Fermentation Temperatures for Kit Yeast

[Robbo]

Hi there, I'm a long time fan of beer but a first time brewer.

 

I am about to go out and buy a Coopers micro brew pack. However my wife has relegated my brewing activities to our un-heated basement.

 

I am in Queensland Australia and so our winter temperatures are currently in the 12degC (low at night) to 20degC (high) range. I was wondering if the temperatures will be high enough for the yeast to work properly. Will lager yeasts supplied with the kit tolerate this temperature (as I have heard that Coopers yeasts may not like temps under 18 deg?)

 

Any advice will be appreciated!

 

[Kearnage]

I am about to go out and buy a Coopers micro brew pack.

 

Good idea!

 

I have also been relegated to an unheated room (outside laundry), and here the temps are between 2 and 6 at night and 12 and 15 during the day, and I'm doing just fine so far. The lagers like it between 12 and 15 degrees (or at least below 18 if you can manage) to do their best. The Ales I have tried seem to do well in the 18 - 21 deg range (although you can still brew successfully much higher).

Get yourself a heat belt or pad for really cold weather and you should be fine. Summer will be your difficult time to brew!

 

Cheers

 

Dan

 

[PB2]

Even though we recommend 21C-27C, for the ale yeast, it will ferment quite happily (and nicely) at 18C. However, fermentation really slows down to a crawl at 16C...

 

[Trusty1]

G'day PB2 (or anyone else who knows their yeast)

 

I have salvaged some trub from the tub left over from a toucan lager made with 0.5kg LDM and 1kg brewing sugar with SAFlager w34/70 yeast. I am planning on knocking up a version of the Light German Bock from the how to section, only with Euro lager rather than TC lager. Would you recommend adding the yeast supplied with the kits as well as the recultured SAFlager stuff?

 

Thanks.

[skins]

I am brewing my second batch of lager and have been trying to understand about the different yeasts and the temperatures at which I should be brewing.

 

So here a a few clarifying questions.

 

Does the original series Lager actually have an ale yeast and therefore is brewed at a higher temperature? What is the lowest temperature I should brew using this yeast, ~18 degrees?

 

To brew at low temperatures would I need to get one of the ones with a lager yeast, such as the pilsener in the selection range or European Lager in the International series?

 

What about the ones that have a mix of different yeasts? Can these be brewed at lower temperatures?

 

What difference do the different yeasts and different temperatures have on the lager produced?

 

Thanks

 

Skins

[PB2]

Trusty - if the yeast slurry smells good and quickly becomes active in a 500ml to 1 litre starter, no need to add the dry stuff.

 

Skins - as per the OP, Original Series Lager has ale yeast, yes it will ferment at 18C, you need lager yeast to ferment at lower temp's (ie. the A+L blend or just L), lower temp fermentation produces less flavour and aroma from the yeast activity.

[skins]

Thanks PB2 for your reply.

 

As I am pretty new to this I hope that you can indulge me a little more in answering my questions.

 

Where I am it is pretty cold at the moment. Will I get a better lager by using a yeast lager at the colder temps or using the ale yeast or ale/lager blend and keeping it warm?

 

I am assuming that less flavour from the yeast is bad, but is this a personal preference? What is the benefit from brewing lagers colder and longer?

 

The last lager I did was at 25deg, will this produce quite a strong yeast flavour at the higher temp? It certainly did have a strong flavour (not sour, but not pleasant either) for the first month, but mellowed over time and I wasn't sure why?

 

Cheers

 

Skins

[PB2]

Flavours and aromas from yeast are good or bad depending on your personal taste and the style of beer being made.

 

Gnerally, lager tends to have less flavour/aroma, from the fermentation process, than ale.

 

When fermenting with lager yeast, I like to start the brew at around 22C-24C then allow it to drop to 13C - 15C after 12hrs or so. Many brewers ferment their lagers as low as 9C. Ideally, more yeast is needed in the first instance and the brew may take as long as 3 weeks to finish fermenting.

 

Fermentation activity is increased with temp'.

 

If you let the brew get too cold the yeast will become dornmant and drop out of suspension.

 

Apart from lower temp' for lagers, all brews benefit from relatively constant temp.

 

You wil become less new at this by making more beer - have a look at the Lager Recipes and give it a go.

[skins]

Thanks again. it took me a while to find the post as it seemed to have moved.

 

I will continue to try things out. The lager with the ale yeast is fermenting nicely. I have it wrapped in a sleeping bag and it is staying pretty constant at about 18-20C. My wife says it looks ridiculous in the kitchen wrapped in the sleeping bag. I disagree. Lucky we have a big kitchen.

 

Skins