Lager Yeast Finish

[abraxas]

I had a 1554 clone from Austin Brew Supply that had sat around a little too long and the yeast had completely died off. I brewed the recipe using a Nottingham starter to get it going, an ale yeast instead of lager as the recipe recommends.

It went fine (even though my apartment is a little cold for ales (55-60F), but now I'm wondering if there is any advantage to pitching a lager yeast for the finish and lagering it for a couple of months. The gravity has gone from about 1.055 to 1.018 by the time I have moved it to the secondary. I am in no rush to drink it, since I've got a few other batches occupying the kegerator.

Does anybody have any experiences combining ale and lager yeasts? Are there any advantages or more importantly disadvantages?

I've come across a few recipes that do this, but can't really find any good information about the likely outcome. Since my apartment is so cold during the winter I have often found my ales finish a little high (1.016-1.02) (though nice and crisp), it seems like a lager yeast would continue the fermentation after activity has cooled done and finish the fermentation at the cooler temps after acitivy has slowed byt the lager yeast (and carboy temps cool).

 

[boo boo]

Your yeast determines to some extent the final taste of your brew. If you want a lager like beer then why not just pitch lager yeast from the get go?

If you pitch lager yeast now it will do the same as if it were pitched first to some extent IIRC. It will break down raffinose among other complex sugars the ale yeast don't and you'll lose some of the profile these esters provide.
At least that is what I remember.

 

[abraxas]

Your yeast determines to some extent the final taste of your brew. If you want a lager like beer then why not just pitch lager yeast from the get go?

If you pitch lager yeast now it will do the same as if it were pitched first to some extent IIRC. It will break down raffinose among other complex sugars the ale yeast don't and you'll lose some of the profile these esters provide.
At least that is what I remember.

I think you mean sugars?


Lager yeast breaks down the trisaccharides maltotriose and raffinose which ale yeast will not, which I think (though I have no good source) comprise something like 5% of the total wort carb content. I'm thinking that the effect on the final flavor will be minor.

Since I have already fermented (with an ale yeast) at the cooler temps, the ester profile shouldn't be too far off from a lager. I would be adding the lager yeast to ferment some of the rest of the sugars at the cooler temps since I have the time and don't want to mess with a heated space.

On the other hand if the ale yeast will continue at this lower temp I'll just let it continue.