What have I made?

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I started my first all grain 6 weeks ago, just kegged it.
20ltrs in keg
4.5kg lager malt
1/4lb crystal malt (medium my lhbs says)
mashed at 67 1hr

boil 1oz tatnanger 60min
1oz hallertau 5min
salfert 23 yeast
fv 2weeks at 12c
racked and then at 6c for 2 weeks
dry hopped tatnanger 20g for 2 weeks again at 6c
I used ro water with no extra treatment
Have I made a lager? as with crystal malt.

twas my first time, loved doing it.

[oz11]

RO water with no treatment? You might find it was lacking in things such as calcium which are essential for yeast health. If it's fermented out however you've probably got beer, so well done! Others will know more than me.

[screen]

It got down to 1010 so I suppose the yeast did its job, but have i got lager? as with crystal, or would it be called something else?

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To be fair if I gave it to my mates and called it lager they would shrug and drink it regardless. but i'd like to know.

[zgoda]

If fermented with lager yeast (s23) in lager temperature and cold stored then it's 100% lager.

Crystal malt is nothing unusual, eg. in Czech polotmave pivo.

[Spud395]

That's the difference really.
Lager is fermented with a lager strain and ale with an ale strain.

You can get Lagers that your regular Lager drinker would not believe was a Lager.

I would look at the RO water, I think I would want to have swamp water before I'd go to those lengths.
If you continue to use it I would look at adding back some minerals that are benificial

[zgoda]

Czech lagers are made with very soft water. Here we usually use 50/50 ro water and regular tap water for light and 30/70 for dark beers.

[boingy]

You can call it whatever you want. It's your beer. How does it taste?

Oh, and I'm loving the mix of metric and imperial units. I also do that...

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cheers, i'll do the 50/50 70/30. swamp water lol, mix of metric lol. i sat here last night and tried to calculate what a 1/4lb was in metric so I didnt look stupid, but i already drank 1/2 gallon and gave up. Tastes nice, no bitterness though, I was too shy with the first addition I think. oh and I spelt saflager wrong, twas a good night it were.

[screen]

back on it tonight, tasting lots of lemons, is that the hallertau or tatnanger?

[Rookie]

I started my first all grain 6 weeks ago, just kegged it.
20ltrs in keg
4.5kg lager malt
1/4lb crystal malt (medium my lhbs says)
mashed at 67 1hr

boil 1oz tatnanger 60min
1oz hallertau 5min
salfert 23 yeast
fv 2weeks at 12c
racked and then at 6c for 2 weeks
dry hopped tatnanger 20g for 2 weeks again at 6c
I used ro water with no extra treatment
Have I made a lager? as with crystal malt.

twas my first time, loved doing it.

Yes, you did a lager. Lagers are anything from piss water that matches the mega-swill made in Colorado to double bock made by a small brewery in Germany . The yeast and temperature are what make a lager.