It’s lager time
TO ‘LAGER’ beer is actually a description for cold fermentation, cold storage, and using bottom-fermenting lager yeast.
Here in Tassie, winter provides the ideal conditions to both ferment as low as 7°c to 15°c and store bottles and kegs even cooler.
No need for temperature control. Sheds, indoor verandahs, laundries, etc. all provide cool locations to do both.
I have a pantry where my fermenters stay at ideal lager temperatures and a back verandah where I can store the beer even cooler.
In spring and especially summer, these beers are brought out of hibernation and tapped.
Most commercial beers are lagers, included Boag’s and Cascade Draught, Cascade Pale Ale, Boag’s XXX Ale. All lagers.
Most home brewers and craft breweries brew ales.
Ales can mask most slight mistakes , whereas lagers leave very little to hide behind. So if you can make a decent lager consistently, you can give yourself a well earned pat on the back.
Extract brewers beware! The yeast supplied with a tin will most likely be an ale yeast, even if the tin claims it’s a lager.
So you will need a specialty yeast from a brew shop to brew a true lager. That’s OK as there are heaps out there, but they’re a little more expensive than ale yeasts.
If you can’t get hold of one, all is not lost, as most ale yeasts can be brewed down to as far as 15°c which will give you a ‘faux’ lager.
The beer will come out crisper and dryer than an ale and appear quite clear.
You won’t have to wait as long to consume, but like a lager it will get better with age.
The most popular lager yeast is 34/70 by Fermentis. It has a wide temperature range and is very forgiving.
You can get a specialty yeast for any style of lager you wish to make.
For example, I use White Labs WLP 940 Mexican Lager when I make a cerveza and try to get my citrus profile from the hops.
These beers turn out worlds apart from the commercial equivalents.
I have two kegs lagering away at the moment and aim to have four all up, ready for summer, as they are highly drinkable on a warm afternoon.
If there is one positive thing that has been brought about by Covid-19, it would have to be the gained popularity in home brewing.
For those who have recently taken up the hobby and have missed my last articles, here are some tips to try and help you improve your beer and thus get more enjoyment from your new hobby.
Cleanliness is most important – clean and sanitise everything that comes in contact with your beer.
Use your hydrometer – don’t worry if your airlock doesn’t bubble, fermentation is inevitable if you have created the right environment for your wort.
Try to ferment at the right temperature – no higher than 22°C for ales.
Use the very best fermentables you can obtain – usually a mixture of Light Dry Malt and Dextrose. Say 50/50 will improve your beer to no end, try to avoid white table sugar.
Use a better yeast – a specific store brought beer brewing yeast will take your beer to a new level, especially brewed at the correct temperature.
Patience is key, fermentation takes time – bottle or keg after two weeks fermentation. Even though it may appear to be finished, yeast still needs time to clean up after itself, resulting in a better finished product.
Experiment with your methods – any beer you make can always be improved.
Keep records of your actions – especially if experimenting. There is nothing worse than creating that perfect beer and forgetting exactly how you made it.
Don’t over sugar your bottles or bottle too early – bottle bombs are a real thing.
Avoid the temptation of opening your lid – unless dry hopping. This is how your beer gets infected.
An extract recipe
When I was only extract brewing, the finest lager tin that I brewed was the Morgans Blue Mountain lager.
Add this to 500g dextrose and 500g LDM. Ferment it with Saflager 34/70 between 8–15°c for two weeks and you will have an excellent lager, similar to your favourite pub beer.
Next time: a Boag’s 1942 clone recipe
