Munich Lager

[greenie1]

Hi guys, My name is steve and i use to brew beer back 10 years ago, and have just recently bought a new starter kit and have decided to brew my favourite Munich lager...
Im kinda excited.LOL
i put the brew down last thursday, and it has been formenting like buggery. and last 2 days it has really dropped off, can hardly tell its formenting,,
the temp is around 26 deg in the instructions it says from 18 to 30deg so that bit it pretty much ok
and tonight i tested the beer with my hydrometer and it sitting perfectly at 1020....
so im guessing buy saturday it should be ready for bottling...hopefully it still drops to around 1008...im started to get impatient and started to think about the what ifs hehe...

any tips would be great

 

[thebigwilk]

Hi steve good to hear your back on the horse, a lot has changed in the world of home brew in 10 years. I to brewed ten or more years ago and got back into, but this time leaving the can kits behind and moving to the real thing "all grain brewing".

I did a munich lager about six months ago the fermenting temps for lager is usually 12c the kit cans with the yeast under the lid they are usually ale yeast and fermenting at 26c even sounds a bit high for a good ale. The flavours will be very very fruity not much like a lager

These kits are a good starting point into the home brewing hobby but can also turn people off very quickly because there high expectation are not met. Lagers are one of the hardest style to get right. A 1020 reading still is pretty high check it again on the weekend and only bottle once you get the same reading two days apart.

Read up about the Brew in the bag technic of brewing that's the way I went, now Im brewing beer I am proud of and proud to share with others. Cheers good luck with it.

 

[greenie1]

thanks for your respose...
I have heard that about the temperatures, and have also heard that the brew might stop fermenting at low temperatures...thats why i stayed up around the 26deg, isnt 12 deg too low to forment?

 

[thebigwilk]

12c is fine for lagers. if the instruction with the kit recommend to ferment as high as you say it has to be a ale yeast, which is the usual practice for the can kits.

 

[bradmccoy]

At 26C, you'll get some dud alcohol sort of flavours. Do yourself a favour and pick up a free/cheap fridge and a thermostat. Makes a world of difference. I just did my first brew in one and it was much easier than trying to keep temps down with freezer blocks and water.

 

[warra48]

My first kit brew after a return from a 30 years brewing lay off was the same kit as yours.
Mine fermented at somewhere around the same temperatures as yours, and it didn't turn out really all that tasty. I drank it through gritted teeth.

The kit you used will certainly be supplied with an ale yeast. Really, 26 is too high for a standard ale yeast, and you should be looking at around 18 to 20ºC for your next brew. You will get a much better result.
And don't be in a hurry to bottle. You are better off leaving your brew for another week or so. The yeast will do nice things and clean up many of its own by-products, giving you a better beer.

Don't get confused about lager fermenting temperatures. The lower temperatures refers strictly to dedicated lager yeasts, not ale yeasts.

Good luck with your renewed brewing journey.

 

[Bribie G]

Whereabouts in the house are you fermenting? In Sydney shortly you should be good to ferment at ambient temperature in a garage or laundry around the 18 degree mark. Looking forwards to it myself here at Old Bar, golden brewing months ahead :beerbang:

At those temperatures there are lager yeasts you can use that give good results, such as the dry lager yeasts S-189 and S-23 from local home brew shops and sponsors of this site.