Fermenting lager yeast

[RobertE]

Anyone have experience with fermenting a traditional German Helles style lager? I have a homemade fermentation chamber that utilizes frozen milk jugs and it works well for ales, especially getting temps down to the low to mid 60s. Wondering if I could get away with fermenting a lager using more frozen milk jugs in the low to mid 50s.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

you can ferment Fermentis Saflager W-34/70 dry lager yeast at ale temperatures or even in the 50's, its good yeast, just make sure you do a D rest at the end, I like 58

 

[J A]

Fermentis S-23 is my go-to for ale-temp lager. It really loves to ride in the middle at 60 degrees. And, yes, you can keep an ice chest or small chamber at lager temps with ice bottles.. You have to do it when the weather is cooperative and it's not too hot out. And you really have to try to guard against temperature swings. Even liquid yeasts will do fine at higher temperatures (a friend of mine used WLP-860 at 70 or more and made a good lager) but raising and dropping temp stresses the yeast and can produce excess esters and off flavors.

 

[BoomerBrian]

Brulosophy has several lagering at ale temp experiments on their website.