Bavarian Lager

[Aussie Tiger]

What is the best temp to brew a coopers bavarian lager at,

Cheers AT,

 

[BenH]

It depends if you're making a real lager (i.e. using lager yeast) or not.

If using the yeast from the can, it's likely to be an ale yeast, not a lager yeast.

 

[RobboMC]

First question is: do you have a fridge?

It's nice and cold in Vic at the moment so you could easily do a Bavarian at outdoor room temp.
Coopers claim to provide real lager yeast with this kit, so it should ferment down to 10 or 12 deg C.

I did one last winter in Sydney in a slow running fridge at 13-15 deg C and it turned out great with the kit yeast,
and a Saflager based brew at 14 deg C. Lower temps ( like 10-12deg ) take a lot longer and you risk not completing the fermentation entirely, and for me the benefits of those last few degrees don't outweigh the risk of exploding bottles.

Other will surely offer different temperatures, but if using a kit I reckon 14 deg is cold enough.
Experienced AG lager makers may like to go lower.

 

[KGB]

Coopers claim to provide real lager yeast with this kit, so it should ferment down to 10 or 12 deg C.

It says something like that in the instructions I believe - one of the rare times kit instructions give a good temp range!

 

[primusbrew]

I have never used the yeast from a Cooper's Bavarian Lager before. However if it is a lager yeast, I would agree with RobboMC. 14 degrees should be right. I am located in Melbourne and at this time of year I am able to brew at a constant 14 degrees without the aid of any cooling/heating system. Not sure what temps you are getting in Kyabram but I would suggest that you wouldn't have a problem.

 

[Thunderlips]

What is the best temp to brew a coopers bavarian lager at,

Where'd you get that from?
They've discontinued it and replaced it with the not as good Euro Lager.
You must have got old stock.
The Bavarian has a true lager yeast but can still turn out quite fine even at ale temps.

 

[QIK86]

Where'd you get that from?
They've discontinued it and replaced it with the not as good Euro Lager.
You must have got old stock.
The Bavarian has a true lager yeast but can still turn out quite fine even at ale temps.

I spotted one or two of these cans at my LHBS the other day too. Was thinking about trying it, but even with our cold snap, I would have trouble keeping it below 16C or so through the day.. I had heard it had been discontinued so I checked the expiry date, which was Dec 09 from memory, so it can't be that old.

So is the European Lager similar but just with an ale yeast included?

 

[tones71]

So is the European Lager similar but just with an ale yeast included?

I did a European Lager last night. The pack says it is a lager yeast and will ferment down to 13C.

 

[Bribie G]

Did a Bavarian at the end of June and accidentally pitched a Morgan's generic 'lager kit' yeast :huh: . I pitched the Coopers Yeast into a Morgan's Queensland bitter. Fermented both at 18 - 22 which was a bit warm as we were going through a mild spell. The Coopers yeast didn't do a really good job, produced some funky flavours and took ages to clear and is eventually coming good. The Morgans did a great job fermenting but the resulting Bavarian is a bit ordinary IMHO.

On another thread it was suggested that the yeast with the Coopers Bavarian is a 'truer' lager yeast than the Morgans.

Would suggest, from my experience, go as low as you can.

 

[Aussie Tiger]

Where'd you get that from?
They've discontinued it and replaced it with the not as good Euro Lager.
You must have got old stock.
The Bavarian has a true lager yeast but can still turn out quite fine even at ale temps.

K - Mart in Shepparton

 

[Thunderlips]

I did a European Lager last night. The pack says it is a lager yeast and will ferment down to 13C.

The European also has a true lager yeast.
It's likely the exact same yeast as used in the Bavarian.

 

[bonj]

Legend has it, that it's S189 - aka Craftbrewer Swiss Lager