50 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Hey, a small fridge is all you need to make lagers year-round! Cheers.

I already have two fridges dedicated to brewing. I don't know if I can bring myself to get another

[Big Nake]

I found a Black & Decker fridge at Sam's for something like $120. I have gotten rid of my swamp cooler (except for ales when necessary) and now when I make lagers I get the wort down to 45-50°, oxygenate it, pitch and then just put it into the fridge which sits at 47° at it's warmest setting. I don't even use a temp controller on it. Leave it in there for 2-3 weeks, take it out for a d-rest and either 'lager' it in there or leave it at room temp until I keg. I think I now have 4 fridges for brewing. Take that Al Gore.

[Malzig]

Well - my general go to lager is O'fest but I already make one of those that I like. I would like to go for something out of style. Part of my mt. hood selection is I have almost a whole pound of them. Other hops I wouldn't mind using the hell out of for this beer are czech saas and styrian goldings b/c I also have a lot of those with no definite plans to use them.

Mt. Hood for flavor and Saaz for aroma is an outstanding combination, as would the two mixed for both flavor and aroma, I imagine.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Mt. Hood for flavor and Saaz for aroma is an outstanding combination, as would the two mixed for both flavor and aroma, I imagine.

that sounds nice. I think I'll try it out

[ncbeerbrewer]

I already have two fridges dedicated to brewing. I don't know if I can bring myself to get another

I have four currently Zym and probably going to get a fifth in a week or two. You can do it!!! Mike

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I have four currently Zym and probably going to get a fifth in a week or two. You can do it!!! Mike

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I have 3 fridges and 1 chest freezer. I modeled my house beer around the simple, premium ingredients (marris otter),ease of brewing (ale), quick turnaround( ale yeast at 64 degrees at 1.055 OG), and full flavor than can be a session beer that I wont get tired of. I've heard that Jim Koch cant get enough of his Boston Lager and one of the local craft brewers said the same thing about his flagship recipe, he can't get enough. that to me is a great house beer. when I wrote the recipe for my house beer, I tried to imagine all of my favorite ingredients and brought them together in one balanced brew. I for one wouldn't use a lager for a house beer,not that lagers are more difficult but for the fact that it takes so much longer to brew them I feel. I figured that this is a brew I would be brewing over and over again and would want to have it on tap at all times.Its a matter of whipping out a great beer, with great flavor and a quick grain to glass timeline. hope this helps. cheers!

it does help but this is a house lager - not a house ale Any reason I can't have both?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

you can have anything you please my son. eat,drink,and be merry!

I don't yet have a house ale but then again I brew so many ales I'd have a hard time picking. Lagers are a little more rare and I generally only have one yeast at a time.

[Big Nake]

Just curious,any reason WHY you'd want to have a house lager over a house ale?

I won't answer for Zym, but I will say this: Just like various ale yeasts create flavors that other ale yeasts do not, lager yeasts produce flavor profiles that you just can't get elsewhere. Some of these flavor profiles are very pleasing to beer drinkers who don't think that it's too much effort to make these beers. I love a good ale, but I may love a good lager more.

[Big Nake]

I fully agree. I love lagers; dunkels, marzens are the best. I usually have 3 beers on tap at a time and of the 3 one of them will be a lager at any given time. Ken I know you are a huge lage lover and brewer but even your self proclaimed flagship beer is an ale; the famous and acclaimed MLPA.

Yeah, and I don't even have a house lager. I agree that Festbiers are among the best lagers, IMO. But it occurs to me that if someone was in need of having a house ale, they could also have a house lager. Having a "house" beer suggests that it's made often and possibly always available. I don't really have a beer like that although MLPA is on tap very often here. Including right now. Cheers!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Yeah, and I don't even have a house lager. I agree that Festbiers are among the best lagers, IMO. But it occurs to me that if someone was in need of having a house ale, they could also have a house lager. Having a "house" beer suggests that it's made often and possibly always available. I don't really have a beer like that although MLPA is on tap very often here. Including right now. Cheers!

in my case I'm just referring to a lager that is a house style and not really fitting into the BJCP guidelines. I'll probably brew it at least once every year but I won't have it always available. sorry for the confusion there

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

brewing it this weekend - basement thermo is reading 50.5F right now and might drop a little over the next couple of days so I think I'll be G2G for ferm temps.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

doing my batch sparge step right now. I think I'll put the fermenter in a swamp bucket this time around...

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

slowly fermenting this morning. swamp water is around 49-50 so hopefully the ferm temp is at least in the low 50s.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

as for the brew day I think everything went pretty well. only minor mishap was a near boilover that coated the inside of my kettle, chiller, and lid with hops. I put the lid partially on for the last minute of the boil and apparently I was boiling a little too hard for this

[Big Nake]

I hope it comes out great, Zym. Hey... did we have this discussion already... have you ever used 2206? I know we talked about 2124 earlier in this thread, but I racked a Festbier out of primary into secondary today and the smell of that 2206 was so yummy I was thinking about your 'house lager'. If you haven't tried it, please do when you have the chance and your basement temps are cooperating. Really, really nice German lager profile from this Bavarian yeast. Cheers.