Lager temperature question

[GlentoranMark]

I'm hoping to brew my first AG Schwarzebier in a couple of weeks which is a dark lager. As I understand it, lager yeast requires lower temperatures and longer fermenting time.

Unfortunately I don't have any control over my temperatures but could I pitch my yeast and leave it outside (covered) overnight assuming there's no frost?

If I brew it indoors at 18° will it still work?

Lagers are new to me but any tips would be much appreciated.

 

[MyQul]

You of course need a lager strain of yeast to do a true lager. As far as I understand the process as I'm not a lager drinker or maker so anyone that is feel free to correct me. You need to ideally ferment at 12C bring the temp back up to about 18C for what is known as a diacytl rest then condition at 3C for quite a long time. So you need a brew fridge or to do it in the winter.
You can also make a pseudo lager where you use a clean ale yeast with a low temp threshhold like US-O5 then ferment as cold as you can like 17C or thereabouts giving you a very clean tasting ale

 

[stevej]

Hi Mark, i made a pilsner type larger about 5 months ago the wife to be turned my brew fridge off ended up fermenting at 16>17, i used WLP802 liquid yeast, turned out ok in the end however it did take around 3 months for it to come good,
Heres a link you might want to check out

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...-lager&usg=AFQjCNHRC71dTTDa5CJOM5ySuX4PYbh9LA

 

[GlentoranMark]

Currently at night it's around 10 - 12°. How long does it need to stay at 12°?

 

[GlentoranMark]

A very useful read

Mansemasher has offered to help me build a brew fridge but I'm a long way off that as my wife is crying already about the space I'm taking up (and the smells in the kitchen currently).

Scharzebier is my reason for brewing so I will get there eventually.

Hi Mark, i made a pilsner type larger about 5 months ago the wife to be turned my brew fridge off ended up fermenting at 17>18, i used WLP802 liquid yeast, turned out ok in the end however it did take around 3 months for it to come good,
Heres a link you might want to check out

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...-lager&usg=AFQjCNHRC71dTTDa5CJOM5ySuX4PYbh9LA

 

[stevej]

Currently at night it's around 10 - 12°. How long does it need to stay at 12°?

Sorry ive only done one lager kind of bluffed my way through it, it took bloody ages for it to come good from start to drinking stage tbh i gave up on lagers, i think i left mine for 3 weeks in the fv

 

[stevej]

A very useful read

Mansemasher has offered to help me build a brew fridge but I'm a long way off that as my wife is crying already about the space I'm taking up (and the smells in the kitchen currently).

Scharzebier is my reason for brewing so I will get there eventually.

Hes a good chap is our Pete;-)

 

[Dads_Ale]

As stated previously you can do a great pseudo lager with US05.
I have used this several times with dark lagers and normal light lagers. I have used the lighter version for bottle swaps and they always get good reviews.

 

[MyQul]

Currently at night it's around 10 - 12°. How long does it need to stay at 12°?

Not sure tbh. Have a look at John Palmer for an overview on the lagering process.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10.html

Time of the different phases are talked about on the page after the one I linked

 

[Twostage]

There's an article on the brulosophy website where he brewed a lager at 18 using lager yeast and it turned out fine. He was expecting all kinds of horrors - diacetyl etc. but most of his testers couldn't tell the difference.

I'd rather brew it at a constant 18 than have it go between 12 and 18 every day.

By the way I've used his quick lager method a couple of times now and made really good lager in about three weeks. (you need a brew fridge to do it though).

 

[MyQul]

just so you know what two stage is on about:

http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

 

[Twostage]

just so you know what two stage is on about:

http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

Thanks MyQul. I sometimes use an old iPad 1.0 and it crashes when I go to that site so I can't post links.

 

[Leon103]

Good question and one I was thinking about last night. I don't drink lager anymore but a lot of my friends do so was thinking of doing a pilsner at some point. I am like the OP and don't have a brew fridge. I was thinking of setting my fish tank heater to 16c which usually gives 23l of wort a temp of 15c. I was then going to let it condition in the garage over winter.

 

[ericmark]

I tried and failed. I read up first and as stated around 12 degrees. I got a packet of lager yeast mistake on there was nothing on the Youngs packet to say what temperature but it was not 12 degrees it just stalled.

Second major mistake I used a lager kit. Now one thing about kit beer it uses water out of the tap. Now at 19.5 degs C which I normally used the yeast has activated before any other organisms have a chance and kills anything in the water, so I am now drinking beer over a year old with no problem. But at 12 degrees it all needs boiling first. So it would seem it's an all or nothing with lager. Either you mash the grain and used fridges etc or you use standard yeast and brew at 19.5 degrees. There is no half way.

I don't like a light ale I like the dark ales so gave up trying to brew a larger. Be be blunt I don't have the space to use anything but kits. I tried brewing in the integral garage in the winter which was around the right temperature.

I have found this temperature thing is very important. At first brewed in kitchen which would vary in temperature but average was around 18 degrees in winter. Brews turned out well. But summer the kitchen got a little warmer may be 22 degrees and beer was not as good. Result I no longer brew in the summer. When I moved to garage or a fridge inside the garage brews were much improved. What I realised was the stick on strip gives wrong readings at start as ambient temperature of room cools the outside of fermentor so it shows between 1 and 3 degrees lower than brew temperature in early stages. To measure temperature of brew you need to insulate the sensor clearly if you insulate the stick on thermometer you can't read it.

I take my hat off to the lager brewers it takes a lot of effort and skill. I simply brew to get cheap beer and tried most of the kits and now it's Scottish heavy every time. Why I measure the s.g. I don't know. It's the same every time and the time taken is same every time I do use the hydrometer but I could tell you results before it ever goes in.

There are two types of brewer. Those like me want beer for less than 50p a pint and as easy as it can be to make. The other type does every thing they can them selves they don't worry about price and would home brew even if it costs £3 a pint. Those half way don't stay there long. The half way mob is those still on the learning curve likely they will in the end go whole hog and brew from scratch.