Lager yeast at ale temps

[Thirsty Mallard]

What kind of flavors come from fermenting a lager yeast at ale temps?

[Anthony]

California common? Steam beer?

Depending on the strain, you can also expect lots of esters if you go too high in temperature.

[Speyedr]

What kind of flavors come from fermenting a lager yeast at ale temps?

What happened man?

Last night I tasted a Classic American Pilsner I've been lagering for 5 weeks now, and there they were... fruity esters...

Before my "Fermentation Chamber" (freezer) got here I was lagering in a "Son of a Fermentation Chiller" I had made. It was running off of a Ranco Controller. I had bought the one you wire yourself to save a little cash, and while I wired it up correctly and used it for many batches, the wires had a tendency to come loose. Well, that happened and chamber temp went to 60f for at least 24hrs. I've since fixed the controller with some solder but the beer...

So I ask again.... what happened??

[Thirsty Mallard]

Oh nothing happened to me. I was just wondering.

I am brewing an all-grain batch of Amber this weekend and I wanted to do an extract batch in the kitchen at the same time (I'm running low on beer and I want to keep all the kegs full), so I was researching what style to do. I want to make the recipe as easy as possible, since it is just a side-note brew, and I found a few recipes for California Commons. I have never had a steam beer, so I'm not sure if I would be interested in brewing one.

Have no fear... the schwarzbier is pleasantly holding at 53F! I will be giving it a check this weekend and if it is done with fermentation, its into the secondary/lager fridge!

[Speyedr]

Cool. Glad to hear it. I almost cried myself.

As for your Schwartz ( ) Jamil said to start around 50f and let it go to 55f on it's own, so you may want to bump up to 55f now. Or, just leave it. Your call. I'm doing the progression method right now with a Vienna I brewed Sunday.

Haven't you ever had Anchor Steam?? It's nice...

Rob

[Thirsty Mallard]

I started it at 50 and then rose it up. The only problem with this electronic cooling and heating conical is that once you hit the switch, it only takes a few minutes to get to the temp you want... so I couldn't really gradually lift it.

I will go ahead and bump it up to 55 and try to get whatever yeast is still in suspension a little warmth to finish up.

This is my first lager and the first time I have ever used the conical... so more or less this is an experimental beer! Hopefully the second one will be perfect.

[Speyedr]

I started it at 50 and then rose it up. The only problem with this electronic cooling and heating conical is that once you hit the switch, it only takes a few minutes to get to the temp you want... so I couldn't really gradually lift it.

Same with the freezer really. In any confined space I can't set the ambient temp at 55f and pitch at 50f and expect the temp to gradually rise over 7 to 10 days. That's the reason for this stepping. My Vienna started at 50f and is now around 53f. On Sunday I'll bump it again to 55f.

I will go ahead and bump it up to 55 and try to get whatever yeast is still in suspension a little warmth to finish up.

This won't a problem. It's the same as a Diacetyl Rest really. There is enough yeast activity to clean up the leftovers. Even after fully fermenting and lagering the beer you would still be able to naturally carbonate it if you want. There is enough yeast to do the job.

When you're all done we may have to do a trade!

Rob

[Thirsty Mallard]

So I picked up a six pack of Anchor Steam Beer to see what all the hula-baloo was about.

Its a good beer, nice flavor and body with moderate to low hopping. Tastes kind of like Redhook ESB. All in all I like it. I think I am going to brew this style since it seems to be a fairly palatable beer and will probably be liked by the masses (especially my mother and girlfriend who want me to make something that isn't so hoppy... can you blame me though...)

On a side note, though it is a good beer, I don't know that it is worth $9 for a six pack... then again, that is one of the reasons I make my beer!