Menu Icon


Looking for homebrewing gift ideas? Check out our previous gift guides here or here!
Also, if you enjoy BrewUnited, please consider doing your Amazon shopping via our affiliate link!



You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Brewing Discussion --> How warm is too warm for lagering?

Jump to:    1   
homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


So, my latest disaster beer (the attempt at a Hofbrau Oktoberfest) is lagering away.

Only my mini fridge is apparently trying to give up the ghost.  I usually lager at 0.5 degrees C (33 degrees F), but the coldest I've managed to get the mini fridge is 3.9 degrees C (39 degrees F), and it often drifts up as high as 7.3 degrees C (45 degrees F) when the basement warms up. 

45 F seems awfully warm for proper lagering.  As I understand it, the process will finish quicker at a warmer temp, but am I looking at more potential issues from it being so warm?

Feedback is much appreciated.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


Who lagers traditionally anymore?

I kid of course, but the newfangled wisdom is that the lagering process is simply for clarity and particulate dropping out, etc. There isn't much if any yeast activity going on at such cold temps. So brewers doing faster lagers use finings and filters to make this process a lot faster since that's all that's really happening during the lager phase.

Even the old wisdom says that lagering happens faster at colder temps, not warmer temps. Which would seem to support the newfangled wisdom.

I serve from a keg, so that's my lagering phase, and having tasted my lagers over time I think they are best when they are fresh. So my advice would be to bottle that junk as soon as it's clear.




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by testingapril

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Thanks for the insight.




Posted 34 days ago.

Jump to:    1