Fast Lager Method

[pietro]

I promise I'm not just trolling! I actually would like to hear opinions on this, particularly from Super-tasters or those who have consumed beer in Germany (not from a green bottle after a voyage on a non-temp controlled container ship).

Have people here tried both methods and noted differences? If so, what?

http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

[darthkotor]

I am no supertaster, nor have I had fresh-from-the-tap lagerbier from Bavaria.

But I can tell you that I loved my quick-lagered stuff, I even won some awards for my quick-lager beer. However as soon as I started to find imports I found them to be just different, not objectively better (although I think they are, but that's my opinion). I brewed great American versions of German Lagers. I found however, that as the beer lagered in the keg it just got better and better.

I started to really drop into researching traditional brewing methods of Germany and found that the science and methodology is VERY different than what I was reading and hearing in the U.S. So I started to adapt my method.

I have only been on this forum for a few days, but almost all the contributors match exactly what I was reading in the translated portions of the German Brewing textbooks, so if you are looking for traditional German brewing techniques and recipes then this is the place.

[Roachbrau]

The fast lager schedules can definitely make good beer, maybe even great on occasion, but it's not the ideal. It does significantly shorten the primary fermentation time, but actual time at lager temperature is something that I don't believe can be faked.

As far as using anything other than a traditional lager yeast strain, well, that's just silly, and I question the palate of anyone that believes they can make an authentic lager that way.

[Bryan R]

I will shamelessly plug this recent installment:
https://edelstoffquest.wordpress.com/page/3/

[Bryan R]

Some recent information has come to light thanks to a keen eye of Techbrau, I am not sure we are ready to declassify it yet...However if correct, it certainly throws a wrench into the so called "fast lager methods".

Full disclosure, I was an accelerated fermentation guy, but always abided by full lagering schedules.

[Owenbräu]

There are benefits to cold fermentations beyond just flavor comparisons too.

[Techbrau]

There's a lot of confusion about what "lagering" means in the US brewing community.

In Germany, it's understood that a true lagering cycle requires active yeast and actual fermentation to be taking place. If final Gravity was reached at a higher temperature and the yeast have gone dormant, cold storage isn't true lagering - it's just cold conditioning with the aim of dropping out haze causing particulates.

[Kranz]

I have done the fast ferment a couple of times and am during one at the moment. I found that I didn't get as good as a real Pilsner taste as when I didn't do a fast ferment. I haven't read this anywhere else, so it may just be me. It was really clean though, no sulphur, or butter bombs so that is a plus for me as I have struggled with that in the past. The next time I use carboys I am going to bring one out to do a fast ferment and leave the other one in the chamber to finish with the traditional method.

[Techbrau]

[Bryan R]

I think its all a farce anyways, My latest ferment was pitched at 5c(3/10/16), then allowed to raise to 7c where it has sat, then yesterday(3/14/16) I started dropping temperature. As of this morning, I am at 6c, and 2p(8 gravity points) away from full attenuation. When I get home from work tonight, I will be transferring into a keg and spunding. I will likely see full EVG by Thursday, which would be 7 days total fermentation and have carbonated beer going into lagering. 7 days, and the beer never seeing above 47f, so its not too time consuming to "do it right", this is an export helles as well, 13p to 2p so more time needed.