1 - Hallertau or Hersbruker, or saaz. And 1.5kg Malt.
2 - I would not use the kit yeast - I would use a liquid yeast. I just put down this very brew with a starter of WLP830 German Lager yeast yesterday.
but yeah, use the saf if you have it.
I've just put this brew down with saflager w 34/70 and it just keeps on brewing.After 8 days , i thought it would've finished,but it still keeps bubbling every 10 seconds.I expect this to be a particularly dry brew,considering the time it's taken to brew.
I'd be inclined to use a liquid yeast too. I used 2 x Saflager 23 yeast sachets and found that the lager was too fruity for my liking. I brewed between 5-10 C and cold conditioned for 2 months in the fridge. After spending this amount of time and not being overly happy with the result I would definitely use a liquid yeast next time.
in the secondary fermenter. Maybe that was overkill - has anyone lagered for a shorter period of time, or not even bothered and been happy with the results?
it was my second brew and i had read so much about the importance of lagering i just left it sitting there. it tasted really good after a couple of weeks in the bottle (maybe it was just the anticipation) but the yeast 'fruitiness' has got a little stonger over time. I think I followed everything that was recommended including a diacetyl rest between primary & secondary so the only thing i can pinpoint that is causing this fruity flavour is the yeast. some who have tried it liked it but it just doesn't do it for me.
i've got my hands on two white labs yeasts - Budvar and Kolsch - so I'll have to decide which one to use for my next batch. I've got to say my ales have been much more successful than the lager but i'll still try again
Used two 11.5 L fermenters and split the can, BE and yeast equally.
Bottled 23 April, and started consuming roughly a week ago. Didn't rack, but every bottle is crystal clear with good head retention. Can't give tasting notes. Simply not my scene, but I like what I like, and I like this one.
About my 4th or 5th batch, so not an expert. My oldest son tried one of my previous brews before heading overseas a few weeks ago. Commented on tastes and aromas that I hadn't noticed. But there again, when I read the back label of a wine bottle, I often muse whether the writer was referring to the same wine I had just consumed.
Did you find this dry/crisp or fruity? I know tasting notes aren't your thing but I'm curious to see if your brew turned out more drinkable than mine. Did you use the yeast in the can or another yeast?
Probably fruitier than a true lager, but there again, fermentation temp was 25deg C. Bloody Qld weather! Thought summer was never going to end.
Just read your posts again. Don't know whether you get the same kits in Ireland that we get in Aus, and I threw out my can long ago. But you say you fermented at 5-10deg C. Thought the temp recommended by Coopers was in low to mid 20's range. Obviously not a genuine lager, but more a lager style I suspect.
Out of my depth here. Time for some expert advice I think.
We do get the same cans here in Ireland. You're right about the fermentation temperatures that they recommend. Generally the yeasts they supply with the cans are ale yeasts which are easier to brew at higher temperatures. I wanted to brew mine with a lager yeast which likes lower temperatures and should produce a 'cleaner' less fruity lager. I brewed it in the garage in February so the weather here at the time suited that.
Sounds like it worked out well for you - although it may technically be an ale I wouldn't be too bothered if the end result is a tasty brew! I was hoping to eliminate that fruitiness by using the lager yeast but I can't say that it worked as well as I hoped.
We'll swap you some of that Queensland weather for grey skies and rain We've hit mid 20s here for the first time this year and it's unlikely to last long...
Our winters have been getting warmer and shorter for the past 15 - 20 years (on the Great Dividing Range in Queensland at any rate). Not so much a case of global warming, but rather winter warming.
You would like our winters, but not sure what you would think about our summers. Some like it really hot, and some don't. Either way, it gets a bit much, even for the locals, when it just goes on for month after month after month. Not very helpful for us home brewers either.
Think you are correct, the lager is an ale. I suspect most Aus commercial brews called lager are, in fact, ales. Doesn't matter, 'cause as Oliver & Geoff say, most but not all of the offerings are absolutely disgusting. Generally, the larger the manufacturer, the larger the disgrace.
I hear you Pacman. Spent a month around Brisbane last year in January and it was pretty damn hot. Nice change for us but like you say it's different when you get it for months on end. Same goes for wind and rain too; I guess it's in our nature to complain about the weather
It is my understanding that the yeast supplied with the Bavarian Lager is in fact Saflage S23 which is a proper lager yeast.
For this brew I would have recommended the W34/70 which is a proper german lager yeast. As I said i put it down with a Whitelabs German Lager yeast and it was fantastic.
Interesting - if that's the case I replaced Saflager S23 with Saflager S23
We can't get W34/70 over here for some reason, which is a shame as it sounds more suitable. S23 seems to be the only dried lager yeast available so I've had to resort to shelling out for liquid yeast for the next batch.
Wassa wrote:I put down a bavarian Lager last year that was absolutely unbelievable.
It was
1 can Coopers Bavarian Lager
1kg LDME
Crystal Grain steeped
Hallertau finishing hops
Put down with a liquid Whitelabs German Lager Yeast.
Like I said it was fantastic
Do you remember how much grain and would a wyeast danish lager be similar to the white labs german lager? ive had one of these cans for a few weeks and have been browsing trying to come up with some ideas and yours looks mighty fine, it also helps that you have drunk it and already no its fantastic