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This is just a general question about the value (or otherwise) of 'lagering' if you don't have the facilities to get the beer down to 1-2C. I made a pilsener a couple of weeks ago and all went well - fermented out at the right temp, etc. but I don't have a beer fridge, just the shed which, in winter, doubles up as a bloody cold fridge! But at the moment, with the pilsener in a secondary and supposedly lagering the temps. here are just too high. It has completely finished fermenting and the F.G. is 1.008 but it's just not going to get constantly cold here anymore. Is there any point in me keeping the beer in the fermenter, pretending that it is lagering or am I just better off getting it into bottles (no, I don't have a keg set-up and I don't intend getting one)? Any advice, anyone?
in the shed in a box/esky/anything with some frozen coke/milk/whatever bottles rotaited dayly if you can be botherd.
i removed the heavy bits from my old broken down keg fridge dug a hole behind the shed in a shady area droped her in and i can lager all year round, with the help of 2-3 frozen bottles in the warmer months.. keeps between 10 and 12c even on the 35+ days. then of course its into the keg and into the keg fridge untill there is a free tap.
Probably easier to just bottle and store as cool as you possibly can, just my thoughts..
I just saw at Bunnings the other day, the colapsible coolers, they would fit a fermenter in there perfectly, the top zips up and you would only need to put a couple frozen coke bottles in there every day to keep cool. They were only $33 aswell(the brand is SMASH)
Whatevers easier for you mate..
To be updated shortly....
HOMEBREW:IF I HAD TO EXPLAIN, YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND
Clean Brewer wrote:Probably easier to just bottle and store as cool as you possibly can, just my thoughts..
I just saw at Bunnings the other day, the colapsible coolers, they would fit a fermenter in there perfectly, the top zips up and you would only need to put a couple frozen coke bottles in there every day to keep cool. They were only $33 aswell(the brand is SMASH)
Whatevers easier for you mate..
Thanks for that - I'd never thought of that! I have a 'fermentation chiller' which I made with a small cooling fan and it has a receptacle at the back for ice but I was finding that I was going through a bag of ice a day (and I can't re-freeze it in the house freezer - divorce proceedings would soon ensue!) and so have gone a bit 'cool' on it. But some frozen bottles may be the go. Thanks or the excellent thoughts, both of you.
