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The Beer Home Brewers Thread
- Thread starter capnsandwich
- Start date
Awesome. Congratulations.
And so it begins... We did explain to you how brewing GAS is just as bad as bass GAS, didn't we?
Could lager with it or turn it into a keg fridge.
I'm on the fence. Lagering ties up my keg fridge a bit. I'll hafta see how much I like lagering since my first one will be in the keg fridge for one more week.
Gotcha. I have a full-size fridge I use for my kegs. My next investment is going to be a few Cornelius kegs. I've already got the rest of the system installed.
What temp(s) is lagering done at? I've only looked at ales so far...
Depends on the strain. Most will want you to start at about ~50* for a week or two in primary then drop to below 40-ish for a month or two.
I'm using Wyeast California lager yeast 2112. This one can ferment up to ~64* then 1 month at 38 in secondary. I'll bottle condition it with T-58 to get quicker carbonation. I only have the Danby Kegerator, which only holds 1 keg or carboy. Will switch out the carboy for a pale ale I kegged.
I'm using Wyeast California lager yeast 2112. This one can ferment up to ~64* then 1 month at 38 in secondary. I'll bottle condition it with T-58 to get quicker carbonation. I only have the Danby Kegerator, which only holds 1 keg or carboy. Will switch out the carboy for a pale ale I kegged.
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Now this is cheap. Could be done with a nice wheat beer strain if you're not up for lagering. Kolsh can tolerate low 60's for the start of fermentation before lagering in secondary.
I got my Belgian IPA kits REALLY cheap from them. Their kits are pretty cheap in general. For whatever reason(s), the tend to have a kit or two at blowout prices.
Now this is cheap. Could be done with a nice wheat beer strain if you're not up for lagering. Kolsh can tolerate low 60's for the start of fermentation before lagering in secondary.
I got my Belgian IPA kits REALLY cheap from them. Their kits are pretty cheap in general. For whatever reason(s), the tend to have a kit or two at blowout prices.
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Got it! Thanks!
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So you can make a lager an ale (in a manner of speaking) simply by using a different yeast strain??
Yep.
Malt, hops, water, and yeast. MMmmmmmmmmm.
As you progress and make different styles, you'll be able to see what kind of impact the yeast makes. My homebrew club generally does 2 100 gallon batches per year and divides the beer 5 gallons per member. We generally pick a style that can utilize several different yeasts. We'll bring the end result to later meetings and it's interesting to taste the beers with different strains and sometimes note the subtle differences of beers made with the same strains but slightly different temperatures.
Very cool to know. I'm looking forward to knowing the specifics of all the ingredients, and really honing my ability to assemble a recipe from scratch!
Yeast + temperature are the two biggest differences.
Ales are fermented at room temperature or thereabouts. Generally you'll need some type of refrigeration to make lagers. You can get close with something like a "California Common" yeast and the coldest corner you can find but it won't be 100% there.
(There's also all sorts of fancy stuff like "decoction mashing" that you can play with if you want to nail down the last nuances of a particular style, but none of them are anywhere near as significant as yeast type + temperature control.)
So, let me ask a n00b question... let's say I wanted to make an OctoberfesT, which is technically a lager. Let's say I'd prefer to use an ale yeast for simplicity. What differences would I see in the brew?
I must be a bit tired. I'm struggling to come up with words to describe the differences between ale and lager flavors in a useful way. Lagers tend to be very clean and malty. Ales tend to be more earthy and vibrant.
Most kits will come with a Munton's or Nottingham yeast pack. Perhaps put that in your fridge and save it for something a little more British. OTOH, being new to brewing it might not make a huge difference yet.
I once made an Oktoberfest with Wyeast German Ale yeast and I thought it turned out nicely. No mistaking it for a German lager, but it still had a very German flavor to it.
I still haven't bottled my 1st lager, so I'll reserve any lager opinions for later. I've been more into Belgian, British, and American ales than German beers.
Most kits will come with a Munton's or Nottingham yeast pack. Perhaps put that in your fridge and save it for something a little more British. OTOH, being new to brewing it might not make a huge difference yet.
I once made an Oktoberfest with Wyeast German Ale yeast and I thought it turned out nicely. No mistaking it for a German lager, but it still had a very German flavor to it.
I still haven't bottled my 1st lager, so I'll reserve any lager opinions for later. I've been more into Belgian, British, and American ales than German beers.
No no, I know the differences between macro made ales and lagers. I meant when brewing, if using ingredients meant for a lager, what would the differences be if I used an ale strain with those ingredients, or vice versa?
To a certain extent, same thing would happen to your homebrew as it would a macro. It won't have that crisp and clean finish and will exhibit ale traits instead.
