Lagers...the hard way

[HomerT]

I have been dying to brew a few Lagers since I started homebrewing. However, my basement remains an even 65ish year round. I do not have the space or funds for a dedicated fridge/chest freezer. My options are (as I see them) 1) Ice bath to try to hit the right temps....2)Steam beer yeast...3) Lager yeast at warmer temps....4) Kolsch yeast

Of those, the two I can really do at the moment are #2 and #4. So my question to those of you who have bastardized a lager in either of these ways is: will either one get me close?

By close, I mean will brewing a Helles, or a Pilsner, or an SA Boston Lager clone via steam yeast or kolsch yeast get me something close to the intended? Or should I just hold off and dream of lagers until I can do it right?

-HomerT

 

[RICLARK]

I have been dying to brew a few Lagers since I started homebrewing. However, my basement remains an even 65ish year round. I do not have the space or funds for a dedicated fridge/chest freezer. My options are (as I see them) 1) Ice bath to try to hit the right temps....2)Steam beer yeast...3) Lager yeast at warmer temps....4) Kolsch yeast

Of those, the two I can really do at the moment are #2 and #4. So my question to those of you who have bastardized a lager in either of these ways is: will either one get me close?

By close, I mean will brewing a Helles, or a Pilsner, or an SA Boston Lager clone via steam yeast or kolsch yeast get me something close to the intended? Or should I just hold off and dream of lagers until I can do it right?

-HomerT

San Fran Lager is good at 65 and still gives you the lager Chracter, When your done bottling you can lager it in the bottles after there done conditioning. They will taste like and feel like a regular lager. The Kolsch yeast is good too if you keep it around 65 and crash cool it when done fermenting. Kolsch yeast really brings out the hop flavoring.

 

[Evan!]

I have been dying to brew a few Lagers since I started homebrewing. However, my basement remains an even 65ish year round. I do not have the space or funds for a dedicated fridge/chest freezer. My options are (as I see them) 1) Ice bath to try to hit the right temps....2)Steam beer yeast...3) Lager yeast at warmer temps....4) Kolsch yeast

Of those, the two I can really do at the moment are #2 and #4. So my question to those of you who have bastardized a lager in either of these ways is: will either one get me close?

By close, I mean will brewing a Helles, or a Pilsner, or an SA Boston Lager clone via steam yeast or kolsch yeast get me something close to the intended? Or should I just hold off and dream of lagers until I can do it right?

-HomerT

Here's what I'd do IIWY: Get a few packets of Papazian's Cry Havoc yeast. It does well in lager AND ale temp ranges.

Then, do the ice bath, and ice it up REAL good. You're gonna have to be diligent here. Keep plenty of frozen bottles on hand and switch them out often.

You'll get it pretty close that way.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

A lot of people do the t-shirt trick, too. Put you carboy into the ice bath, and put a t-shirt on it. The shirt will act as a wick, pulling cold water up all over the carboy. Then maybe put a fan on it, keep the air circulating. You're going to have to change your ice quite often, and for a loooong time. It's a PITA, but guys have had success doing it this way.

 

[Yooper]

I've made all my lagers in an Igloo cooler:

Now, the key is to ferment at 50-55 degrees (depending on yeast strain), and that is pretty easy to do in the basement in the winter (my basement is 50 degrees in the winter). Then, when it's time for the lagering, I rack, and then add water to the cooler. I add one ice bottle (frozen water bottles work great!) per day until I'm at 34 degrees. Simply changing out those bottles every few days did it, and I lagered for 6-10 weeks like that. It would be a little different doing it in a 65 degree basement, but I don't see why that wouldn't work.

Some tips- the wheeled cooler is great, so I can roll it where I need to for the coolest spot or to drain. Also, I made a lid out of a sheet of styrofoam, since the hollow lid isn't that great, and the carboy/airlock doesn't fit with the regular lid. This works for me, but I haven't really tried it in the summer except to keep the ales at 65 degrees.