Best yeast for lager without ability to lager!

[buzzharvey22]

Hi guys,

Id like to do my first all grain lager but i dont have the equipment to lager it properly yet, so id be fermenting at about 17c. Whats the best yeast to use to get it as close to a normal lager as possible? I guess i could rack it off for secondary and leave it in the garage at the moment as its still quite cool but i wouldnt be able to do the initial fermentation there as i have nothing to maintain a constant temp in there!

Thanks

 

[Dads_Ale]

My last AG brew was a 'lager style' and I used US05. The rest was just 6kg lager malt and Saaz hops. Never going to be a true lager but it turned out rather well if a bit strong at 7%. I used a single temp step infusion mash and fermented at about 20c (front room temp).

 

[pittsy]

I would go for a Kolsch , sort of lager really with an ale yeast . Very nice you can find the beer in waitrose to try 1 before buying the yeast (white labs liquid yeast )

 

[buzzharvey22]

My last AG brew was a 'lager style' and I used US05. The rest was just 6kg lager malt and Saaz hops. Never going to be a true lager but it turned out rather well if a bit strong at 7%. I used a single temp step infusion mash and fermented at about 20c (front room temp).

I have pilsner malt, saaz hops and us04.

will this work or shall i purchase some us05?

 

[Bernie]

Hi guys,

Id like to do my first all grain lager but i dont have the equipment to lager it properly yet, so id be fermenting at about 17c. Whats the best yeast to use to get it as close to a normal lager as possible? I guess i could rack it off for secondary and leave it in the garage at the moment as its still quite cool but i wouldnt be able to do the initial fermentation there as i have nothing to maintain a constant temp in there!

Thanks

That's steam beer, Californian style.

 

[calumscott]

I'd go with the Malt Miller's own brand West Coast yeast. Really clean and packs down better than us05. :thumb:

 

[Theakston Tickler]

+1 for both pittsy's and callumscott's suggestions. I've used both the NBS West Coast and WLP029 (Kolsch) for the first time recently and both dropped clear pretty quickly. Attenuation for the brews came to 83% and 84% so they also gave higher alcohol figures than expected.

The Kolsch is about ready to bottle after 3 weeks of lagering but at 5.8% is a tad strong for the style but it tasted good enough to bottle straight from the FV, the lagering wasn't really needed but I'd planned it so I was doing it. Good luck with your brew.

 

[clibit]

In How to Brew John Palmer syas:

Nottingham Ale (Lallemand)
A more neutral ale yeast with lower levels of esters and a crisp, malty finish. Can be used for lager-type beers at low temperatures. High attenuation and medium-high flocculation. Fermentation range of 57-70°F.

57F is about 14C.

 

[rpt]

Lager fermentation and lagering are two separate things. Both are done cool, around 12C and 2C respectively, although it depends on the yeast. If the garage is cool and has a concrete floor (which will suck the heat out) that could be reasonable for the lagering phase. But if you can only ferment around 17C then a neutral ale yeast would be best. You might still be able to ferment in your garage with a lager yeast - my garage has a reasonably constant temperature around 10-12C. You don't have to lager if you use lager yeast, AFAIK.

 

[Dads_Ale]

My last AG brew was a 'lager style' and I used US05. The rest was just 6kg lager malt and Saaz hops. Never going to be a true lager but it turned out rather well if a bit strong at 7%. I used a single temp step infusion mash and fermented at about 20c (front room temp).

I have pilsner malt, saaz hops and us04.

will this work or shall i purchase some us05?

Have not tried my version with S04 but may be worth a go.

This was my brew schedule:

Ingredients
Lager Malt - 6kg
Saaz hops - 45g - 90 mins
Saaz hops - 30g - 5 mins
Saaz hops - 25g - 0 mins

Mash
30 mins at 50c then raised to 64c for 60 mins

No real problems except I was surprised at the amount of boiling water I had to add to raise the mash temp, mash tun was full to the brim.