How long does it take to make a good standard lager?
A standard Lager takes 20-30 days at the least from grain to glass. It may vary depending upon the type of Lager and ingredients used. Typically, we do fermentation for 10 days followed by another 5 days of maturation. Then, cold crash it in the kegs and let it carbonate for a few days.
Lager yeast pitching rate!
Unlike Ales, Lagers require higher pitch. We use 1.2 grams of yeast per liter. And, depending upon the type of Lager we work with various yeast strains like Fermentis W34/70, Fermentis S-23, Lallemand Diamond lager yeast etc.,
Rehydrate the yeast before pitching.
Temperature range for fermenting lagers!
We use Narziss technique for fermenting Lagers. The pitching temperature would be 2C higher than the desired fermentation range for the yeast. After fermentation at desired temperatures (usually 12C and lower), we ramp up the temperature between 15-19C for diacetyl rest before cold crashing it.
Caution! – Diacetyl and sulfur.
All yeasts produce some amounts of sulfur while fermenting, especially Lagers. While brewing lagers, it is essential to give enough diacetyl rest and conditioning before serving it on tap. This will allow yeast to clean up some of the fermentation biproducts.
Click here to buy Crafters Pilsner
Click here to buy Crafters Marzen
Hmm.. ” Lager ” My old enemy ……but it’s an old saying keep your friends close and your enemies, even more, closer so perhaps Lager is closer to me than any other beer.
Lager word derived from the German verb “to store” which means the degree of maturation and typically in the Bavarian region it was supposed to be in cave cellars and two more years in cases for mild maturation.
The Lager yeast was originally an Ale yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae only to be fermented in a specific time of the year until 1875 Carlsberg Lab separated it and in 1883 the actual strain was created called today Saccharomyces Pastorius…
There is an interesting story of How Pilsner was originated .. One should find them on Google to know more… But to me, Lager is more the Sulfuric egg-smelling beer to history in Glass.. That’s why I keep it close to my heart… My enemy..
The Lager…
Cheers.