Thought I would share this.

[Slim M]

Most of you probably already know this but I want to share this pretty simple process I follow for faster lager style beers without pressure fermentation using lager yeast not Kviek. I’ve done this for light lagers & dark lagers with OG under 1.052 with excellent results in batches yielding 5.5 gallons to fermenter. I’ve done this several times with Saflager w-34/70 & CellarScience German dry ( think they are the same )

Chill wort to 60f - 70f
Pitch 1pack of either 34/70 or German dry
Aerate then ferment @ 62 for 3 days
After 3 days raise to 67 for 4 days
Keg & chill to 40f & force carb for 2 weeks


Be sure to not disturb the keg while conditioning and be sure to use Irish moss or whirlfloc tab in the boil and after you pull the first pint it clears up nicely. I’ve had good results doing this and the turnaround time is not bad. I know it’s not as fast as some of the crazy stuff on YouTube using pressure or kviek but it’s been a solid & dependable process for me and I thought should pass it along.

I’ve tried lutra and was not impressed. Yeah it ferments fast but it seems to need a almost as long as my process listed above to clean up & clear up. Not knocking Kviek maybe it’s user error and it works fine for you. Good luck either way

 

[bracconiere]

..lol, i know Saccharomyces pastorianus...will ferment at room temp, to me the advantage of it was when room temp was ~50f, and ale yeast wouldn't get a batch done!

(just givin you some wise talkin, glad you like your homebrew!)

 

[Slim M]

..lol, i know Saccharomyces pastorianus...will ferment at room temp, to me the advantage of it was when room temp was ~50f, and ale yeast wouldn't get a batch done!

(just givin you some wise talkin, glad you like your homebrew!)

Yeah you know I guess the main reason I share this is for the guys that might just be getting starting and being afraid to try something like a lager just because they can’t keep constant temps in the 50s.

Some the of old ways are not always the best ways especially in homebrew lore. Years ago when I started out it was like considered & taught super mandatory for secondary fermentation in glass carboy, not to waste your time with lager yeast in temps above 58f, & etc. . I’m thinking of throwing my carboys out, I don’t think folks are so much into the secondary fermentation as they used to be. I know I’m not! Not to mention the extra exposure to oxygen during the extra transfer.

 

[IslandLizard]

I’m thinking of throwing my carboys out [...]

Although kegs can be used, (glass) carboys can still be useful for bulk aging and fermenting mixed fermentation sours.

Some guy had wrapped some special self sticking, heavy duty plastic-like film around them, just in case. It looked like crap, but would hold the shards together in case of an unfortunate mishap.

 

[bracconiere]

oh and....

expansion on this, i heard of this thread before...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/warm-fermented-lager-thread.592169/page-45#post-9291470

 

[Slim M]

oh and....

expansion on this, i heard of this thread before...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/warm-fermented-lager-thread.592169/page-45#post-9291470

Yeah I’m not going to dive into the politics of warm lager yeast fermentation vs cold fermentation argument so to each their own on that. I’m just sharing my experience with a simple method that has works pretty good for me. I think if most give it shot they would agree it ain’t so bad for a quick turnaround lagerish beer.

I know some are traditionalist and that’s great, I’ve been down that road myself you know double decoction mash, secondary fermentation for everything, cold lagering for 6 weeks minimum, only liquid yeast with starter, and all the space a 3 tier system takes. Looking back I’m not sure the beer was all that much better than my biab setup and 7 day primary to keg method except efficiency suffers a tad, but one thing for sure it was a but load more work back then

 

[bracconiere]

I’m not going to dive into the politics of warm lager

ok? i used to get called a 'lagger' if i was walking to slow, so stick with it. i've used wine yeast at 80f too!

 

[Kickass]

Yep, lots of good info on the warm fermented lager thread.

 

[Slim M]

ok? i used to get called a 'lagger' if was walking to slow, so stick with it. i've used wine yeast at 80f too!

Wine yeast! Oh yea I’ve heard of co-pitching it with ale yeast or late addition on something heavy which I assume is attempting to chew down the fg.

Some do that with brett I think. I myself never fiddled with brett yet. I wonder how common brett was in pre WW2 British ales sometimes.

 

[Beermeister32]

Warm fermented lager - Steam Beer. Brewers have been doing this workaround a long time!

 

[Slim M]

Warm fermented lager - Steam Beer. Brewers have been doing this workaround a long time!

Yeah but years ago when I first started I remember reading a lot of negative things about warm lager ferm then forums got popular and you had guys really discouraging to new brewers who didn’t have temp control or the experience to know better basically telling them that us-05 is as close as they can get to lager without being setup. It was well meaning advice just not accurate in my PO.

Not saying lager yeast loves 75 plus degrees or anything but if you can keep it reasonably cool and with right strain you can have good beer. Honestly looking back at my early days of brewing I remember a lot of misinformation being spread as gospel. Remember don’t crush your grain too fine or tannins will take over? Biab guys are double and triple crushing these days super fine. I guess my point is it’s good to look back and evaluate and recognize what was old lore vs what is truth and that is sometimes subjective.

 

[Spivey24]

Any idea what FG you get? Since you are kegging and carbing after a week you probably don’t know, but do you get any residual sweetness?

Do you have the option to ferment cooler and still do it this way? Just curious because I have the setup to ferment at 52 and always do, but is this worth trying to speed it up?

 

[Slim M]

Any idea what FG you get? Since you are kegging and carbing after a week you probably don’t know, but do you get any residual sweetness?

Do you have the option to ferment cooler and still do it this way? Just curious because I have the setup to ferment at 52 and always do, but is this worth trying to speed it up?

No issues with attenuation when using w-34/70 or the CellarScience German Dry with the process I’ve listed I will list my last 3 brews as an example below. Keep in mind I do a single infusion biab no sparge just squeeze.

Mash @ 156 for 75 minutes all grain 77% attenuation CellarScience German Dry

Mash @ 148 for 75 minutes 96% attenuation w-34/70 ( this was 15% agave)

Mash @ 150 for 75 minutes all grain 90% attenuation w-34/70


I believe it is worth it to me. Yes I have other options. I have @ 14 cubic foot chest freezer with a Johnson Controls external unit, spare fridge with a temp controller, & also a kegerator. But yet I choose my way not out of necessity but because I prefer it. I guess if I was to list the advantages it would go like this.

Positives
1. Fridge or freezer doesn’t have to work as hard.
2.Helps reduce energy cost slightly.
3. Less yeast required to take off
4. Faster fermentation
5. Taste & quality is good to me and that’s all that matters

Negatives

1. Not very traditional
2. Possibly clarity might be better with cooler temperatures but I’m not chasing that anymore these days
3. Some brews snobs may judge you

 

[Kickass]

2. Possibly clarity might be better with cooler temperatures

Cold crashing and gelatin make #2 a non issue

 

[Slim M]

Cold crashing and gelatin make #2 a non issue

Yeah I don’t even crash like some I just take it to about 40f after keging & on week 3 I’m drinking it. I admit week 3 not the clearest but week 4 it’s close. Clarity is not a worry for me half the time I don’t use a whirlfloc either.