ale or lager yeast?

[mooj]

Hi, fairly new to this site, got a question.

I'm brewing a lager/light pale ag beer. No fancy equipment but I can keep the beer at a steady 16deg in my freeziing flat

Should I use a lager yeast like saflager s23 or use an ale yeast like nottingham suitable for lower temps? or what about s04?

Anyone know what differences this will make?

[UserDeleted]

If you want a clean profile, go with the lager yeast. I've used s23 in a lager in an unheated room and was very surprised by the result.

Ale yeasts will give a more estery profile unless you are talking about something like US-56 which gives a lager like profile at 'room' temperatures. I've used Nottingham at 18C (My preferred temp for ale fermentations) and have only had moderate success unless pitching large (2 Sachets per 5 Gallons). I suspect that fermenting warmer would give better results.

[shiny beast]

Most Lager strains will start producing esters at 16 degrees. Just pitch an ale yeast that's happy working at lower temp's. The fermentation itself will produce some heat.

[mooj]

thanx for your comments.

I've made some pretty clean tasting ales with nottingham and with good success at lowish temps. I pitch half a pack in 15L. I'm not a big fan of big ester profiles, and, like SB, I heard lager yeasts at their higher limits produced more esters than ales at lowish temps.

I'm trying for a clean taste. I used 100% lager malt with plenty of last minute saaz for full hop taste

Yeah, you guessed, a brew to please the lagerswillers too

[mysterio]

Mooj, this may not be what you're wanting to hear but if you're wanting to use lager yeast, they certainly work best at arount 10C. Look around for free fridges, you'd be surprised how easy they're come across.

Like the others have said, 100% pale malt and a clean well attenuating ale yeast will work well. Although, I have managed to get my lager swilling buddies around to drinking slightly darker bitters made with SO4 and they love it.

[delboy]

I'd agree with UD the us-56 is a good yeast to use, its clean as a whistle.

[mooj]

I'll decide tomorrow, I don't have US-56 but I could drive and get some... But I do have Nott, S23, s04 and it's chilling in the bath overnight....

decisions, decisions..

[mooj]

Just for the record. I'd never compromise my brews for the lager boys, in fact, if they don't like the brew then even better, more for me I don't like most commercial lagers, but I had a pint of harviestoun schiehallion recently on draught and thought it was really good. In fact if anyone knows a recipe??....... Lagers on the continent are good also IMO.

Believe me, if I could fit a spare fridge in my 1 bedroom flat I would, however my girlfriend would leave me

So, anyway, I pitched earlier with nottingham. I think I'll do a few more lager types soon. I'll try a different yeast with each batch and see what works best at about 15-16deg. I've never thought of using US56, I prefer drier beers and I heard this yeast doesn't have great attenuation, but I may try it next..

[monk]

Believe me, if I could fit a spare fridge in my 1 bedroom flat I would, however my girlfriend would leave me ..

Hmmmm. Tough choice.

So, anyway, I pitched earlier with nottingham. I think I'll do a few more lager types soon. I'll try a different yeast with each batch and see what works best at about 15-16deg. I've never thought of using US56, I prefer drier beers and I heard this yeast doesn't have great attenuation, but I may try it next..

US56 is actually supposed to be highly attenuating (attenuative?). Great for lots of styles, but it's not a big flocculator. By the way...have you guys noticed that they've changed it from US-56 to S-05? Don't know why, but the new packaging is in the stores now.

monk

[mooj]

girlfriend + beer =

beer + lager - girlfriend =

[bitter_dave]

I had a pint of harviestoun schiehallion recently on draught and thought it was really good. In fact if anyone knows a recipe??

I had this at a beer festival recently and thought it was nice. There is a recipe in Marc Olloson's book, although I've not made it:

OG 1048, IBUs: 28, mash 65 C, 23 ltrs.

5145g Lager Malt
270g wheat malt

34g Challenger (6.2%) (start of boil)
93g* Halletauer (1.5%) (start of boil)
25g Halletauer last 15 mins.

* note very low alpha acid of hops; would need to adjust.
The author recommends a bottom fermenting yeast and fermenting at 5 C - 14 C.

[mooj]

My lager is still fermenting

I've never had a brew ferment for longer than 2 weeks even at lowish temps. It was vigourous at the start and steady throughout so I'm slightly puzzled. The airlock bubbles have slowed to 1 a minute so I've decided to bottle tomorrow anyway.

Thanks for the recipe bitter dave. I've decided to copy the the hop schedule but make a pale ale, with a mixture of lager malt, pale ale malt and dark wheat malt (roughly8ebc). Gone off lager if it takes this long.

Temperature aside, do lagers take longer anyway?

[mooj]

bottled!

the sneaky taster is promising, tastes very clean with a very nice floral hop aftertaste at the moment but I suspect the hop flavour will mellow once carbonated. I forked up regarding trub though, some got through the fermenter into the secondary and then into the bottles, doh!

The og was 1045 and a fg of 1006 (but I suspect willl be lower due to still fermenting) makes a whopping 5-6%alc including priming sugars

I've taken a picture of the bottle but I've no idea how to post it. Looks pretty clear at the moment so I'm hopeful.

Thing is about lager. Am I trying trying to brew a flavourless beer? Why not just brew a alcopop with less hassle...

Will stick to bitters, dark beer and old ale in future methinks

[Aleman]

Thing is about lager. Am I trying trying to brew a flavourless beer?

you have got to be kidding!!

Don't make the mistake of assuming that the cheap megaswill churned out by the likes of Budmillors, Carlsberg, and Scottish Courage is anything like lager! A true Czech pilsner has bags of malt flavour with an incredible hop profile. A lovely oktoberfest is really malty, Dopplebocks chewy like toffee, Marzens ditto. Its a bit like assuming all ale is like Watneys Red Barrel

The problem is that the drinkers of megaswill don't really know/care what a real lager tastes like and wouldn't like it if they tried one! Its a sort of baby drinkers beer if you like, designed to appeal to an immature palate. Sweet not very bitter, little taste. Served so cold that it chills the taste buds so that any flavour that is in there is not detectable.

And while on this subject, I've just had an advert from Weatherspoons stating that all there ales are served 'superchilled' at guaranteed 1-3C . . . Isn't the ideal serving temp for ales 10-12C?

[oblivious]

While don’t not think much of bud/miller, technically it is very difficult beer a beer that has very little flavor on a consistence basis