Newbie

[Trojans71]

Trying a lager, can I ferment my beer in the refrigerator to keep it down in temperature?

 

[Pancitboy]

You can if can control the temp.

 

[C-Rider]

What is the everyday temp in your fridg? Is it right for the lager yeast you have? Can you adjust it up when the time comes w/o spoiling the food in the fridge?

 

[Trojans71]

It's a extra fridge I have for beers

 

[Yeastieboy]

You can certainly lager a beer in a standard refrigerator without temp control. Depending on your location, you probably can't [easily] perform the primary fermentation without temp control. For primary fermentation, you need to be able to keep it around 50-55F rather than the typical 34-38F of a refrigerator. In addition, your going to want to hold 65-68F for a diacetyl rest after primary fermentation and prior to lagering.

 

[C-Rider]

It's a extra fridge I have for beers

Then go for it. But CONTROL your temps.

 

[ncbrewer]

The thread title implies you're a newbie. You might want to try ales until you're comfortable with them. There's more involved with lagers. (Ales still need temp control.)

 

[Trojans71]

Nobody told me that!!! 🙀 We will see what kind of mess I make

 

[Sadu]

I tried my first all-grain lager on about batch 7 and I'm glad I waited. There is a lot more that can go wrong and depending on the recipe there is less room to hide mistakes. In the case of a pilsner which I brewed, you taste every mistake.

If you have a spare fridge then get a temp controller before you consider lagers. Makes it so much easier.

Also read up on diacetyl and DMS, especially for all grain. The brulosophy lagering method is also interesting reading.

 

[Sadu]

Also one thing you might not be aware of. Many beginner beer kits (eg Coopers, Muntons etc) call themselves lagers on the tin but actually come with an ale yeast. These beers are ales, not lagers. You can tell them apart by the fermentation temperature - a true lager is normally in the 10-15c range.

If this is your first beer brewed ever, I would strongly recommend starting with an ale. 99% of brewers start with ale and there is nothing wrong with ale. One of the big reasons for this is that ales are drinkable in less time, very important for the first brew. If you like the taste of lager then buy a "lager" canned kit which is actually an ale yeast, the taste is similar enough but without the extra hassle and risk of brewing a true lager.

 

[Trojans71]

Thanks for the heads up. The batch I'm making is a brewcraft Rocky Mountain amber ale/lager. So I guess I'll do it as a ale.