lager maturation temperature

[darren loves lager]

Greetings brewers. I'm new here and i was hoping to get some help as i have been getting some contradictory advice. Have been brewing for about 6 months, so far just using the kit yeast. I have got a fridge with temperature control adapter thingy and have just put on my first batch using a proper lager yeast, the saflager W?? ( not the s 23, the other one!) and i am fermenting at 12 degrees. I understand 12 degrees is ideal for primary and secondary fermentation, but what about maturation? Do i have to store the bottles at 12 degrees as well? If so this means i can't use the fridge to brew another batch with saflager yeast untill this batch is fully mature and i intend to mature the bottles for at least 3 months, or at least most of them anyway! Or can i store them at room temperature after secondary fermentation, or can i put them in a normal fridge and chill them after secondary fermentation? What will give the best results? What will be ok and what will not give good results? i hear of people fermenting and maturing at higher temperatures but my local brew shop tells me this doesn't give good results.

[PaulSteele]

ferment at 12deg
when fermentation is almost done, turn it down to 1 or 2deg
leave for a month
bottle
leave for at least 2 weeks somewhere cool and dark. (room temp is fine)

[darren loves lager]

ferment at 12deg
when fermentation is almost done, turn it down to 1 or 2deg
leave for a month
bottle
leave for at least 2 weeks somewhere cool and dark. (room temp is fine)

Now i've never heard of that method! Sounds interesting. i might try that at some stage, but because it's my first real lager i was just hoping to keep it fairly simple. But i gather from what you have said that i can mature the bottles at room temp?

[PaulSteele]

the word Lager literally means "to store", lagering a beer means to store it at a very cold temperature for a while.

this will round out the flavours, clear and mellow your beer.

if you wanna keep it simple, you can skip this step


you most certainly can let the bottles carbonate and mature at room temp.

ideally this should be at around 18deg, but i just stick mine in a fairly consistently cool cupboard

[darren loves lager]

Thanks for the advice, i suppose at this time of year in brisbane i can mature my lagers in the garage, but when it starts to warm up again i might have to find some nice pale ale recipes! Better brew as much lager as possible while it's still cool enough!

[PaulSteele]

thats my motto!