Brewing Master

Question:

I’m on my forth batch, don’t have a dedicated brew fridge/freezer, and have a few basic questions:      1.  My first batch was a Munich Helles.  I used liquid lager yeast.   I got lots of compliments on the beer, but I read that lagers must ferment at low temps.  What will be the difference if lagers aren’t fermented at lower temps, instead, at ale temps???      2.  My most recent batch is a honey lager.  The homebrew store guy substituted an ale yeast for the lager yeast that the recepie called for.  What difference will this make in my brew?  Should I have used lager yeast like in my Helles??? Thanks for your time. Lance Broeking

Response:

| I’m on my forth batch, don’t have a dedicated brew fridge/freezer, and | have a few basic questions: | |      1.  My first batch was a Munich Helles.  I used liquid lager yeast.   | I got lots of compliments on the beer, but I read that lagers must | ferment at low temps.  What will be the difference if lagers aren’t | fermented at lower temps, instead, at ale temps??? | |      2.  My most recent batch is a honey lager.  The homebrew store guy | substituted an ale yeast for the lager yeast that the recepie called for. |  What difference will this make in my brew?  Should I have used lager | yeast like in my Helles??? | | Thanks for your time. | Lance Broeking You should choose a yeast that will provide the flavour, and aroma profiles you are looking for. Lager yeast work well at lower temperatures, and that allowed beer to continue to be made in the dead of winter. A by product of the lower tempertures was a drastic reduction in esters. The cold lagerring, which means storing, kept the beer fresh. As a by product various protiens, and other things we expect in ales but not lagers, dropped of the liquid beer into the sediment. So if you feel the need to maintain the lager flavor profile, but can not ferment in the "proper" temperature range, choose an ale yeast that produces the least esters, and ferment at as cool as possible. Wyeast 2112 California Lager yeast can be used from 58-68 degF Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast     can be used from 60-72 degF I’ll use either of these during late spring/early fall to get a beer that the yeast does not add a lot of flavor to. Brian

Response:

| I’m on my forth batch, don’t have a dedicated brew fridge/freezer, and | have a few basic questions: | |      1.  My first batch was a Munich Helles.  I used liquid lager yeast.   | I got lots of compliments on the beer, but I read that lagers must | ferment at low temps.  What will be the difference if lagers aren’t | fermented at lower temps, instead, at ale temps??? They will taste more like ales. Higher fermentation temperatures produce the esters (fruity/spicy flavors) that are generally associated with ales. Lager yeasts can be used at lower temperatures, which will minimnize the production of esters. (Most ale yeasts cannot be used below about 60F, because they "go to sleep".) |      2.  My most recent batch is a honey lager.  The homebrew store guy | substituted an ale yeast for the lager yeast that the recepie called for. |  What difference will this make in my brew?  Should I have used lager | yeast like in my Helles??? You might want to try using the Wyeast "California Lager" yeast. This is a lager yeast which is supposed to produce fewer esters when fermented warm. I’ve made a couple of bocks this way, that came out pretty good. — Mike Uchima

Response:

I’m on my forth batch, don’t have a dedicated brew fridge/freezer, and have a few basic questions:     1.  My first batch was a Munich Helles.  I used liquid lager yeast.   I got lots of compliments on the beer, but I read that lagers must fermented at lower temps, instead, at ale temps???

Low temps is the ticket…..start at 50, back off 2 degrees/day down to around 40, If you ferment at ale temps, the lager yeasts start to produce esters (fruity tastes), that are not appropriate for the clean taste of a traditional lager.  If you don’t have one, buy a temp cont. from brewers resource.  Had mine for two years, no probs.     2.  My most recent batch is a honey lager.  The homebrew store guy substituted an ale yeast for the lager yeast that the recepie called for. What difference will this make in my brew?  Should I have used lager yeast like in my Helles???

If you used an ale yeast, you now have a honey ale, not a lager!  Some can be fermented cooler than others, Wyeast Cal common, but for the most part you will not get a lager taste using an ale yeast.  And, like above if you do not ferment in the 40-50 range, you will not have a lager.  Lager yeast will ferment warm, but will give Ale flavor. Most ale yeasts will not ferment cold, so you will not get any fermentation!!!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Thanks for your time. Lance Broeking

Response: