How many are brewing Lagers in 2019?

[schematix]

Sounds like you are where i hope to be in about a year with my beer except i probably dont have the space to do 13. I will porbably stay topped out at 8. So what kind of kegs are you fermenting in? Also what is your yeast process. Are harvesting from the bottom or splitting your starters?

I've changed my process recently to do brewing in sprints. I'll brew every 10-12 days for about 6 weeks until every keg is full, then take ~3 months off.

I have a conical now. I used to do cornies. Same idea just different volume.

My yeast process is to buy 2 fresh packs, do 2x1.8L starters and let those go on the stir plate. Then i take the slurry and pitch to 4x1.8L. THat yeast i'll then pitch to the smallest gravity lager in my run. After that i just take the slurry and repitch it a few days later. Slurry older than a couple days sucks.... it HAS to be fresh (like 5 days max). Also if you spund you can extend that a little because the yeast is still active for a few days after you rack.

I save a TON of DME this way and a TON of TIME making new starters for each one.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I've changed my process recently to do brewing in sprints. I'll brew every 10-12 days for about 6 weeks until every keg is full, then take ~3 months off.

I have a conical now. I used to do cornies. Same idea just different volume.

My yeast process is to buy 2 fresh packs, do 2x1.8L starters and let those go on the stir plate. Then i take the slurry and pitch to 4x1.8L. THat yeast i'll then pitch to the smallest gravity lager in my run. After that i just take the slurry and repitch it a few days later. Slurry older than a couple days sucks.... it HAS to be fresh (like 5 days max). Also if you spund you can extend that a little because the yeast is still active for a few days after you rack.

I save a TON of DME this way and a TON of TIME making new starters for each one.

I see. With your process it makes sense to brew to stock up that way. So what would be the issue with storing yeast under a little beer for say 4 months? I'm new to yeast harvesting and was recently able to harvest some san diego super yeast from my blowoff tube. But because I'm rotating through styles to feed my 4 keg setup, im not really brewing repitiously. Maybe a double batch once every 4-6 weeks. Cheers.

 

[schematix]

I see. With your process it makes sense to brew to stock up that way. So what would be the issue with storing yeast under a little beer for say 4 months? I'm new to yeast harvesting and was recently able to harvest some san diego super yeast from my blowoff tube. But because I'm rotating through styles to feed my 4 keg setup, im not really brewing repitiously. Maybe a double batch once every 4-6 weeks. Cheers.

Viability. After a week I toss it or make a starter.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Viability. After a week I toss it or make a starter.

Right. But could i ramp up a starter after 4 months at 33° or do i need to feed them a little wort every month or 2 to keep them alive?

 

[schematix]

Right. But could i ramp up a starter after 4 months at 33° or do i need to feed them a little wort every month or 2 to keep them alive?

No they’ll be mostly dead. You’ll need a full sized starter or more to make it usable..... unless you want to be the guy on here saying it’s been 48 hours since you pitched and there’s no activity.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

No they’ll be mostly dead. You’ll need a full sized starter or more to make it usable..... unless you want to be the guy on here saying it’s been 48 hours since you pitched and there’s no activity.

I am already doing a 2 step starter for my lagers. For 10 gallons i do two 2 quart starters at room temp and then second step is at ferm temp. So maybe i will need to add a 3rd step after the prolonged rest period in addition to feeding them a little wort at 2 months. Sooo.. what do you think?

 

[schematix]

I am already doing a 2 step starter for my lagers. For 10 gallons i do two 2 quart starters at room temp and then second step is at ferm temp. So maybe i will need to add a 3rd step after the prolonged rest period in addition to feeding them a little wort at 2 months. Sooo.. what do you think?

I think you need much more starter volume. What you have is great for an ale pitch, but you need to double it still.

You need a lot more than you think if you want to make really clean lagers and have quick ferments. If you don't care about esters or 3 week ferments followed by months of lagering, then whatever. But if you want grain to glass lagers in 3-4 weeks this is one of the keys.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I think you need much more starter volume. What you have is great for an ale pitch, but you need to double it still.

You need a lot more than you think if you want to make really clean lagers and have quick ferments. If you don't care about esters or 3 week ferments followed by months of lagering, then whatever. But if you want grain to glass lagers in 3-4 weeks this is one of the keys.

So like two 1 gallon starters with 2 steps on a couple stirplates? I should be well over a trillion cells. The long ferment doesnt bother me but off flavors, esters, or extended lagering would.

 

[schematix]

So like two 1 gallon starters with 2 steps on a stirplate? I should be well over a trillion cells.

I should probably clarify batch size too. I’m doing 10G batches.

For 5 gallons the equivalent is step 1 - 1 pack into 1.8L, and step 2 is the slurry into 3.5L. Give or take a little. That’s enough to do a sub-1.050 lager. If you can do a little more, then do it.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I should probably clarify batch size too. I’m doing 10G batches.

For 5 gallons the equivalent is step 1 - 1 pack into 1.8L, and step 2 is the slurry into 3.5L. Give or take a little. That’s enough to do a sub-1.050 lager. If you can do a little more, then do it.

Im doing 10 gallon batches also. Mr. Malty says we are both around 900 billion cells since i typically pitch 2 yeast packs then do double starters each with 2 steps but no stirplate. So im at the pro brewer 1.75 level on mr malty.

But 4 month old yeast would have 0% viability. At 2 months viabilty would be 13%. Im gonna need to rethink my yeast harvesting goals. Thanks cheers.[emoji482]

 

[schematix]

Im doing 10 gallon batches also. Mr. Malty says we are both around 900 billion cells since i typically pitch 2 yeast packs then do double starters each with 2 steps but no stirplate. So im at the pro brewer 1.75 level on mr malty.

But 4 month old yeast would have 0% viability. At 2 months viabilty would be 13%. Im gonna need to rethink my yeast harvesting goals. Thanks cheers.[emoji482]

Last word on the subject... pitch at 2.5 E6 cells / mL / P.

It's also worthwhile to buy a cheapo microscope to see where you're at (400x is enough). I bought it, checked it a few times, and it's collecting dust now. Gave me piece of mind though.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Last word on the subject... pitch at 2.5 E6 cells / mL / P.

It's also worthwhile to buy a cheapo microscope to see where you're at (400x is enough). I bought it, checked it a few times, and it's collecting dust now. Gave me piece of mind though.

Ok. Got it now. Thanks.

 

[MrHadack]

Dang, I'm really late to this thread. I should try to catch up. I decided to do nothing but lagers the first part of this year: Czech Pilsner, Maibock, California Common, and an IPL. All four of those were completed over the last 4 weeks and are in varying states of fermentation. The Pilsner and IPL will be kegged and the Maibock and Cali-Common I'll be bottling. I have to travel for most of the month of April, so the plan is to have have them cold-condition until I get back in May and ready to drink by June.

As a side note, I overhauled my brewing process / routine for these batches and not only did I get each of them done in about 4.5 hours (from set-up through clean-up) I nailed every number from pH to gravity to volume on the nose. Pretty excited by this set of beers. I re-pitched the last batch (IPL) on top of the yeast cake from the Pilsner and it's gone from 1.053 to 1.013 in less than 48 hours. Lag time on that one was just an hour or two. I have to do that more often!

 

[Home_alone1]

I'll brew 4-5 lager batches between now and the end of April, and let them sit (kegged) in my cold basement until I put them in the cooler. I don't brew much in the summer but I'll have beer to drink.
On my list:
-Bavarian light lager
-American lager with corn or rice
-Kolsch
-A darker lager, probably a German style
-Maybe an experimental lager with rye/oats/wheat

That’s what I’m doing ! I brewed last summer and it was hell . I was only going to brew lagers but fal alans Gose book made me want to do a Gose too. By May I want to be done brewing for the summer .
I’ll have 20 gallons of Pilsner ,
10 gallons of marzen Rauchbier ( ready for October fest ) .
12 gallons of Gose and 10 gallons of yet to be determined something.

 

[MrHadack]

I brewed last summer and it was hell

Ugh, now I'm having flashbacks. Late last summer I had to get a couple batches done for some people; I had promised them before the end of summer I'd make them. I did two 5-gallon batches in parallel in my garage, and the temp in there got up to 97F. Just not a happy brew day. I still plan to brew some beers this summer but they'll be half-batch NEIPAs that my neighbors always ask for.

 

[thehaze]

Brewed 1 Hoppy Pilsner with AUS and NZ hops, 1 Hoppy Schwarzbier with AUS and NZ hops and 1 Vienna Lager with German brown hops. All 3 fermented with W-34/70. Very good. Will brew again.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

Brewed an amber lager today. First 5 gallon AG batch where up to now I've been doing 3 gallons. Tun and boil pot were full and efficiency is lower so needed to add 3oz of DME.
All went well, in the fermentor now waiting for the 34/70 to get working.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

1st ever attempt. It'll be an Okoberfest. 1st time doing decoction mash also. Still researching lagering techniques.

 

[schematix]

All lagers naturally carbonated and lagering

4 pils
3 marzen
1 doppelbock

+2 more lagering in another fridge.

 

[Ahks]

Dark lager in primary... A BJCP judge would probably call it out of style for 8B but hopefully it's still tasty.

 

[HTH1975]

My next beer will likely be a lager of some sort as the missus likes to drink it. I’ve done a Pilsner and a Kölsch, so a Vienna might be nice.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

1st ever attempt. It'll be an Okoberfest. 1st time doing decoction mash also. Still researching lagering techniques.

Lagering techniques = store the beer somewhere cold for a few weeks

 

[Jag75]

One week into my first Lager . Oktoberfest/Marzen. Gonna lager for 5 months !

 

[grampamark]

I've brewed 2 so far this year, a Fizzy Yellow Lager last week and an Amber Lager two weeks ago. With the weather warming up the unheated part of my basement will probably be too warm for lagering in another month, so I probably won't brew any more until November, or so.

 

[Duffman870727]

I will do a number of lagers and cream ale brews throughout the year. My current brew plan is 10 Gal German Pils next weekend, 5 Gal peach/cranberry/raspberry dry-hopped kettle sour, 10 Gal Vienna lager, 10 Gal California Common. Not too sure what I'll brew beyond that, maybe a Czech Pils and then Cream Ale. I'll see what strikes my muse when I get to that point.

 

[TheMadKing]

I brew lagers regularly and I have a munich Helles fermenting right now, and I always make a marzen, a doppelbock, and a dunkel in time for fall

 

[Hellbender1]

I have a Munich dunkel, helles bock, and pre-pro lager that i brewed on consecutive weekends in January. All are sitting at 32F currently in my chest freezer. Couple of more weeks and I'll start bottling.​

 

[jcav]

I mainly brew ales, but I do try to get 3 to 5 lagers in throughout the year. Love to brew and enjoy lagers and have a separate chest freezer dedicated to lager the kegs, but they do take up some time before they are ready and that is the only downside.

John

 

[Beer666]

I am drinking a Czech pale now and a rye lager and i have another 3 Czech pales fermenting and a red lager. I have become rather obsessed.

 

[Griffin495]

Bottled a Standard American Lager and a dark lager on Sunday, then turned around and brewed a Classic American Pilsner and a Lite American Lager yesterday pitching the yeast from the Standard for both. After these, I'm doing a few ales as my pipeline will probably be running low.