Lager yeast in an Ale

[mendozer]

I'm getting ready to do my second batch of beer (first all grain). I bought a mini fridge as my fermenter. Instead of shelling out cash for a thermostat regulator, I just put it on the minimum setting and I'm getting accurate readings of 55-59 F. I want to make either a Hefeweizen or a Blue Moon clone. Besides having a cleaner finish, what other effects will I have if I use lager yeast to make an ale?

 

[Yooper]

Well, a hefeweizen is all about the yeast so I don't think a "clean" lager hefeweizen will work at all. A good hefeweizen uses the proper yeast and fermentation temperatures to get the correct fruity/clove flavors.

55-59 is a little warm for a lager yeast, though. So, I'm not sure about a lager yeast for your situation. I ferment my lagers at 48-52 degrees (not air temp, but the fermentation temperature- air temp is probably about 5 degrees cooler).

 

[mendozer]

oh so maybe a cooler ale yeast will be fine.

 

[Yooper]

Maybe. I think Nottingham works down to 57 degrees, so that might work well. It also gives a very "clean" taste at under 60 degrees, so that might be great for some lager-like beers like a cream ale.

 

[Chudz]

I used Wyeast 3068 on my orange hefeweizen, based on the recipe in Extreme Brewing. If I recall right, it even said to let it ferment a little warmer to get the right profile. Mine ranged from 70 to 73 degrees and came out great.

Sorry I can't be much help of using a lager yeast for this, but I figured I'd stick my two cents in.

 

[campanelly]

Wouldn't that basically be a sort of steam beer?

 

[mendozer]

Yeah I was thinking of Nottingham since it's a popular yeast. Or I could just turn off the fridge once a day for a couple hours or something.