Question on my 2nd home brew

[cbsdaddy]

I have my second batch in the primary which is a BB kit Octoberfest that i did on Saturday.

I have it in my closet and room temp is 70F. The kit says to let it ferment for 10-12 days and then reduce temp. There has been a ton of activity in the air lock. I do have refrigerator that i can put the carboy into which is around 45F. Should i move it to the fridge after 10-12 days??? The kit says the yeast is a lager yeast but will work as an ale yeast as well?? I cant remember what kind it was but it was a german brand yeast.

Thanks for the help.

 

[maida7]

The kit instructions are full of $hit.

If it's lager yeast you should have pitched cold and fermented at 50F for 1-3 weeks then either bring it up a few degrees for diacytle rest. Then transfer to a secondary or keg and bring it down to 32F to lager for 4-6 weeks. The bottle or carb in the keg

If it's an ale yeast you should ferment in the low to mid 60's for 1 week then bring it up to 70 for a week. Then bottle or keg.

 

[mixedbrewer]

Don't be discouraged by all of the you should have this, and you should have that... just do what you can with it. You will have beer regardless. If you ferment at 70 degrees for 12 days and then a week at 45, you will get beer, I promise.

 

[cbsdaddy]

Thanks for the feedback mixedbrewer. I will do what you said in the post. i fugured it will be beer either way but not a "true" lager. I will take whatever i get.

If i dont have the cooler system is it best to just stick with ales to be safe??

 

[mixedbrewer]

It sure is.

 

[Torg]

Believe me I have screwed up more lagers than I care to count. This is the "basic" formula:

1) Brew 2 weeks at 55F
2) Secondary to weeks at 45F (You can use the same fermenter)
3) Lager from 45F to 35F over 2-4 weeks.

I have forgotten to rest the beer, and had beer that smelled and tasted just like fake banana smell. The fix, let it sit at room temp for about a day.

I normally Diacetyl rest it between primary and secondary. That means forget it after you rack the beer and put it in the lagerator the next day. And the only reason I secondary it is to nor "screw" up the production line.

What I have described to you is my house beer. It is a lager I have made for quite some time. And I resale the yeast from batch to batch. You can ferment it at ale temps. Just let it cool down. I have done this when my lagerator died (because I buy cheap freezers off craigslist). I have brewed it with yeast from at least the 20th batch. All I have found is that you simply let it rest for a few days at room temp, then cool it to serving temp and let it rest for a few more.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the feedback mixedbrewer. I will do what you said in the post. i fugured it will be beer either way but not a "true" lager. I will take whatever i get.

If i dont have the cooler system is it best to just stick with ales to be safe??

Yes, ales tend to ok with most reasonable room temperatures, ideally in the mid 60s.

Lagers are much more temperature dependent and have more stringent requirements on the amount of yeast, the temperature, possibly a diacetyl rest, racking for lagering, a 6-10 week lagering period, etc. It's not that they are particularly difficult but for newer brewers it's 100 times easier to do ales!

There are some really good ales, and my favorite beers are ales anyway so I tend to make about 85% ales and 15% lagers.

Brewer's Best kits are "ok". Not great, not bad. They make very drinkable beer. When you're ready for your next kit, I'd suggest one from one of the big online stores. I particularly like austinhomebrew.com. They have hundreds (or maybe even a thousand?) kits that are great. When I first started out, I did many of them and I thought they had great instructions as well as good ingredients.

 

[mikeysab]

I particularly like austinhomebrew.com. They have hundreds (or maybe even a thousand?) kits that are great.

You have an OLHBS that sells YOUR recipes, and you shunned them? Ha ha, Austin does have a lot of kits though. Problem is I always sit their for hours looking at the list and decide to get a recipe from HBT and order up the ingredients.

My brew closet right now is about 55 degrees, which I felt was decent for lagers, but the lagering period would just not be cool enough. Without some type of temp control, it's pointless to do lagers.....TRUE lagers anyway. I've fiddled with the idea of taking a schwarzbier or marzen recipe and brewing it as an ale, but have yet to pull the trigger on that. Right now I'm trying to find a cheap mini fridge on Craigslist to turn my SOF into a fermentation/lagering/kegerator setup.

 

[Yooper]

You have an OLHBS that sells YOUR recipes, and you shunned them? Ha ha, Austin does have a lot of kits though. Problem is I always sit their for hours looking at the list and decide to get a recipe from HBT and order up the ingredients.

Heck no, I'm not shunning Brewmasterswarehouse.com! I LOVE their service and their prices.

I'm just saying that for beginners, the selection of kits at austinhomebrew.com is great. The instructions are clear, and the kits are easy.

Some of the kits at Brewmaster's Warehouse come from recipes by people like me. Sometimes the recipes will be awesome, sometimes not as great. Without experience, it's hard to tell a great recipe from a not-so-good one. With Austin Homebrew, that's not something that you have to do. Just buy the kit- it'll be perfect! But for ingredients and service, Brewmaster's Warehouse is one of my top choices.

 

[maida7]

Heck no, I'm not shunning Brewmasterswarehouse.com! I LOVE their service and their prices.

I'm just saying that for beginners, the selection of kits at austinhomebrew.com is great. The instructions are clear, and the kits are easy.

Some of the kits at Brewmaster's Warehouse come from recipes by people like me. Sometimes the recipes will be awesome, sometimes not as great. Without experience, it's hard to tell a great recipe from a not-so-good one. With Austin Homebrew, that's not something that you have to do. Just buy the kit- it'll be perfect! But for ingredients and service, Brewmaster's Warehouse is one of my top choices.

FWIW I have had great success with kits from AHS & morebeer.