Lager brewed with Ale Yeast

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

Hey guys,
My LHBS sells a lager package made in-house. When brewing yesterday I noticed they provided ale yeast. I have made another of their lagers in the past and haven't checked what kind of yeast it is but it was really good.
I guess my question is... I have a good basement temperature for lagering (15 C) and I'm wondering if lagering will help a lager that has ale yeast.
thanks in advance.
SHAL

 

[TyTanium]

Yes. Lagering is simply storing for an exteded period at near-freezing temps, so lagering an ale will help clarify, reduce esters and help smooth the beer. You should note, however, than many of the robust flavors in an ale are desirable and are reduced whilst lagering.

Also...15°C is not lagering temp (need ~0-2°C). It is a nice cellar temp for aging your beers though.

 

[SMc0724]

A few ale yeasts give a lager profile at ale temperatures, usually lower temp will enhance rhe lager profile But, check the recommended temperatures of the yeast. Some ale yeasts will go inactive at low temperatures. Good luck.

 

[Mojzis]

My basement has the same temps. I made a nice crisp ale with Nottingham at those temps. I would try kolsch yeast though. I will be trying that next. I have read a lot on the subject and came to the conclusion to use either Notty, Kolsch or California Lager (can withstand relatively high temps). Look up pseudo-lagering.

Hope this helps..

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I use White Labs San Francisco Lager yeast to make pseudo-lagers at around 60f and they turn out very well without having to go through a month or longer lagering period. A refined palate will know the difference, but you will still have a great, crisp beer.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

The yeast is the Nottingham ale yeast. The website recommends between 14-21 C for the fermentation. So I guess I can put it in the basement at 15 or leave it at 22 upstairs. It sounds like it won't make much of a difference except perhaps for the fermentation time.

 

[TimpanogosSlim]

The yeast is the Nottingham ale yeast. The website recommends between 14-21 C for the fermentation. So I guess I can put it in the basement at 15 or leave it at 22 upstairs. It sounds like it won't make much of a difference except perhaps for the fermentation time.

I've had notty vigorously fermenting at 13c ambient. 15c is a great temperature for it.

Danstar even claims that some commercial brewers make lager-style ales with it at low temperatures.

The difference it will make, like most yeast strains, is in the ester production. Lower temperature = lower esterification. If your beer style depends on the esters for flavor, lower is bad. But since this is a lager recipe, I'm guessing it wants a low-ester ferment.

 

[Peppers16]

That's the thing about taxonomy: We like to arrange species into groups but in reality there's not a solid 'line' between a lager strain and a cold-fermenting ale strain like Nottingham. Nottingham's known making a lager-like beer when fermented cold.