Brewing a Lager

[Scoots]

Hi all. Quick question for everyone. First time Lager brewer. This will be my fourth brew in total but first Lager (rest have been ales). Just wondering if anyone puts a light dry malt into their mix? I'm planning on throwing in some corn syrup and dextrose but curious as to whether anything else should go in to it?
Cheers

 

[Lodan]

It's a great idea to add some DME into the mix. It will give your lager a bit more body and flavour. What are the other ingredients you plan on using?

 

[user 37368]

Pretty sure it's not good advice to be adding adjuncts for body when OP is already adding adjuncts to remove body.

 

[Lodan]

Pretty sure it's not good advice to be adding adjuncts for body when OP is already adding adjuncts to remove body.

There is nothing wrong with mixing the two and it really depends on what OP is hoping to achieve with the recipe.

 

[Scoots]

It's a great idea to add some DME into the mix. It will give your lager a bit more body and flavour. What are the other ingredients you plan on using?

I have no recipe to work off so was just thinking 500 g dextrose, 250 g corn syrup and the coopers syrup

 

[Scoots]

Pretty sure it's not good advice to be adding adjuncts for body when OP is already adding adjuncts to remove body.

To be honest ive no idea what you mean mate

 

[Lodan]

I have no recipe to work off so was just thinking 500 g dextrose, 250 g corn syrup and the coopers syrup

No problem. The ingredients you are using would result in a 'dry' lager with light body. If you subbed the dex or corn syrup addition for 500g of malt, you will have something similar in alcohol content with a bit more body and malt flavour.

 

[Scoots]

No problem. The ingredients you are using would result in a 'dry' lager with light body. If you subbed the dex or corn syrup addition for 500g of malt, you will have something similar in alcohol content with a bit more body and malt flavour.

Cheers mate
I ended up putting all those in and added from memory about 300g of malt aswell.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Paddy Melon]

Hi Guys, whilst on the subject of lager is the only difference, between lager and ale, the yeast and the temperature it is fermented at?

 

[yankinoz]

Hi Guys, whilst on the subject of lager is the only difference, between lager and ale, the yeast and the temperature it is fermented at?

In essence, yes, but:

1. Yeast and temp overlap. "Steam beers" like Anchor use lager yeasts at ale temps. S-189 and White Labs San Francisco Lager are used for the purpose. Faux lagers use ale yeasts at the upper end of the normal lager temp range. Notty is good for that. US-05 originated in a brewery that used it for that purpose.

What yeast are you using? If it's from a lager kit, I'm not certain it will be a lager yeast.

2. If you actually cold-condition for months, you're in a different world, especially for hop aroma and flavour. Probably not what you have in mind.

Looking at your recipe, I would sub DME for part of the adjuncts unless I wanted a beer to keep in an ice bath at one of those games that go on all day for six days under a blazing sun.

 

[Paddy Melon]

Thanks Yankinoz, I'm using WLP 800 at the moment with a Coopers Lager. I was thinking of using it with a pale ale just for a try. Also If I want to have a stronger hop flavour do I just add a hop tea that has been boiled for about 30 minutes (or is that too much) to my fermenter at the start of the fermentation process?

 

[yankinoz]

Hop flavour is little different right after fermentation between a lager and an ale yeast. If you aren't cold-conditioning for a long time, it won't matter. Most home brewers don't lager more than a month or two.

What are you trying to do with the hop tea? Bittering? Flavour?

WLP 800 is a Czech pilsner yeast, reportedly a Budvar strain and very good. Ferment cold.

 

[Paddy Melon]

Thanks Y, I wanted the flavour not the additional bitterness, slight additional bitterness isn't a problem. I thought a hop tea might be the answer?

 

[yankinoz]

Thanks Y, I wanted the flavour not the additional bitterness, slight additional bitterness isn't a problem. I thought a hop tea might be the answer?

A hop tea boiled for 30 minutes will give you mostly bittering, less flavour or aroma. You could use hop tea without boiling, but I'd go with a post-boil hop stand of at least a half hour. Let the wort first cool below 80 and additional bittering will be nil. Or dry hop.

 

[Paddy Melon]

Thanks Y, that's what I was after.

 

[raybies]

I'm a n00b, w/ just 2 brews under my belt, however I am seeing a lot of videos about pressure fermenting.
Why should I use an air lock if people are recommending pressure fermenting to improve and speed up fermentation, wouldn't a pressure valve be better?

 

[philrob]

Forget pressure fermenting. It's the latest fashion thing to attempt to suppress esters in lagers etc. Personally, I can't see the benefit of it on a homebrew scale.
To the best of my knowledge, it's a technique used by megabrewers to speed up the production of megaswill, and increase their turnover and profits.
I've been brewing for 15 years and have never felt the need to indulge in fashion items.
Still, I'm no follower of fashion, so if it floats you boat, go for it.

 

[raybies]

Forget pressure fermenting. It's the latest fashion thing to attempt to suppress esters in lagers etc. Personally, I can't see the benefit of it on a homebrew scale.
To the best of my knowledge, it's a technique used by megabrewers to speed up the production of megaswill, and increase their turnover and profits.
I've been brewing for 15 years and have never felt the need to indulge in fashion items.
Still, I'm no follower of fashion, so if it floats you boat, go for it.

Too late to forget, I already ordered a fermzilla... however I have 2 ss fermenters which have bubblers, I mean air locks, which I could convert to a pressure valve of 10 psi. It's a $0 cost change, and if it's for the better, why not? However if it has a detriment pls let me know.

 

[yankinoz]

Too late to forget, I already ordered a fermzilla... however I have 2 ss fermenters which have bubblers, I mean air locks, which I could convert to a pressure valve of 10 psi. It's a $0 cost change, and if it's for the better, why not? However if it has a detriment pls let me know.

I've never used a Fermzilla, but it looks like a good design. Conical fermenters have their advantages. Maintaining positive pressure of one psi or less would keep out any backflow or diffusion of air. but would not constitute pressure fermentation, which I believe normally rises to 15 or 20 psi.

Fermentation produces amounts of CO2 that exceed the air space in a fermenter many. many times over. I've posted calculations in other threads. Claims for pressure fermentation that it preserves hop aromas by not letting gas carry them away are bogus. All pressure fermentation does in that respect is delay the loss for a few hours early on.

Common practice in some German breweries has long been to let beer ferment at atmospheric pressure or very slight positive pressure until near the end and then shut the valves to develop carbonation. Then they lager as usual. You can find Martin Kai's (Braukaiser) descriptions online.

 

[raybies]

What if your fermenter is only 50% full, I know ideally it should be 80%; would it be better to try and pressurise the fermenter or would the normal CO2 displace the oxigen adequately? I was thinking of inflating a sanitised latex balloon to reduce the head space.