a couple questions about my to be first homebrew

[markjd11]

what's happnin everybody. A couple quick questions. First, can a lager still turn out ok if you ferment at room temp. rather than temperatures of 30-50 F? Also, is a second stage fermenter a must? Also, I bought a kit, and it includes the platic bucket kind of fermenter. I was just wondering if the glass carboys are a much better fermenter. And lastly, I heard that after bottling, when you go to drink the beer, there will still be some sediment in the bottle. I was just wondering if there is any way to filter that out so that no sediment is present in the bottle.
thanks everyone
-Mark

[shughes600]

Mark,
The secondary fermentation is not exactly necessary. You will get a slight flavor impact from your beer setting on trub, yeast, and what not. I performed my first batch with a secondary, the key is be carefuil on sanitation. Beginners are instructed not to use a secondary due to the high risk of contamination assumed to be inherent in their sanitation and apptitude. A glass carboy is nice for a few reasons but not necessary. The smooth surface is more resistant to bacteria (you will scratch your bucket eventually), you can see what is going on (not too much light unless you like skunky beer though) and IMO they provide a better seal. The sediment in the bottle is completely necessary. It is spent yeast depositing. The priming sugar you add before bottling reactivates the yeast creating more CO2 for carbonation. You will need to learn to decant the beer, pour the beer in one motion carefully avoiding disruption of the bottom debris and abruptly stopping when the beer appears murky at the neck. Pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it. The big problem here is that that sediment is guaranteed to be distrubed during vehicular transport, so plan on enjoying these at home or allowing a lot of time for the yeast to resettle.

[paul84043]

I agree with Shughes600,
Glass carboys are very nice, plastic will work until you get the hang of what's going on, then when you want to have 5 batches going at the same time :D buy carboys.

Secondary does several things, already mentioned is the most important, that it gets the beer off of the trub which over time will begin to impart off flavors due to the dead yeast begnning to break down. It's not going to become an issue with the shorter fermantation beers, but you definitely wouldn't want it sitting on the trub for more than a couple of weeks.
Is is also a clarifying step, so if you're really worried about clarity, racking to a secondary is a big help. Then you rack again into a bottling bucket which clarifies it even more.
You can buy pumps and filters, but if you do that, you are removing all of the stuff that makes homemade beer so good for you (seriously) the sediment layer is loaded with the whole vitamin B complex, and I don't mean Vitamin Beer either...
there is TONS of soulble fiber in homemade beer, which is fantastic for your cholesterol level and for your digestive system. It's loaded with minerals like selenium, magnesium, well...too many to name, but all good.
In my opinion, the absolute last thing you want to do is filter your beer.

Shughes600 hit on the most important point, sanitize the crap out of everything! And when you think it's clean, sanitize it again.

Pouring the beer is no big deal, just be smooth and try not to agitate the sediment on the bottom. If you're careful you can tip the bottle back up and continue again with another glass, a practice that is basically required when pouring a 16 ounce Grolsch bottle full of beer into a 12 ounce, or a pint galss...

Kegging is the ultimate way to avoid sediment, but is another step requiring more equipment and a bit more knowledge. It's not hard, you'll probably get to feel comfortable and want to take that step when you have a few batches under your belt. (no pun intended...)

[markjd11]

thanks for the replys

[Richard English]

Sediment should be no problem in bottled beer. After all, all bottle-conditioned beers (Goose Island; Fullers 1845; Hog's Back T.E.A) throw a sediment and nobody gives it a thought.

If you are using a good beer yeast the sediment will be firm and there won't be too much of it. Decant if it worries you - me, I just glug it in.

The idea that beer should be sparkling bright is a relatively modern one and one that is assiduously promoted by A-B and its clones who seek to persuade their customers that nothing that isn't clear and bright is worth drinking.

On the contrary. Many beers styles (Weiss, for example) are sold with their cloudy character as a definite plus point. No English draught Real Ale is as clear and bright as is a glass of Budweiser - but I know which I'd rather drink!

[b3s]

Originally posted by markjd11
First, can a lager still turn out ok if you ferment at room temp. rather than temperatures of 30-50 F?


i'm no expert...far from it (hell, just popped open my first bottle of homebrew on saturday). however, i found this over at stpats.com while looking at stuff for a lager i might start in september

from www.stpats.com
Lagers at Room Temperature
Lager yeasts are commonly called bottom- or cold-fermenting. They make clean, malt-accentuating beer at cold temperatures. Clean simply means the beer tastes like the products from which it was made, viz barley malt and hops.

Ales are not clean in this sense because they have fruity flavors. A long-standing homebrewing myth is that you cannot make good beer with lager yeasts at ale (warm) temperatures. Most lager yeasts do in fact make very good beer when used at ale temperatures. It may be argued, however, that such beers have more 'ale' character in that they will have fruitier tones than a traditional cold-fermented lager. Anchor Steam is an example of a commercial lager fermented at ale temperatures.

If I want to make a lager in the summer in Texas and must ferment at room temperature, should I use a lager yeast or an ale yeast?
I asked this exact question of a panel of yeast experts (Dave Logsden of Wyeast, Chris White of White Labs, Mary Beth Raines-Casselman, and John Maier of Rogue) and every one gave the same answer, Use the lager yeast. No ifs, no buts, no hesitation. Amongst homebrew shops, St. Pat's has been almost single-handedly conveying this advice for the past 10 years, although some progressive shops have now followed suit.


And lastly, I heard that after bottling, when you go to drink the beer, there will still be some sediment in the bottle. I was just wondering if there is any way to filter that out so that no sediment is present in the bottle.

sediment is good :) the way the majors remove that sediment is to filter before bottling, however, they also have to add CO2 for carbonation. bottle conditioning is way better, imo. which is why i started making my own. furthermore, from my initial foray, i have noticed that the sediment has very little floculation.

[S.F.B.]

Fermenting with a lager yeast at ale temperature is basically creating a steam beer. I have done this with an Anchor Steam clone. It turns out nice and light and full of flavor.

Don't worry. When it comes to home brewing, I have found your only limits are the ones you put on yourself. When you get comfortable with the basics, you may want to try new things. Formulating your own recipes is one of the funnest things I have done so far.