Lager Workarounds

[Beerdoh]

I don't have cold fermentation & lagering capabilities - what can I do to produce a decent clean lager? I suppose this mainly refers to yeast...

[Ciderhead]

temps in my shed is varying from 6-13degrees at present, a brew belt with controller or with corks between belt and bucket should allow you maintain 10-13 degrees, ideal lager temps

Big 2L starters for lagers!

[ColmR]

You could try a Kolsch or maybe the Cal Common yeast (WLP810). I fermented a Kolsch recently under the stairs at in and around 17C. It takes a while to condition, but you do get that clean flavour which is lager like.

[Ciderhead]

consider blonde ales also, I got an all grain blonde ale from HBC in my early days and it was excellent, my brother who is a snob Heine drinker hammered 75% of it the git

[Beerdoh]

temps in my shed is varying from 6-13degrees at present, a brew belt with controller or with corks between belt and bucket should allow you maintain 10-13 degrees, ideal lager temps

Big 2L starters for lagers!

Thanks for the suggestion - don't wanna shell out for any new equipment atm, but when it allows for it i'll be going for a fridge / brew belt / controller combo. Appreciate your feedback tho

Really like your title too btw!

[Beerdoh]

You could try a Kolsch or maybe the Cal Common yeast (WLP810). I fermented a Kolsch recently under the stairs at in and around 17C. It takes a while to condition, but you do get that clean flavour which is lager like.

Thanks for the input!
I'd looked at this, it seems like the best option for it..
What was your recipe for the Kolsch?
How long did conditioning take? Did it throw off much sulphur smell & flavour?

[Ciderhead]

You could try a Kolsch or maybe the Cal Common yeast (WLP810). I fermented a Kolsch recently under the stairs at in and around 17C. It takes a while to condition, but you do get that clean flavour which is lager like.

Thanks for the input!
I'd looked at this, it seems like the best option for it..
What was your recipe for the Kolsch?
How long did conditioning take? Did it throw off much sulphur smell & flavour?

I did this one easy enough
http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/04/05/brewing-a-kolsch-beer-recipe-beer-styles/

[ColmR]

...
What was your recipe for the Kolsch?
How long did conditioning take? Did it throw off much sulphur smell & flavour?

I want to preface this by saying that I'm no masterbrewer and am using pretty basic equipment. So I don't have a brewing fridge, I bottle condition etc..

I brewed the Kolsch recipe from Brewing classic styles. Recipe was just Pils malt (with some Vienna as far as I remember, but I didn't have any so I used a bit of Munich) and a 60 min Halertau edition.

So I brewed ths in mid Nov. I bottled most of the beer and racked off a demijohn's worth to attempt lagering some of the beer (put this in my mash tun in the shed for some insulation so the fluctuation in temp would be minimal). This was just an experiment to see which will taste better. I then bottled the "lagered" beer after about four more weeks.

So the normally bottle conditioned beers are well carbonated, but they're still really cloudy. I had one on Saturday and it was very drinkable. It's tasting as it should. Still really ugly in the glass. So I've put all these beers asside in the shed for some more conditioning. I will try to avoid drinking these for another few weeks.

The Lagered beers will be way clearer as way more of the yeast had dropped out before bottling to the point that I'm worried that the beers wont carbonate properly. But I have faith they will. I opened one the other day and it was some way carbonated, but definitely not there yet. Frankly it was disgusting. Again, I'll not open another one for a while. I have read other people's suggestions that a beer like this will need 6 weeks to bottle condition.

So yeah, probably not the best beer to brew if you're looking for a quick lager. But then again, there is no such thing... I know the Kolsch yeast is a bad floculator and I'm pretty sure that I forgot to even add copper finings so maybe that would have helped clarity.

[biertourist]

I've had one microbrewed or home brewed Kolsch that I've ever  really thought was "right" -I spent a couple of weeks in Cologne hopping from Kolsh brewery to Kolsch brewery and I just haven't found that taste anywhere else. I'm convinced that the yeasts from the big two US home brew yeast suppliers have changed over time and are NOT the same.  Maybe it's just that it's such an unforgiving style and hard to get right, though.

Any of the California American Ale strains at lowish temps are very clean and in my experience product better results far more often. (Although some of them are notoriously slow to clarify so choose your American Ale strain wisely.)

Cream ales are often great ways to go for the lager drinker, too.

Adam

[Beerdoh]

...
What was your recipe for the Kolsch?
How long did conditioning take? Did it throw off much sulphur smell & flavour?

The Lagered beers will be way clearer as way more of the yeast had dropped out before bottling to the point that I'm worried that the beers wont carbonate properly. But I have faith they will. I opened one the other day and it was some way carbonated, but definitely not there yet. Frankly it was disgusting.

Interesting - was it disgusting because it wasn't carbonated properly or because it wasn't finished lagering and had a few off flavours?
Pity about missing the finings out - but the taste is what matters ultimately! Think i'm gonna go down your route, less the lagering part outside - the bottle might get a few weeks in the fridge tho - so a bit of a pseudo lager I guess..

[Beerdoh]

I've had one microbrewed or home brewed Kolsch that I've ever  really thought was "right" -I spent a couple of weeks in Cologne hopping from Kolsh brewery to Kolsch brewery and I just haven't found that taste anywhere else. I'm convinced that the yeasts from the big two US home brew yeast suppliers have changed over time and are NOT the same.  Maybe it's just that it's such an unforgiving style and hard to get right, though.

Any of the California American Ale strains at lowish temps are very clean and in my experience product better results far more often. (Although some of them are notoriously slow to clarify so choose your American Ale strain wisely.)

Cream ales are often great ways to go for the lager drinker, too.

Adam

How much of your perception was due to being in Cologne specifically to taste Kolsch though? Was the difference that noticeable when you had the micro / home brewed version?

Drinking Hofbrau in Munich, I don't know why but it tasted better than drinking it here! It physically tasted the same to me - but somehow it was better!

[Spud395]

You talking to MAF again?

[rukkus]

I've just got my hands on a skinny container that will fit behind the kegs in my keg fridge. I have a fermwrap and built my stc 1000 last weekend. The plan is to insulate the container a bit to keep the heat in and lift the temp above serving temps.

I havent tested it with water yet but i'm hoping it'll do the job and save me getting another fridge.

[MAF]

You talking to MAF again?

Pseudo-lagers are not too hard to do. But be warned, they are a gateway beer leading to full blown lager brewing. I thought I was ok with my Blonde Ales, but before I knew it I was on to Vienna Lager, Dunkel, Marzen... it won't be long before I get a Bock going! 

[Beerdoh]

You talking to MAF again?

Pseudo-lagers are not too hard to do. But be warned, they are a gateway beer leading to full blown lager brewing. I thought I was ok with my Blonde Ales, but before I knew it I was on to Vienna Lager, Dunkel, Marzen... it won't be long before I get a Bock going! 

Ha..this reminds me of Dougal at Lent - at first he was happy with the bike..taking a spin down to the shops - but eventually he wanted more and more and it just wasn't enough to feed the habit.. and he ended up on rollerblades..
Speaking of all this Lagering - Maf - what set up do you use for lagering?

Thanks! ;-)