Lager temp

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

Moderator: slothrob

Post Reply
yooper
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2001 11:15 pm

Lager temp

Post by yooper »

I'm going to make an octoberfest. Lagering temps should be lower than what I can keep. I can manage to keep the fermenting temp down to around 57 degrees. This is in the coolest part of my basement on the concrete floor. Would this temp be alright? If not, short of a cooler or refrigerator, are there any other hints on lowering the temp further? I have a rather primitive setup.

Da yooper
Brewer2001
Double IPA
Double IPA
Posts: 170
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2001 1:56 am

Steam beer, you say?

Post by Brewer2001 »

Yooper,

Your beer should be ok, a typical Octoberfest is a 'bigger' beer than a typical Pilsner. The hole idea of lager maturation is to slow the yeast down so that they can work to produce the correct flavor profile of the beer. With lager yeast this takes temperatures down around 33-34 deg F.

However some interesting brewing styles (steam beer) and flavors have been produced by 'violating the rules'. The bottom line is to produce a 'quality' beer with no objectional 'off' flavors. The continental brewers only developed this brewing style out of nessesity, (before refrigeration) they brewed in the colder months of the year and stored the beer cold. The English brewers used ale yeast and fermented warmer while the Scottish brewers did (and in some cases still do) incorperate both methods in their ale production. In short classic beer style is a function of 'what you have to work with'.

All that history, now to the application if you have used this method before and produced 'good' beer, then it is your style. If the temperature outside is lower, move your vessel outside (cover it if it is glass). Place your lagering vessel in an ice water bath (if you have the room). If this yeast still produces off flavors you might think about changing to a neuteral ale yeast or a blend. We had a brewer from Germany attend one of our Guild meetings he disspelled a lot of the myths about modern German brewing.

Work your method.

Good brewing,

Tom F.
Post Reply