Beer Forum

I am about to brew my first Lager. I am planning to do a traditional German Pilsner for the upcoming warmer months.

What are the keys to making a great lager?

I have temperature control, so what is a great fermentation regime and what yeasts would you recommend? Thanks

I had success with Tasty's quick lager schedule fwiw.
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Make a large yeast starter - at the cooler temps, you will need a much larger pitch of yeast (like 8-9 liters) versus a traditional ale pitch.

WLP 800 will give you a very clean and malty profile you are looking for in a traditional pils.

I am a traditionalist and pitch my lagers at 50 degrees F, and hold them there for a month. I then do a diacetyl rest for a few days at 60 degrees and then transfer to a keg and lager near freezing for at least one month. Four months of lagering would be even better.

Good luck!

I get my best lagers when I pitch for the second and third time on a yeast cake. The first generation is still pretty good, but it's the later ones that really get clean and crisp. I consider the first batch to be a huge, drinkable starter.

As far as recipe... Any one brewed Jamils German Pils from the BCS book?

LukeD23 wrote:As far as recipe... Any one brewed Jamils German Pils from the BCS book?

I did. It is still young but very promising!!!

And a tip for lagers.... don't freak out over the long lag phase even when pitching a lot of yeast. I have only done 2 lagers and I find it very disturbing not to "see" fermentation for almost 2 days.

Oh, and the starter smell.... it's OK, go ahead and pitch it! It's not spolied!

What does everyone think about the rate of dropping temps to the lagering phase? For example, can you just crash it down from ferment to lager temps, or does it improve the beer to drop a few degrees per day?

brianS wrote:What does everyone think about the rate of dropping temps to the lagering phase? For example, can you just crash it down from ferment to lager temps, or does it improve the beer to drop a few degrees per day?

As long as you've left the beer on the yeast until there's NO activity, and then waited a couple more days,then it's safe to just crash it to lagering temps. I'm an adherent to the school that believes lagering is a physical process driven by the low temps to settle out yeast and particulates. I don't think the yeast does squat at near freezing. I typically cold crash the primary, let it drop bright for a couple of days, then transfer to a keg and cold-condition for a few weeks while it's carbonating. I do this for all my ales as well. Most beers benefit from lagering.