I did some searches (both through the HBT search and google) and could only seem to find threads about purposely pushing lager yeast to ale temps.
Anyway, I'm looking ahead to the cooler months and thinking about attempting a lager. I have no fermentation chamber or ability to control temps. And I'm wondering which strain of lager yeast would give the closest to a true lager profile at around 58°-60°F. That is the temp that I'll be working with in the basement during the winter.
I'm sure plenty of people have suggestions of how to build a simple/cheap fermentation chamber using frozen bottles and whatever else. I'm not going to do that. I just don't feel like dealing with it.
So, several of the Wyeast strains list 58°F as the upper end of the ideal range.
Purely based on the descriptions on the Wyeast website and my gut feeling, I think I'd lean towards the Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager strain. The 2278 Czech Pils strain is a close 2nd, because of the note that the sulfur can be reduced towards the top of the temp range (58°F). Both of those strains are also listed as med-high flocculation, which I like.
Some might suggest the 2112 California Lager strain, but I guess I don't know enough about steam beers/cali-common beers to know if this yeast would be convincing as a lager. The 2124 Bohemian Lager is marked as being good for Cali-common beers as well at warmer temps.
I'm sure the decision would be somewhat dependent on the specific style I brew. I haven't decided anything for sure, but I guess I would tend towards doppelbock, dunkel, vienna lager, or oktoberfest. I would not be trying to do an American lager or a pilsner or anything that light and/or delicate.
You might be able to tell that I'm not really sure of much here. I just have an itch to try brewing a lager, and I think my basement temps might be just barely cool enough to kind of pull it off. I have brewed a few batches of Kolsch using the 2565 yeast around 60°F, and they have turned out well. A true lager yeast seems like the next obvious adventure. What do you think?
Anyway, I'm looking ahead to the cooler months and thinking about attempting a lager. I have no fermentation chamber or ability to control temps. And I'm wondering which strain of lager yeast would give the closest to a true lager profile at around 58°-60°F. That is the temp that I'll be working with in the basement during the winter.
I'm sure plenty of people have suggestions of how to build a simple/cheap fermentation chamber using frozen bottles and whatever else. I'm not going to do that. I just don't feel like dealing with it.
So, several of the Wyeast strains list 58°F as the upper end of the ideal range.
Purely based on the descriptions on the Wyeast website and my gut feeling, I think I'd lean towards the Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager strain. The 2278 Czech Pils strain is a close 2nd, because of the note that the sulfur can be reduced towards the top of the temp range (58°F). Both of those strains are also listed as med-high flocculation, which I like.
Some might suggest the 2112 California Lager strain, but I guess I don't know enough about steam beers/cali-common beers to know if this yeast would be convincing as a lager. The 2124 Bohemian Lager is marked as being good for Cali-common beers as well at warmer temps.
I'm sure the decision would be somewhat dependent on the specific style I brew. I haven't decided anything for sure, but I guess I would tend towards doppelbock, dunkel, vienna lager, or oktoberfest. I would not be trying to do an American lager or a pilsner or anything that light and/or delicate.
You might be able to tell that I'm not really sure of much here. I just have an itch to try brewing a lager, and I think my basement temps might be just barely cool enough to kind of pull it off. I have brewed a few batches of Kolsch using the 2565 yeast around 60°F, and they have turned out well. A true lager yeast seems like the next obvious adventure. What do you think?