cold conditioning hacks

[kangarool]

I'm trying my first lager. It's been a week in primary, and so far things seem to have worked out pretty well. It's saflager 34/70 + Coopers Bavarian Lager Kit + some amber LME and some hallertau hersbrucker

Despite no equipment other than the standard Coopers equipment, I'm trying to hack my way around the lagering process. So far it's been easy and I've been lucky, but I'm about to reach a trickier stage.

For the initial couple weeks of primary fermentation, Melbourne's avg. temp as been around 11ish at night and 18-20 in day. However, I got me fermenter on the shed's (stone) floor. I actually have it sitting a triangle of bricks, so that each morning I have just enough room to slip a frozen 1L of bottle of water underneath for the day (I thought since lager are bottom-fermenting, this might help?). I also do the frozen bottle on top, and wrap-the-wet-towel trick as well. Lucky for me it has kept very consistent at 10-12 deg., except for the 21 deg days it's registered maybe 14 for a couple hours.

Now though, the bubbles are slowing, and I have to wrap my mind around how to get the temp around the brew even colder, whether I rack or bottle. (Never racked before either, and am going thru the pros and cons I've read here).

Regardless if I rack or bottle, are there any hacks for creating the cold environment needed for the cold-conditioning period? What about one of those 100-can coolers, iced up every day or two with a few bottles of ice and some water? I doubt that will get it close enough to make it worthwhile, but it would be colder than just sitting on shed floor. Here's a pic



But I'm just not ready for a fridge, though, either. Any other tips or suggestions? Thanks/kanga

[rwh]

Might just be worth bottling and putting the bottles in the fridge. The cold conditioning phase will be slower and somewhat interrupted by the carbonation sugar, but it should still work.

[kangarool]

Might just be worth bottling and putting the bottles in the fridge. The cold conditioning phase will be slower and somewhat interrupted by the carbonation sugar, but it should still work.

right, but that's still a bit of a problem, as I have just the one kitchen fridge, and with a couple little angelic monsters eating me out of house and home, their milk, yogurt and sausages are taking the room that belongs to my beer. Suppose I could sell one of them and get enough for a lagering fridge.

by the way, is there a difference between a "lagering fridge" and a "fridge"?

[rwh]

The lagering fridge contains lager.

[luckyphill]

Sounds like you need a fridge REAL BAD ?...I just got myself one for nothing...it's old, filthy dirty but works and the seals are good...no one could possible ask money for it...but it works a treat for what i'm doing...like yourself I'm doing my first lager as well "same as your's". So keep an eye out for frebbies, should be heaps in Melb one would think. Let us know how your brew turns out.

Phill

[kangarool]

thanks Phil, I'll keep my eyes peeled. Just wondering at what stage the real dangers to the lager will be? That is, if i can keep the primary fermentation around 10/12, will I be 80% of the way to something good, even if the "cold conditioning" phase has to happen also at 10/12? Or does the real magic happen only when you get it down to 3 or 4 for several weeks? I'm sure the answer is "both" but curious if anyone has turned out a brew under similar circumstances, and what the results were...

[Rysa]

I just got a small bar fridge second hand that fits a fermenter perfectly and takes up bugger all space in the garage.

[rahne]

why are you brewing larger at 1-2 i thought you wanted it about 18-26

[kangarool]

nah, my understanding is that ideally the primary ferment is around 10/12 C., then cold condition/lagering just above 0 deg., around 3-4.

People who aren't completely brand new like myself however will give you real answer.

[rwh]

Yep, ales are best around 18-20°C. Lagers are a lot more complex, there are lots of theories like pitching at 18°C, waiting for fermentation to begin and dropping to 10°C for primary, then 2°C for secondary.

But the basic idea is somewhere around 18°C for Ales and 10°C for lagers.

[morgs]

I'm trying my first lager. It's been a week in primary, and so far things seem to have worked out pretty well. It's saflager 34/70 + Coopers Bavarian Lager Kit + some amber LME and some hallertau hersbrucker

Despite no equipment other than the standard Coopers equipment, I'm trying to hack my way around the lagering process. So far it's been easy and I've been lucky, but I'm about to reach a trickier stage.

For the initial couple weeks of primary fermentation, Melbourne's avg. temp as been around 11ish at night and 18-20 in day. However, I got me fermenter on the shed's (stone) floor. I actually have it sitting a triangle of bricks, so that each morning I have just enough room to slip a frozen 1L of bottle of water underneath for the day (I thought since lager are bottom-fermenting, this might help?). I also do the frozen bottle on top, and wrap-the-wet-towel trick as well. Lucky for me it has kept very consistent at 10-12 deg., except for the 21 deg days it's registered maybe 14 for a couple hours.

Now though, the bubbles are slowing, and I have to wrap my mind around how to get the temp around the brew even colder, whether I rack or bottle. (Never racked before either, and am going thru the pros and cons I've read here).

Regardless if I rack or bottle, are there any hacks for creating the cold environment needed for the cold-conditioning period? What about one of those 100-can coolers, iced up every day or two with a few bottles of ice and some water? I doubt that will get it close enough to make it worthwhile, but it would be colder than just sitting on shed floor. Here's a pic



But I'm just not ready for a fridge, though, either. Any other tips or suggestions? Thanks/kanga

Hey mate settle a bit. Try not to worry so much as beer is meant to be fun. Sure if you want a crisp clear lager then cool temps and ccing is the method but if you can't get those conditions then you have to make do with what you got. Just keep it coolish, brew it and then drink it. Don't get too worried. If you can't keep it cool try us 56 ale yeast as a faux lager as it ferments out nicely.

[rahne]

so in winter i don't have to worry about keeping by beers above 18 c
because last brew it droped to 16 c took a week and half primary though

and why do kits say keep it above 18 c

[morgs]

If its an ale yeast keep it warm if it is a lager yeast keep it cool. All im saying is don't cry if it changes by a degree or two.

[Boonie]

Lagers brew at lower temps.

Most kits dont have lager yeasts.

Start Rant.....I still do not have a fridge for brewing as my uncle did a backflip and gave it to his daughter (She did not have one for food)........bugger. And, I fell asleep last night when there was a Brew Fridge with 3 kegs and a tap through the door, in my area that went for 460 something on Fleabay.....bugger x 2.....Finish rant.

I feel better now

Cheers

Boonie

[rwh]

and why do kits say keep it above 18 c

If you're brewing with an ale yeast and the temp drops below 18°C (depending on the yeast strain) then it might go dormant and drop out of solution, leaving you with a stuck ferment.