Lager recipe w/ Ale yeast???

[Irish06Brewer]

Hey guys,

New to the forum and pretty new to brewing (finished my 3rd batch). Just got back from a summer in Germany/Austria. Fell in love with the lagers there especially a sweet, malty Bavarian Helles (brewed by Bräu im Moos). I don't have the equipment (or the resources to get the equipment) to brew lagers. However, I want to make something that approximates this awesome brew. If I took a good Helles clone from Beer Captured or some other place and used a Kolsch or European Ale yeast, do you think it will turn out OK? Thanks.

 

[BigEd]

It seems this basic question is posted all the time on all the forums. My take is that, yes, it will be OK, but a pseudo lager is still an ale and it is not going match the equivalent lager. What temperatures can you achieve ? Can you refrigerate/cold-condition at all? The cooler and more stable an environment you can provide for the fermentation the better off you will be. Check your temperature capabilities against the manufacturer's suggested range for a clean ale yeast like the Chico/California and the hybrid lager yeast Cal Common/San Francisco/Steam Beer. If you can use one of them do it and if you can manage even a short period of cold-conditioning it will improve the beer IMO.

 

[Slowfro]

You're in DC...wait a bit and do your lagering outside when the temp drops. Not quite as controllable, but it could get you closer than simply using ale techniques to make a lager style.

 

[markg388]

have fun brewing helles, it's probably the toughest beer there is to get right due to it's extreme subtlety. it just so happens that the rich, pilsner malt flavor helles is known for gets covered up by pretty much any and everything... including ale yeast. did you have a kolsch when you were in germany? because that's what you'll be making, it's pretty close to a helles but different at the same time. Hint: use american malt and it will taste more like coors, you gotta make sure you get german pilsner.

 

[Malticulous]

You can get close but you still need to ferment cold, and cold conditioning helps.

Right now I'm having a rice based cream ale fermented with Nottingham at 60F. If it had just a little less flavor it would pass as a standard American lager.

 

[bnmir]

I had good luck with 30% pilsener malt, dusseldorf alt yeast, and tetnanger, fermented at 60. While it wouldnt pass as a lager to a beer judge, it had a lot of the taste elements most people expect.

 

[shroomzofdoom]

My 4th or 5th beer was a Kolsch. It's about the lightest ale one can make. Kolsch yeast actually does Ok with a cold conditioning period. After you bottle it, maintain at 70 degrees for 1-2 weeks, then put in the fridge for another month. It's about as close as you can get to a lager without actually being there. Agree with the poster above that said steer clear of American Pale malt, use Pilsner--been there.