Pilsener with no Lager Equip?

[jgilbreth]

My well meaning SIL bought be a Coopers Pilsener extract kit for christmas. Great gift, except I have no lagering equipment, not even a spare fridge. I think in my basement this time of year with a swamp cooler I can get fermentation down to an acceptable range, but after that I think I will just be too warm to keep it true to the style.

Does anyone have any recommendations on methods, adjuncts, different yeast, etc that I can use to make this work? It is hopped pilsner extract (saaz) and nothing else, so I think i have a lot of room to work with it.

 

[Marko73]

Not sure if you have the book, but check the online version of John Palmer's How to Brew online. I follow this:

The lagering temperature and duration are affected by both the primary fermentation temperature and the yeast strain. These are the four primary factors that determine the final character of the beer. Some general guidelines for fermentation times and temperatures are listed below:


Check the yeast package information for recommended fermentation temperature(s).
The temperature difference between the primary phase and the lager phase should be roughly 10°F.
Nominal lagering times are 3 - 4 weeks at 45°F, 5 - 6 weeks at 40°F, or 7 - 8 weeks at 35°F.
Stronger beers need to be lagered longer.
Nothing is absolute. Brewing is both a science and an art.

A common question is, "If the beer will lager faster at higher temperatures, why would anyone lager at the low temperature?" Two reasons: first, in the days before refrigeration when lager beers were developed, icehouses were the common storage method - it's tradition. Second, the colder lagering temperatures seem to produce a smoother beer than warmer temperatures. This would seem to be due to the additional precipitation and settling of extraneous proteins (like chill haze) and tannins that occur at lower temperatures.

I can keep my bulkhead at around 40 degrees so I lager for about 4 weeks. From what I understand, you can lager for a shorter time at higher temps and still get a reasonable tasting lager. I don't have an extra fridge so I can't 'truly' lager, but I have made two lagers so far in the winter here and both have come out well.

I am actually lagering a German Pilsner now at about 40 to 45 degrees.

 

[jgilbreth]

That's the problem, I don't have facilities to keep anything at a constant 45 degrees for any amount of time. Is it worth it to just ferment and store as cool as I can get it (not much below 55 I'm sure) or to use the malt extract to just make something closer to a blond ale and use ale yeast instead of the supplied lager yeast.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Koelsch

 

[Marko73]

I sort of went by the Charlie Papazian school of brewing which was, if you can't get cold enough for your lager, don't worry about, don't age it as long.

My very first lager I couldn't get below 55 so I basically treated it like an ale. It didn't have the super crisp taste of lager, but it was good for what is was.

Just my $.02

 

[jgilbreth]

I sort of went by the Charlie Papazian school of brewing which was, if you can't get cold enough for your lager, don't worry about, don't age it as long.

My very first lager I couldn't get below 55 so I basically treated it like an ale. It didn't have the super crisp taste of lager, but it was good for what is was.

That's what I am curious about. I'm not entering it in any contests, I just want to make sure it comes out drinkable and enjoyable.

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

+1 for Koelsch

Koelsch is kind of a hybrid between lager and ale brewed in Cologne, Germany. I'd use a Koelsch yeast with this kit. it is an ale yeast that attenuates more like a lager. It should make a very good beer. If I recall correctly, the Koelsch yeast will enjoy a bit longer and cooler conditioning than your typical ale, but should be easily attainable this time of year.

Moose

 

[PT Ray]

For a 5 gallon batch you'll need another 2-3 lbs (1.043-1.050 O.G.) of LME. Get the lightest possible extract if you want to keep the Pilsener style.

The yeast that comes with it is a commercial lager strain. People have had good results fermenting down in the low 60's with this strain. Coopers won't disclose who supplies it but rumor is Saflager S-189. Keep in mind the kit only comes with 7 grams of yeast so you'll probably need to start warmer to avoid an extended lag time.

If you don't have a means of lagering you can bottle and condition as normal. Coopers suggests after conditioning put the bottles in the fridge for 12 weeks to mock a cold lagering stage. Again, people have reported good results with this.

 

[Ender]

Not sure if you have a garage or someplace like that, but I did lagers in that for awhile. Swamp bucket and changed ice bottles pretty regularly. JZ's schwartcbier that came out of that made it to the second round of the NHC.

 

[jgilbreth]

I do have a garage, but it was 16 in there this morning, and this weekend it is supposed to get up into the 50's. A little too much of a swing for me to be comfortable with.

I might do some experiments with a swamp cooler in my basement this weekend and see how cool I can keep it. Like I said I'm not worried about the fermentation so much, it's the long term storage of the bottles without a spare fridge to keep them low.

 

[griffin2020]

I actually have this mix in primary right now. My storage closet is a pretty consistent 62, and there was not significant lag. It was bubbling merrily in less less than 24 hours.
Added 2 # of LME (less 500g for priming), plus 1 # corn sugar in a 5 gallon batch.
Pitched at 80.1 with only supplied yeast.

 

[jgilbreth]

So after my research and trip to LHBS, here is the recipe I'm going to attempt:

3.75 lb Cooper's Pilsener Hopped LME
1 lb Pilsen DME
1 lb Bavarian Wheat DME
.25 oz Hallertau at flameout
Saflager S-23

Ferment as low as I can keep it (maybe high 50's). I have never used a secondary and only have fermented in ale pails, but I might go get a carboy to swamp chill in a secondary for a while, just to give it that time.

I am also going to do some more research about DA rests. Not sure if I need one.

 

[jgilbreth]

Brewed it today, we'll see how it goes! Followed my recipe above, except I added .5 oz Hallertau at 30 mins. A little bit of research turned up that the Coopers kits usually don't include much of a boil, so I added some at 30 mins to replace what I lost in a full hour of boiling the hopped extract. Might be pretty hoppy, but we'll see.

My basement is at a consistent 60, so I think this will turn out fine with the S23. Anybody got an idea what style this might be? Mostly a pilsener, but I thought there was a style that included the wheat.

 

[zacster]

Use 2 plastic garbage cans fitted inside each other, put the carboy inside it, fill with water up to the level of the beer. Fill some soda or juice bottles with water and place in the freezer overnight. Put these into the water and keep rotating them with fresh bottles. Put all of this outside where it is cold, but not too cold. Be ready to move in or outside as the weather insists.

The water will act as a thermal mass to slow freezing and heating of the beer, but it will freeze itself if it gets cold and you don't want it to freeze solid. The plastic garbage cans will give in case it does freeze, and use 2 to provide a small amount of air insulation. And when keeping it outside, put both lids on to block the light.

Right now I have a lager in my cold pantry that was down at 38 without any extra help. I couldn't believe it was that cold. Tomorrow is supposed to warm up to around 40 outside, so it'll probably go up. I may put it outside. My garbage cans are currently buried in the snow. Snow works too to keep it cold.

 

[RukusDM]

If I recall correctly, the coopers lager and cooper pilsner kits don't have a lager yeast. I think they recomend the normal ferment temperatures.

The premium kits I think include a mix of Lager and Ale yeast.

I've done both kits in the 60's without any issues.

 

[jgilbreth]

If I recall correctly, the coopers lager and cooper pilsner kits don't have a lager yeast. I think they recomend the normal ferment temperatures.

The premium kits I think include a mix of Lager and Ale yeast.

I've done both kits in the 60's without any issues.

I think the yeast packet just had "Lager Yeast" stamped on it. Not much more information.

I felt a little more comfortable going with the S23. I have always had good luck with fermentis yeasts and it was pretty clear on the package about the acceptable temperature range.

Bubbling away nicely pretty shortly after pitching. Still have not decided if I want to try using a secondary for this batch. Fermenting at 60 might eliminate the need for a DA rest, and I don't see it being in the primary long enough to worry about autolyzations.

On the other hand......good excuse to tell SWMBO for I need more equipment, and I can expand my pipeline!