Quickie: Lager and high temps

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98EXL

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I know I needed to have this puppy cool, but I'm doing a lager, and it's gotten a lot warmer in my basement because it's freaking hot outside. Does it matter if the temp is higher than it should be? it's around 75 according to the term.
 
I need the same help, except im making stout with ale yeast. I can either pitch now, at at least 85 F or wait 10-12 hours when I get home from abroad. What to do?
 
98EXL said:
I know I needed to have this puppy cool, but I'm doing a lager, and it's gotten a lot warmer in my basement because it's freaking hot outside. Does it matter if the temp is higher than it should be? it's around 75 according to the term.

75 is on the hot side for most ALE yeasts, nevermind a lager. There's no good reason to try a lager if you don't have a 50-60F envinronment for fermenting. Fridge fermenting is best here. You best get that carboy/bucking into a large tub like a rubbermaid storage tote and fill it wil water. Drop 1 liter bottles of ice in there whenever the temp goes over 55F.
 
potatoe said:
I need the same help, except im making stout with ale yeast. I can either pitch now, at at least 85 F or wait 10-12 hours when I get home from abroad. What to do?

Leave it in a cold water bath and pitch now. Hopefully it will cool to under 70F in a couple hours.
 
Bobby_M said:
75 is on the hot side for most ALE yeasts, nevermind a lager. There's no good reason to try a lager if you don't have a 50-60F envinronment for fermenting. Fridge fermenting is best here. You best get that carboy/bucking into a large tub like a rubbermaid storage tote and fill it wil water. Drop 1 liter bottles of ice in there whenever the temp goes over 55F.


this was a free no boil, just add water kit. I couldn't even tell you what kind of yeast it was, other than packaged. So get it into water ASAP, is it dead?
 
I wouldn't say it's dead just yet but the longer it sits at high temps, the less likely it will resemble anything like a lager. If it's been fermenting for a couple days like that, it's probably done fermenting already. If not, getting it colder may salvage the flavor. I'd say that it's not going to be close to the finest home brew you've ever had being a no boil lager fermented in the 70's and all. It will be beer by definition though.
 
I never expected it to be good from the get go....it was free.
 
I am a noob, and I certainly haven't done any lagers yet.

But since you said this was free and you don't have high expectations for it anyway, could you get a couple of 2.5 gallon water jugs, dump the water out (save it to use for your next batch), then put the current beer in them and ferment in your fridge?

I'm assuming you don't have room for a full carboy in there, but I'm guessing you could squeeze these in there somewhere ... (and I'm assuming it's a 5 gallon batch too)

Just my 2cents, it's probably what I'd do in an emergency situation :) I mean, what do you have to lose?
 
Are you sure it was lager yeast? Most of the no-boil kits I have seen and used came with ale yeast. Going forward you need to do what I did, picked up a sanyo fridge and temp controller for fermenting at controlled cool temps. That way everytime you look at it you tell yourself it would really look better if I converted it.
 
If it was a dried yeast, 99% chance it is actually an ale yeast and a neutral yeast that can handle relatively high temperatures. The first dried lager yeasts just hit the market in the past year and they are not likely to be in an 'add water' kit. Still a bit warm, but if you get it below 70F, you should be ok.
 
the fact that it was a just add water indirectly made me think it would be ok. Why would someone who just wants to add water have a lagering chest?
 
Sounds like your kit was an ale kit, with the name lager in it just to mean "in the style of a lager", not a true lager. Like David_42 said, it'll be ok.
 
cool cool. The guy at my LHBS just gave it to me one day to get it out of there....can't complain. I do want to do some lagering this winter though....need to buy materials though
 
Lagering in the winter is easier- I have a cooler set up and I just put it in my root cellar with some water and a couple of frozen water bottles. I change the bottles out every few days, and it keeps it at 34 degrees for weeks! (See my gallery for pictures).

When you actually get into lagering, usually you'll have a liquid yeast. Make sure you do a big starter so you get the yeast count way up. And it takes longer (like 12 days in primary and two weeks in secondary and then the lagering period) so you have to have a carboy you aren't going to need for a while!

The beer you're making now will be fine and as you perfect your process and technique, it'll get better and better! :mug:
 
I change the bottles out every few days, and it keeps it at 34 degrees for weeks!

yeah but you live in upper michigan :D. actually, i'm suprised you even have to do the water bottle thing at all
 
So I got the other kit just like this. It's Ale yeast....so how crucial are the temps?
 
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