US05 for a Lager?

[Smotgon]

morning guys hope this is in the right section..I Hada brew day yesterday with
jacks crown lager kit
1 pack US05
1x can
500gms dextrose
1kg DME
& jacks blonde kit Same ingredients
Label of both kits recommend fermentation temps @ 18c ???
Reading here from you more experienced Brewers
All lagers should be fermented at 12c right?
My question is will this yeast be ok at 12c if I wind back the temp now or will it just **** up my batches?
Cheers

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Lowest I did US05 is at 15 degrees.

Was judged as a lager and placed in comp a few years back.

 

[Smotgon]

Ok cool so it will still be an ok lager fermented at 15c it's my first lager and I've got no idea lol

 

[Rocker1986]

12 is too low for that yeast, better off around 15/16 degrees.

I've done one batch of a regular lager recipe with US-05 at 16 degrees and while it was quite close, it didn't have the exact same flavor profile as the recipe fermented with a lager yeast.

It won't **** up the beer though, you'll still end up with a nice clean lager.

 

[Smotgon]

Great thanks for the info I stepped up the temp from 16.2c to 17c this morning over an hr...it was bubbling away nicely @ 16.2c but when I checked them at 17c both FV are not bubbling at all now!! I see yeast does not like temp fluctuations much 0.8 degree just stops them in there work?? I'm going to let the FV cool by them selfs now back to 16c and lock that temp in I think...

 

[captain crumpet]

You can use dry lager strain w34/70 at ale temps with lager results. Us05 always leaves evidence of being an ale IMO

 

[Smotgon]

I probably should of just used the yeast pack that came with the kit I guess...I wanted to use a better yeast strain and the HBS guy suggested US05 to pitch it with so I took his word for it.

 

[Rocker1986]

By bubbling are you referring to the airlock or the brew itself? Letting it rise 0.8 degrees won't stop fermentation, it's actually reasonably common for brewers to allow the temp to rise a few degrees nearing the end of fermentation.

 

[Smotgon]

Yeah the airlock it was bubbling and now it's not could it be the air temp inside the FV expanded and pushed air out and now it's cooling it's not???

 

[Danscraftbeer]

To be correct your brewing an Ale. The HBS guy just recommended the more basic option to brew a decent beer.
best kept at 18c IMO. I have pushed the limits on low temp for us-05 like starting at 15c then crept up to 19 at the end but I wasnt too pleased with the result maybe the yeast was a bit stressed to work that cold. You really should use more yeast rate when at lower temps as well. eg. 2 packs.

 

[Rocker1986]

Yeah the airlock it was bubbling and now it's not could it be the air temp inside the FV expanded and pushed air out and now it's cooling it's not???

It's possible, but don't take any notice of the airlock, what's happened here is a perfect example of why they are pretty unreliable for monitoring fermentation. Other times there's a leaky seal that causes no bubbling, which mine had.

It will still be fermenting, it should have a layer of foam on top and condensation on the underside of the lid. Give it a few days then check the gravity with a hydrometer. That will tell you how far along it is with much more certainty.

 

[Bribie G]

I've used various ale yeasts to do fake lagers and at the end of the day with dried yeasts, my absolute favourite is Mangrove Jack's New World Strong Ale. Surprisingly.
Ferment at around 15 to reduce any ester formation.

 

[hirschb]

Yeah, S-05 is an ale yeast. By definition, you're brewing an ale, not a lager. I'm not aware of any ale yeast that can be brewed at cooler, lager temps.
However, you can brew some lager yeasts at ale temps (and there is a beer style called Steam Beer or California Common that uses this method).
In the future, go with W-34-70. You can fermented a bit warm and it still comes out great: http://brulosophy.com/2016/04/18/fe...ager-yeast-saflager-3470-exbeeriment-results/

 

[wereprawn]

I've used Nottingham Ale yeast @ 13 c with no problems. Makes a clean Lager-like beer and ferments out in around 5 days at that temp. In fact, if I'm using a big yeast slurry, I have to keep it below 15c or it escapes the fermentor every time.

 

[technobabble66]

For future reference, S-189 is also a true lager strain that can ferment at high temps.
I generally run mine at 17-18*C, then lager for 2-3 weeks. The several I've done have all turned out great.

 

[2cranky]

I've used Nottingham Ale yeast @ 13 c with no problems. Makes a clean Lager-like beer and ferments out in around 5 days at that temp. In fact, if I'm using a big yeast slurry, I have to keep it below 15c or it escapes the fermentor every time.

Yeah, that yeast is a monster. The one time I used it it was like a volcano science experiment. Erupting every few seconds out the blow off bottle all over the inside of the fridge. I had about 8-9 litres of headspace too.
Massive mess to clean up later.

 

[SergeMarx]

I've done it with good results at 15c. As mentioned above, a bigger pitch is needed, but I found the end result (a pilsner) quite good. Would it have won comps for style? No. Was it super clean and easy drinking? Absolutely. While it's true (ish) that you're brewing an ale , the real point of a lager is the long cool conditioning post ferment. If you can do that, you'll find your cool ferment ale has more in common with a lager by the end

 

[SergeMarx]

Yeah, that yeast is a monster. The one time I used it it was like a volcano science experiment. Erupting every few seconds out the blow off bottle all over the inside of the fridge. I had about 8-9 litres of headspace too.
Massive mess to clean up later.

My Notto experience is GO to WOAH! to SLOW to NO

 

[Lionman]

For future reference, S-189 is also a true lager strain that can ferment at high temps.
I generally run mine at 17-18*C, then lager for 2-3 weeks. The several I've done have all turned out great.

I have one in the fridge at the moment. Fermented at about 16c at 20psi with S189. It tastes a bit funky to me but maybe it just needs a bit more time.

Bit worried its DMS as it is 80% pilsner malt, but not exactly sure what that would taste like.

 

[mugley]

I have one in the fridge at the moment. Fermented at about 16c at 20psi with S189. It tastes a bit funky to me but maybe it just needs a bit more time.

Bit worried its DMS as it is 80% pilsner malt, but not exactly sure what that would taste like.

DMS is usually creamed corn, sometimes a bit cabbagey. S189 can chuck a bit of sulfur - if it smells a bit farty and a bit car exhaust, it'll need a little time for the sulfur to dissipate. Fermented at 16c it should eventually end up pretty clean.