Real Vs 'bas@##%$' Lager

[Hefty]

Hi guys,
For someone looking to gain a better understanding of lager styles and flavours, would a '*******' lager made with us-05 or Nottingham be acceptable or still give too much of an ale yeast flavour?

I've done a few partial mash ales recently and have been expanding my palate but I've also been looking at doing some real lagers for a while now. There are some styles I'm really keen to try but I don't have a temp. controlled fridge, just a dead fridge and ice bottles. I figure if I can keep temps around 14-16 in my dead fridge, I should be able to get a fairly clean ferment and learn a little more about grain and hop varieties used in lagers.

Does this sound reasonable?

HABAHAGD :icon_cheers:
Jono.

 

[BoilerBoy]

I use a dead fridge with frozen 1L & 2L bottles 8-10 C is no problem for doing real lagers even in summer at its peak.

Cheers,
BB

 

[Swinging Beef]

So bloody cold in Sydney at the moment lagers are possible at ambient!

 

[mika]

US-05 is so neutral that you'll probably get a fair representation. I've had it as low as 15degs and it was still going. It's not going to have the sulfur quality but be careful, it can go diacetyl on you.
If you've got no other option, it'd be a fine experiment. You could look into liquid yeasts and use something like the Kolsch strain. It's still an ale as well though.

 

[chappo1970]

Hi guys,
For someone looking to gain a better understanding of lager styles and flavours, would a '*******' lager made with us-05 or Nottingham be acceptable or still give too much of an ale yeast flavour?

I've done a few partial mash ales recently and have been expanding my palate but I've also been looking at doing some real lagers for a while now. There are some styles I'm really keen to try but I don't have a temp. controlled fridge, just a dead fridge and ice bottles. I figure if I can keep temps around 14-16 in my dead fridge, I should be able to get a fairly clean ferment and learn a little more about grain and hop varieties used in lagers.

Does this sound reasonable?

HABAHAGD :icon_cheers:
Jono.

That's all BribieG has at his disposal and he cranks out some exceptional beers. With the turn of season getting down to lagering temps is more possible. Ya won't know until you give it a go, No?

Cheers

Chappo

Edit: Your a Brissy boy so you should shoe it in ATM. Nights are 16-17C day 25C easy peasy

 

[petesbrew]

look up the yeast of the week thread on WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch.
It'll give you a close enough lager feel to your ales.

 

[bconnery]

A group of us a while back had a night where we tasted various lagers and pilsners. Included in this where a number of people's homebrewed 'pseudo' lagers using US05 at 14/15 degrees.
The difference was noticeable..
The pseudo lagers were very nice beers with a clean flavour to them but they lacked a little, well crispness or cleanliness is the best way to describe it, compared to pilsners and lagers that were tasted on the night.
I've tasted a few since then and my opinion remains the same. You can produce very very nice beers using an ale yeast at low temps but there is something not quite lagerish about them to me.
Far better to go for a kolsch or alt or steam beer etc., or just call it a blonde or whatever you want and enjoy it.

 

[BoilerBoy]

Hefty,

If your looking at doing "real lagers" as you stated, you will need to use a "real" lager yeast.

There should be no reason why you couldn't get your dead fridge down to 8-10C using frozen bottles of ice and therefore no need to compromise with a hybrid yeast, check out the different liquid varieties, they range from clean crisp to rich & malty I guarantee you wont regret it!

My next brew will be a Vienna lager with 2206 Bavarian lager yeast (I love that yeast) in a dead fridge as normal.

Go for it!

BB

 

[stm]

Hefty

I agree with above. If you can get your frig down to say 14c, then try the s-189 dry yeast (swiss lager yeast). It's reasonably forgiving at this temp (altho optimal is 10-12), and means you are doing a genuine lager. And the dry yeast is easier for your first lager than a liquid yeast.

 

[Stuster]

Another option is the steam yeast, WLP810/Wyeast 2112. It's a lager yeast but works cleanly at higher temps. Works well enough for Barry Cranston to win a bunch of medals with it anyway. :icon_cheers:

 

[caleb]

I've used real lager yeasts and still ended up with something more ale-ish than pilsener, due probably to extract brewing, higher than optimal fermentation temperature, lack of filtration, and most importantly insufficient lagering time. Lager basically means "stored", in the sense that a real lager should be stored away somewhere cool and left for considerable time to age, which clarifies and refines the beer considerably.

So, a beer made with "ale brewing" methods and a lager yeast turns out more like a pale ale than a lager.

Why not an ale yeast and lager brewing methods... I reckon with pilsener malt, euro-hops like saaz, hallertau or hersbrucker, cool brewing temps and an extended aging time, maybe with some time in a secondary fermenter too, would produce something more akin to the Pilsener Lager most people know than any sort of pale ale. Or at least, would let you know what contributions were made by the malt and hops, vs the yeast.

Go for it.