Who actually Lagers, is it worth it?

[Iordz]

Wow, that's cold! Lagers ferment around 45-55F so you might want to put it in the shed or in the house. Once the beer has finished fermenting you rack to the lagering tank (a carboy or bucket) and put it in the garage where it will condition for about 4 weeks at 35-40F. I wouldn't use a plastic bucket, I use all glass, but that doesn't mean you should go and buy a glass carboy just for this, use whatever you have.

 

[jdoiv]

I would like to try lagering, but I have been hesitant...most of the recipes I have looked at call for lagering at 32-35F. Unfortunately I don't have a beer fridge. My basement gets down to a steady 45F in winter. Is this cold enough to do a lager?

If it is a steady 45*F, then yes you can lager at that temp. In fact it takes less time lagering at that temp than at a colder temp like 35*F.

 

[ThomasRau]

I ended up lagering when I bought a Sanyo fridge on sale for a future kerator project. Figured the fridge shouldn't go to waste so I got a temp controller and put it to work as a lagering fridge. While I enjoy the bolder flavors of the typical ales, there are times where a nice lagered beer hits the spot. It also gave me a chance to make a Corona clone for my "wimp" friends that don't enjoy "real" beer

 

[cheezydemon]

Well I am going to try it.(if anyone still cares) Thanks for all the responses. I thought that I would do an oktoberfest, but in researching, I found out that (no to ruffle any feathers) but that style is really only popular because it has such a cool name. I may try one some day, but with the help of mensch(Thanks again) I am going for a Munich Helles. I am going to leave it in the garage most of the winter and hope for the best. Don't worry, Lagering won't live or die by the garage results for me, and I may end up with a fridge in the mean time anyways.

 

[Yooper]

Well, just a thought, but it is getting to be Maibock time! I'm brewing mine the first week of December. It's my husband's favorite style, and I only make it once a year, so it's a treat for us.

It's a little bigger tasting than a Munich Helles with a little more maltiness.

Whatever you do, keep us posted!

 

[cheezydemon]

Well, just a thought, but it is getting to be Maibock time! I'm brewing mine the first week of December. It's my husband's favorite style, and I only make it once a year, so it's a treat for us.

It's a little bigger tasting than a Munich Helles with a little more maltiness.

Whatever you do, keep us posted!

Thanks Yooper! You are great.

I went with the Munich Helles. It is in the crawlspace which should be great this time of year, but it is supposed to be 61F tomorrow???? Ouch.

I will be utilizing your "son of a" method to keep it down. Thanks again!

 

[Soulive]

The only lagers I drink are Vienna/Marzens. I don't really have any desire to lager, right now. If I want to brew a Vienna or Marzen, I'll probably untraditionally ferment them with ale yeast at cool temps...

 

[cheezydemon]

I am still a little bit of a skeptic. I will let you know if it seems worth the trouble when it is done.

 

[zoebisch01]

MMm lager season is upon me! I am fortunate to have a basement that pretty much stays at 50 °F during the winter right up to March when I brew my Pils and Oktoberfest, which cannot be made properly any other way.

Sp the long and short of it is....if you like Pils, Octoberfest, Maibock, etc then you need to lager. As for the Oktoberfest, it is a perfect beer for long days of drinking and eating which is the real reason why it is so popular. That and tradition really.

 

[hjherbenson]

I usually brew 10 gals then split it betwen two carboys one gets a ale yeast the other gets lagered. This week I'm doing my Phat Tyre one with Fat Tire ale yeast the other with a Octoberfest then just before bottling brew a Imperial version and poor right on the origanal yeast cake. Should be lots of fun

 

[CBBaron]

I've had a couple lagers that were pretty good and a ton of ales that I loved. For me it's just not worth setting up something for lagering. Maybe if I ever get sick of ales (unlikely) or find a lager style I really love (definitely possible) I finally break down and set up something to lager. Until then I have tons of ales to brew.

Craig

 

[El_Borracho]

what do you guys mean that lagering cleans up the beer?

how viable is it to just wrap your carboy with ice in a cooler?

 

[the_bird]

what do you guys mean that lagering cleans up the beer?

how viable is it to just wrap your carboy with ice in a cooler?

There's a couple of things going on with lagers "cleaning up" a beer. The yeast are still acting (albeit slowly) and processing some of their byproducts. Probably more importantly, cold storage helps make things like tannins and proteins fall out of suspension.

Lots of people do primary fermentation for lagers using some kind of water/ice bath (usually frozen water bottles so as to not add more water volume as they melt). For longer-term lagering, it would seem tough to get down into the 30°s or low 40°s, but it still should be OK.

 

[cheezydemon]

I usually brew 10 gals then split it betwen two carboys one gets a ale yeast the other gets lagered. This week I'm doing my Phat Tyre one with Fat Tire ale yeast the other with a Octoberfest then just before bottling brew a Imperial version and poor right on the origanal yeast cake. Should be lots of fun

Helles Yes! Nice experiment. I love it.

 

[Glibbidy]

I like to have at least 10 gallons actively lagering at any given time. Right now I have 20 gallons lagering, my bohemian pilzner, and my SMP (single malt pils). I recently picked up a 14.5 gallon conical fermenter for lagering.

There are many benefits to lagering. One of the biggest IMHO is that it does make for a crisp, clean, polished beer.

I find lagering to be yet another arrow in my quiver, along with making decoctions. Doing it right is not complicated, but refining it with pinpoint precision may take some time. On a side note I typically cold condtion all my stouts nowadays.

 

[zoebisch01]

Just something else to ponder. I feel that with Lagers it is all about simplicity, straight forward ingredient choice and most importantly process. With lagers, because of these aspects (generally speaking here) your skill set and experience as a brewer will show more.

 

[Homebrewjosh]

Just something else to ponder. I feel that with Lagers it is all about simplicity, straight forward ingredient choice and most importantly process. With lagers, because of these aspects (generally speaking here) your skill set and experience as a brewer will show more.

agreed

 

[cheezydemon]

Munich Helles is in the bottle to finish Lagering. I cracked one open last night just to check it out and test carbonation progress.
It tasted good! Much more malt flavor than I expected. When I bottled it, the few samples I got tasted like water, not sure why.

Mild malt flavor, barely a hint of Hallertaur, no floral or fruityness(PHEW!!) I think it will be good!

Decided to brew a Marzen right on that yeast cake. It is bubbling away. I may be a winter lagerer for life now. I may even pick up a used fridge and have one going all of the time!

 

[avidhomebrewer]

That's what I have. I always have a lager going in there seeing as it is cooling the rest of my homebrew. Lagering is definitely worth it-it mellows out the beer for a more favorable flavor profile.

 

[menschmaschine]

Munich Helles is in the bottle to finish Lagering. I cracked one open last night just to check it out and test carbonation progress.
It tasted good! Much more malt flavor than I expected. When I bottled it, the few samples I got tasted like water, not sure why.

Mild malt flavor, barely a hint of Hallertaur, no floral or fruityness(PHEW!!) I think it will be good!

Decided to brew a Marzen right on that yeast cake. It is bubbling away. I may be a winter lagerer for life now. I may even pick up a used fridge and have one going all of the time!

Glad it's turning out well! Let us know how it is when it's done carbonating. Mine tasted VERY malty when I tasted it before it was done carbonating/conditioning. After 3 to 4 weeks in the bottle, all of the malt and subtle hops seemed to meld together into a nice balance. It was awesome! Sounds like yours is on the right track.

 

[cheezydemon]

Thanks to all, criticism and help alike, but most of all to you mensch, and yooper too!

 

[GloHoppa]

I just pulled my mini fridge out of the basement for use in lagering. Some of you have mentioned you added in a temp controller with your lagering fridge. How easy is it to add in a temp controller like that? My minifridge is a Haier.

 

[boo boo]

I make a lot of lagers and while they are good, they are not exactly what I'm looking for in my lagers. I'm still experimenting with different hops and yeast strains to get that "taste" I'm looking for. Basicially, I'm looking for an exact Molson Canadian clone. I've made clones of Heinekin, PU, and German lagers which are good, but I do love the taste of a cold Molson's.
Might take a while to acheive, given the time it takes to make a good lager, but I will do it eventually.

 

[mr x]

I think I might try the wyeast 2112 California Lager. My basement is just the right temperature now.

 

[Kaiser]

Glad it's turning out well! Let us know how it is when it's done carbonating. Mine tasted VERY malty when I tasted it before it was done carbonating/conditioning. After 3 to 4 weeks in the bottle, all of the malt and subtle hops seemed to meld together into a nice balance. It was awesome! Sounds like yours is on the right track.

Yes, something is going on there when the beer is lagered or just aged for a longer time. Maltiness, that wasn't there after primary fermentation, suddenly starts to appear. Especially in the aroma.

I'm never satisfied with the taste from the primary, but I learned to wait and see what the beer will be like after a few more weeks.

Kai

 

[cheezydemon]

Thank the maker! I was thinking at bottling "oh what have I done?!?!". Now I just have to be patient and let them finish. I am certain at this point that they will be good, and that they will only improve with more cold weather.

 

[Danek]

I'm picking up my cheapo lagering fridge this afternoon, and I have a n00b lagering question: assuming there's no hurry to produce a beer, would there be a benefit to lagering any beer - even an ale or a strong Belgian? To put it slightly differently, would a month of cold secondary be better than a month of room-temperature secondary?

 

[EvilTOJ]

If you have the room for it, Danek, the answer is yes. If you bottle condition though, it would behoove you to bottle first and leave it at 70 degrees for 3 weeks, THEN cold condition. If you're kegging, well, then just keg it.