muntons gold pilsner, can I change it up a bit????

[Leeroydavid]

So i've done my first mutons gold brew, as the instructions said. Can I, and would it make a better lager, if I bought a better lager yeast? if so what would people recommend? Would I also get a better brew if I fermented the brew at lower temperatures? I do have a big fridge with a separate control to do this.
Finally, would I be able to do a primary fermentation in my fermenting bin, then do a second fermentation in a demi john with an air lock, then bottle and prime the brew, would doing this effect the brew in any way? and would it reduce the amount of sediment in the bottles? also, is normal sugar ok to use when bottling, or is there something better, ie, using brewing sugar instead or something??
thanks in advance for any advice.
Lee

 

[madscientist451]

Changing the yeast isn't going to do much.
If you want to improve your lager beers, quit using kits. Get a BIAB bag, some grain and do simple stovetop all grain brewing.
Temperature control will be a big improvement. You don't need to do a secondary, just lower the the fridge temp and cold crash in primary and let the yeast settle. Note that you need to raise the temperature at the end of fermentation before you cold crash.
You can bottle right from primary by using Domino dots or carbonation drops and skip the step of mixing priming sugar with the beer.
Try using the quick lager method below, it has worked pretty good for me:
https://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

 

[Leeroydavid]

Changing the yeast isn't going to do much.
If you want to improve your lager beers, quit using kits. Get a BIAB bag, some grain and do simple stovetop all grain brewing.
Temperature control will be a big improvement. You don't need to do a secondary, just lower the the fridge temp and cold crash in primary and let the yeast settle. Note that you need to raise the temperature at the end of fermentation before you cold crash.
You can bottle right from primary by using Domino dots or carbonation drops and skip the step of mixing priming sugar with the beer.
Try using the quick lager method below, it has worked pretty good for me:
https://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

Thanks very much

 

[Upstate12866]

I would suggest there is nothing wrong with experimenting with different yeasts, but yes, you may find all grain to be a nice payoff. The unlabelled muntons yeast is more likely a mainstream type rather than an inferior type--it's cheapest to get classic, widely used standard strains. This means your yeast is likely not bad quality. Think about whether you'd like to nail the process (ferm temp control, etc.) with an extract kit or expand into all grain ingredients or new yeast strains. Both can yield new results.

Also that brulosophy link is a good one. Their take on lagers is based on taste tests, and sometimes they challenge the old wisdom. For instance, brulosophy tested and found that corn sugar doesn't make any discernible difference compared to white table sugar when priming. So I follow their lead frequently.

 

[Leeroydavid]

Thanks very much

So the lager is sitting at about 18 degrees celsius (64.4 degrees fahrenheit) at the moment, the hydrometer is just under the ready to bottle section.
when its ready to bottle, what temp would you raise it too?
Then what temp would you lower it too and for how long before bottling?
Then what temp should i be storing the bottles for secondary fermentation?

 

[Upstate12866]

If you are fermenting at 65, I don't think there is a need to raise temps. I think this is used more for ferm temps in the 50s. If you did raise temp, I think you would go a couple degrees more for a day or two. Some folks will then cold crash to 40 deg or lower to help clear out sediment before bottling.

The secondary fermentation is the reason for raising temps. It helps the yeast clear out any possible byproducts, and the thinking is that cold lager fermentation in the 50s doesn't allow all those processes to occur, so we raise it to help finish up.

But you can certainly store it cold for a long while at 40 or at fridge temp if that's easier, it should improve with age. I personally think you can store it at any temp you like (even room temp) as there is no process that takes place at 40 that won't take place at 65. There's a lot of tradition involved here and a lot of belief. So don't take my word as gospel, sorry about that.

 

[Leeroydavid]

If you are fermenting at 65, I don't think there is a need to raise temps. I think this is used more for ferm temps in the 50s. If you did raise temp, I think you would go a couple degrees more for a day or two. Some folks will then cold crash to 40 deg or lower to help clear out sediment before bottling.

The secondary fermentation is the reason for raising temps. It helps the yeast clear out any possible byproducts, and the thinking is that cold lager fermentation in the 50s doesn't allow all those processes to occur, so we raise it to help finish up.

But you can certainly store it cold for a long while at 40 or at fridge temp if that's easier, it should improve with age. I personally think you can store it at any temp you like (even room temp) as there is no process that takes place at 40 that won't take place at 65. There's a lot of tradition involved here and a lot of belief. So don't take my word as gospel, sorry about that.

thanks very much