Who lagers?

[Aust1227]

I haven't tried yet. But I want to test my hand at making a light lager, not for the beer, but for the challenge of making a crystal clear, light flavor beer with no imperfections.. Is this a challenge other people are after? Or do people really want to brew lagers to drink?

[Ronthered]

Never tried it, But it will be coming before long.

[Ó Flannagáin]

Hoping to try my first lager this winter, so maybe we can all jump in the boat around the same time. I want to do it because I want a light, easy drinking but malty/tasty beverage on tap.

[mr x]

Closest I came to a lager was a Labatt's Blue clone made with 2112. Turned out really well, for a pseudolager.

[Ronthered]

The white labs Kolsch yeast gives a really nice clean crisp flavor almost lager like as well, and you don't have to Lager it, Just cold Ale temps

[christo]

I'm planning 2 lagers next month - a Munich Helles & a Traditional Bock (on the Helles cake). This will be lagers # 5 & 6. I find lagers too time consuming to make with all the lagering time involved. Nevertheless, in my quest to brew all the BJCP sub-styles of beer, I will trudge on. After this coming year, I'll basically be down to lagers and sour ales to make.

My first lager was made just leaving out in garage during the winter, where the temps stay around 50-55F. It was a German Pilsner and produced TONS of sulfur, even after 1 month primary and 2 month secondary. I bottled it, keeping some to condition at room temp, some in the garage, and a sixer in the fridge. I slowly went through the bottles and while it was "clean" in flavor it never really got the sulfur aroma out of it.

About 6 months later I realized there was still the 6 pack of it in the back of the fridge, long forgotten. It turned out to be the best beer I've made. Perfectly crystal clear, clean, no sulfur and just a nice lawnmower beer.

Still, it's hard to wait that long, especially using up precious fridge space. I now have a separate fridge I can use for lagering/keg storage, so it's making it easier to do lagers. Still it sucks waiting 3+ months and hoping it turns out ok. But I guess that's not really too different than a big barleywine that you want to mellow some.

[PseudoChef]

If I had the ability to lager, I would totally want to try my hand at an ALL just to test my abilities (after I completed some other lagers first, however).

[Evan!]

I've probably done 10 or 12 lagers in my day. I really enjoy the challenge, but when you come out with a dark lager like a munich dunkel or a bock that has that certain undefinable "it" that you get from commercial bocks (as I somehow did with my most recent dunkel/bock), you'll see why it's more than just doing it for the challenge---a well-made lager is the JOINT!

My setup leaves room for one (two if I clear out my 12oz'ers from the fridge) carboys to lager at any given time, so I like to keep at least one going. Sometimes I won't have anything to lager so I'll just cold-condition an ale, which can really be cool. Let's see...this year, I've done a pils, a smoked/spiced dark lager, a munich helles, munich dunkel/bock, and the current lagering batch, rauchbier.

At some point, I imagine I'll try out an A.L.L. just to see if I can---I just don't typically keep rice syrup, etc., on hand. Maybe for next summer?

[PseudoChef]

Amen, Evan. I had my first lager in a long ass time just the other night - Munich Dunkel. Totally blew me away. Such simple ingredients, such off the hizzy awesomeness. Lagers always bored me, but I am gonna go scout out some more good examples of pils, helles, and bocks.

Instead of the Dusseldorf Alt, I am going to head to No. German Alt and see how cold I can get it to see if I can get something to resemble a MD this winter.

[bsay]

Eventually, I want to lager, but I don't yet. My dream is to have a brew shed of sorts. In the winter, I can heat it up to lagering temp and in the summer cool it to aleing temp. We'll see when/if it happens. As for right now, I don't have the space for lagering, so my beer ferments at whatever temp the closet is at.

[mdd134]

I have done 1 so far, it was an Oktoberfest that I used Saflager W-34/70. It was a clean beer, but the malt profile was not good. My next try will be a Munich Helles, I am going to try and do it before summer.

[sanders5x]

ive done 2, both were awsome, then I killed my then kegorator and that ended my lagering for now. I will once again when I get a freezer cheap

[Peteoz77]

I have made one, and it turned out very nice. For the time and effort put into it ( 2 months before it hit the bottles and 2 more months conditioning) I would rather BUY a nice lager. It tied up one of my temp controlled fridges and one of my fermenters for 2 months.. and it wasn't as nice as a Stella, which I can buy on tap at the local pub.

If I lived somewhere cold enough to lager on in my back bedroom etc, I would do it, but I won't waste the time, fridge space and electricity to make one again. To be honest, I only tried the lager to make something that one of my best friends wouldn't turn his nose up at.. and he didn't like it anyway, even though it was nicer than a lot of BMC beers.

[Tankard]

Good post Pete. That's another reason why I'm gonna stick with ales for quite a while.

More flavorful, easier to brew, less time to brew. Ales FTW.

If I want a lager, I'll just buy one.

[rooster445]

I brewed one this summer "munich dunkel" basicly for challenge. Not a big lager fan but I made a good one so I know I can do it

[DrunkenSatyr]

I brew quite a few lagers. Feel free to ask questions.

[Ronthered]

I brew quite a few lagers. Feel free to ask questions.

Do you do everything cold like Coors does? Cold from brewing all the way to your lips

[blacklab]

I do sort of a bastard lager in the winter. It's guess it's more of a steam beer. I use the SF Lager yeast and primary at typical temps in the 60's, then move the secondary out to the garage for 2-3 weeks. After that, the beer will be clear as a bell, and very light and refreshing, if you go light on the grain bill/hop sked. I serve it to my BMC pals with no complaints.

[DrunkenSatyr]

Do you do everything cold like Coors does? Cold from brewing all the way to your lips


Sorry, No silver bullets here. (just lead)

[Tankard]

Coors marketing rocks. I LOVE how the mountains turn blue when the beer is "cold." I mean, what other sense do I have, besides sight, that would alert me to the fact that my beer is cold?

Absolutely brilliant. I like how they look after us dumb, beer swilling consumers.

[PseudoChef]

You mean a train from the North Pole isn't going to come plowing through a full stadium throwing out beers to everyone? Drat.

[blacklab]

You mean a train from the North Pole isn't going to come plowing through a full stadium throwing out beers to everyone? Drat.

Don't forget the hotties in fur bikinis!

[Ronthered]

hotties in fur bikini's huh, I think we need some of those around this site...

[PseudoChef]

Yeah, drat...missed that one.