Summer has left us, and colder times ahead...

[Tubba]

... At least on this part of the hemisphere. Of course, you know what that means - Time for lagering!

I'm a huge fan of dark lager - in particular the dark Czech lagers that I've had. Once I'm done with my first extract brew, and have put together my mashing equipment, I figured it's just the right time to make some lagered beer, as the temperature should be perfect.

So here's my idea - presumably it'll be colder than lagering temperature outside for a while. So I have it outside during some portion of the day, then move it into the garage (a bit warmer, maybe 15 degrees C at the moment, but I can make it colder). During the night, I keep it in the garage - probably with some styrofoam around it to prevent it from heating up too much, and I might keep the styrofoam outside as well, if there should be a drastic temperature drop.

So with some planning, this should work, right? Ideas, experiences, etc? And any all-grain recipes for dark lagers are welcome.

 

[Homercidal]

Last winter I lagered in a small upright freezer (broken) with a small heater in it and controlled with a Johnson. This summer I managed to wrangle a large upright freezer (working) and made a Classic American Pilsner and lagered it in that.

I am not sure I like lagers as much as I like a nice ale (and I'm of German descent!), but it has been interesting to brew them up and see the difference.