foamy head .The pour it into my fermenter . Then pitch your yeast starter like Jorb said above . Works great every time.

 

[mtyquinn]

Lots of happy yeast. Starter. Probably stepped-up. Keep temps consistent.

 

[tootal]

+1 to what's been said.
You mentioned recipes. What are you wanting to brew?
I have done Oktoberfest, Doppelbock and Pre Prohibition American Lagers.
Are you going to use rice or corn?
Going for a Euro style pilsner?
There's lots of lagers out there to choose from.

 

[solbes]

Really big yeast starters make the best lagers I've found. A healthy 3.5 quart yeast starter works for most low to moderate gravity lagers. Then if you wanted to do a Bock or higher gravity lager, wash a portion of the yeast from the first batch. The second beer is usually the lager that really shines, at least in my experience.

Time is another factor, as lagering near freezing temps for 5-10 weeks really gives a great beer.

 

[iowabrew]

I've had pretty good luck starting the yeast at the low end of temps and letting it free rise up to the mid-high end of the yeast's temp scale. Lagers ferment about the same time frame as ales with proper pitch rates to make sure you d-rest at the appropriate time using a gravity check.

 

[roastquake]

Do a diacetyl rest. when fermentation is about 80% complete, raise the temperature to the mid-60s. That will cause the yeast to clean up the buttery flavors caused by the diacetyl it produced earlier in the fermentation.

My method is very crude and non-scientific but it works: One week at lager temp, one week at ale temp. Lot's of people take gravity readings to tell when the 80% mark is reached, but I'd rather not open my fermenter for that.

Read into it and you will find a lot more information

 

[MrFeltimo]

Great advice guys thanks alot.

+1 to what's been said.
You mentioned recipes. What are you wanting to brew?
I have done Oktoberfest, Doppelbock and Pre Prohibition American Lagers.
Are you going to use rice or corn?
Going for a Euro style pilsner?
There's lots of lagers out there to choose from.

I dont know to be honest, not a big fan of oktoberfest, just something simple and pleasing i guess, a summer quencher.

 

[mblanks2]

All grain or extract?

 

[MrFeltimo]

All grain or extract?

All grain.

 

[mblanks2]

Here's a nice easy drinking pilsner. I've made it on several occasions with good success. I've used the Czech Budejovice lager yeast and I've use the Saflager 34/70 dry strain. Both turned out good. If you go with Budejovice be aware that it will put off allot of sulfur smell during fermentation. Not so with the dry. Do the D-Rest and Lager as close to freezing for at least 5 or 6 weeks.
Obviously this is for a 10 gallon batch and purists will probably scream when they see the Munich in there, but it's been good with either yeast.

9 lbs Pilsen Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.0 SRM) Grain 5 45.0 %
8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 6 40.0 %
2 lbs Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 7 10.0 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 8 5.0 %
0.50 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.30 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 9 4.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 10 4.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Saaz [7.90 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 11 8.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Spalter [3.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 12 3.6 IBUs
0.50 oz Tettnang [3.80 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 13 3.9 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 14 -
0.75 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.30 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 15 3.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 16 2.8 IBUs
0.75 oz Saaz [7.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 17 5.5 IBUs
0.75 oz Spalter [3.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 18 2.4 IBUs
0.75 oz Tettnang [3.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 19 2.6 IBUs
0.75 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.30 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 20 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 21 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Saaz [7.90 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 22 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Spalter [3.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 23 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Tettnang [3.80 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 24 0.0 IBUs

I dry hopped this the last time with .5 oz of each hop in each 5 gallon fermenter.

 

[MrFeltimo]

Here's a nice easy drinking pilsner. I've made it on several occasions with good success. I've used the Czech Budejovice lager yeast and I've use the Saflager 34/70 dry strain. Both turned out good. If you go with Budejovice be aware that it will put off allot of sulfur smell during fermentation. Not so with the dry. Do the D-Rest and Lager as close to freezing for at least 5 or 6 weeks.
Obviously this is for a 10 gallon batch and purists will probably scream when they see the Munich in there, but it's been good with either yeast.

9 lbs Pilsen Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.0 SRM) Grain 5 45.0 %
8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 6 40.0 %
2 lbs Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 7 10.0 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 8 5.0 %
0.50 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.30 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 9 4.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 10 4.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Saaz [7.90 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 11 8.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Spalter [3.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 12 3.6 IBUs
0.50 oz Tettnang [3.80 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 13 3.9 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 14 -
0.75 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.30 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 15 3.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 16 2.8 IBUs
0.75 oz Saaz [7.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 17 5.5 IBUs
0.75 oz Spalter [3.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 18 2.4 IBUs
0.75 oz Tettnang [3.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 19 2.6 IBUs
0.75 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.30 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 20 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 21 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Saaz [7.90 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 22 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Spalter [3.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 23 0.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Tettnang [3.80 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 24 0.0 IBUs

I dry hopped this the last time with .5 oz of each hop in each 5 gallon fermenter.

Thanks,
Thats a lotta hops.
Any advice on Mash schedule, fermentation schedule.
Dan

 

[tootal]

When I was researching pre prohibition american lagers I found the reasons they used rice and corn and it wasn't because it's cheaper. In those days we basically had 6 row malt and it took a lot of it to make a 5 % beer. Since there were so many hulls the beers came out dark and astringent. They finally figured out that 6 row was good at converting rice and corn so they started adding anywhere from 20% to 40% rice or corn and the beers came out golden and the astringency was gone. They were making a respectable euro style pilsner with american ingredients!

I made a PPP using 6 row malt and 30% rice. I did it the old way by chopping the rice up into grits. (I used a blender...I know, that's cheating!) I took a couple of pounds of 6 row and the rice and did a cereal mash. If you want to cheat you can use rice flakes and just throw them in the mash but I was being an anal bitch!

We rested the cereal mash at 127, 140 and 180 for ten minutes each before we boiled for ten more minutes. Those temps are off the top of my head. I have them in my notes but don't have them with me.

We added this back to the rest of the 6 row that was at a protein rest at 127. We brought the mash to 148 for 45 minutes and then slowly raised it to mash out at 165.

We boiled for 90 minutes adding american cluster hops for bittering for 60 minutes and flavor for 20 minutes and aroma at flame out.

We ended up at 1.050 OG and 19 IBU's.

This made an excellent Summer beer and had a lot more flavor than today's modern versions. Besides, if you can make this beer without any off flavors you know your sanitation is good!

 

[Darwin18]

1) Yeast Starter - Critical
2) Pitch your yeast starter into your wort when wort is about 5 - 10 degrees below your target fermentation temperature. Set your fermentation temperature and walk away. This allows your wort to slowly warm to your fermentation temperatures instead of fighting to cool the wort as it ferments. It also limits the amount of off-flavors, and likely also eliminates that need to do a D-Rest, although that doesn't hurt anything.

Lagers aren't any more difficult than ales except that you really have to have control of your fermentation temperatures and use active yeast starters.

 

[MrFeltimo]

When I was researching pre prohibition american lagers I found the reasons they used rice and corn and it wasn't because it's cheaper. In those days we basically had 6 row malt and it took a lot of it to make a 5 % beer. Since there were so many hulls the beers came out dark and astringent. They finally figured out that 6 row was good at converting rice and corn so they started adding anywhere from 20% to 40% rice or corn and the beers came out golden and the astringency was gone. They were making a respectable euro style pilsner with american ingredients!

I made a PPP using 6 row malt and 30% rice. I did it the old way by chopping the rice up into grits. (I used a blender...I know, that's cheating!) I took a couple of pounds of 6 row and the rice and did a cereal mash. If you want to cheat you can use rice flakes and just throw them in the mash but I was being an anal bitch!

We rested the cereal mash at 127, 140 and 180 for ten minutes each before we boiled for ten more minutes. Those temps are off the top of my head. I have them in my notes but don't have them with me.

We added this back to the rest of the 6 row that was at a protein rest at 127. We brought the mash to 148 for 45 minutes and then slowly raised it to mash out at 165.

We boiled for 90 minutes adding american cluster hops for bittering for 60 minutes and flavor for 20 minutes and aroma at flame out.

We ended up at 1.050 OG and 19 IBU's.

This made an excellent Summer beer and had a lot more flavor than today's modern versions. Besides, if you can make this beer without any off flavors you know your sanitation is good!

This sounds like a great brew day I will try for sure, Thanks alot
Dan.

 

[MrFeltimo]

Darwin, Great advise on temps, Thanks mate.
Dan

 

[mblanks2]

I mashed at 148*f for 75 minutes and fly sparged at 168*F. Fermented for 10 days at 50*F then gradually raised my temperature to 65* for a 3 day D-Rest. Moved to secondary and lagered for 5 - 6 weeks at 33*F - 34*F and dry hopped for the last week. Transferred and let sit in the keg at 13.4 PSI for three weeks.