My first try at making a lager, week 1

[DJL531]

After purchasing a Vienna Lager kit online I had to come up with just how do I lager it?

First, the recipe:
Kit had .25 lb Caravienne malt and .06 Dehusked Carafa II
This got the usual 150 deg steep for 20-30 minutes.
3.15 lbs Munich Malt LME
3 lbs Pilsen light DME
The standard, 3 gallons water, boil, fire off, add LME, DME and tea. Bring to boil.
1oz Hallertau 60 min, 1 oz Hallertau at 20. Both were 3%
cool, add water to 5.25 gallons and find a place to chill it.

Where do I lager?
Now, here's what I did. I have a dorm fridge that just fits a 7.5 gallon water container. It is square. I drilled a hole in it for the airlock, siphoned the beer into it, pitched with Saflager W-34/70 and had the temp about 50-55 degrees.
OG 1.051
1 week later, I am at 52deg,
gravity check has me at 1.031 and it is still bubbling.

Smells great and tastes pretty good for something this green. Hoping primary will finish in another week and will update then.

 

[Sammy86]

Way to be resourceful!
Sounds like you have your ferm chamber ready and raring to go!

 

[DJL531]

Now for the funny part. I measured the water jug before I bought it. I knew it would be tight. I filled it with beer and the damn door would not close. It basically looked pregnant after I filled it with wort. I have ratcheting straps for hauling stiff on my open trailer. Problem solved...ratcheted the door shut! I will not be beaten...I want my LAGER!

 

[DJL531]

Lager week 2

Still going strong, maybe a little slower than I was told, but that's ok. Temp is about 41 deg. I keep a small jar of water in there and use a probe thermometer to read water temp. I would have liked to lager it warmer by 10 degrees, but I don't see an issue yet. I am down to 1.02 SG and it is nice and clear and rather tasty. Great smell and we'll see what we have next week. Check out the pic.

 

[Cyclman]

I would let it warm up to room temperature for 3 to 4 days, then drop it to just above freezing after it hits final gravity. In one month, it will be completely finished. You can also keg or bottle, then let it sit it near freezing for a month.Of course if you bottle, you have to let it carbonate before you drop the temperature.

 

[DJL531]

Thanks for the advice. I've had some say leave it at a steady temp for 4 weeks, others say drop to near freezing for a month or two, but I never quite understood when to bring it to room temp. So, let it get to FG and then pull it for a few days then back in the chill chest? I know I can get the little dorm fridge down to the mid 30's easily.

 

[DJL531]

Almost week 3. Time for an update. Gravity reading of 1.013 yesterday, 9/17/2020. 19 days since brew day. Temp was 42 degrees and letting it sit at room temp, about 78 deg or a little less for a few days. Will take reading again and stick it back in the fridge Monday and shoot for a temp near 35deg and see where we get. Gravity might be a little lower because it seemed to have some carbonation suspended in there. Quite a few bubbles rising in the hydrometer tube.

 

[DJL531]

I'll never make beer this good, but this was what I was drinking 3 years ago in Munich, Augustiner at Oktoberfest.

 

[DJL531]

Lager update.
Room temp rest for 6 days. FG is 1.013 (4.9% abv) so since 9/17 no more change. Beer is beautifully copper colored and clear. So based on the need for the fridge and time constraints, I decided to bottle this one. All total I have 4.2 gallons of beer. I tasted what I used to check gravity with and was very pleased with the flavor. I also primed this with turbinado sugar. Would it have gotten better sitting 4 more weeks in the fridge...maybe, but I can always park the bottles in the fridge and wait for another month.

P.S. This yeast looks like no other I have used. It does not clump and sink like others and it leaves some suspended at the top. Reminds me of wet fish food that a goldfish didn't eat.