Hello all. I bought the Brewcraft Rocky Mountain Amber Ale/Lager brewing kit. But they have a contradiction in the recipe that I would like resolved.
In the main copy area it recommends a fermentation temperature of “58-62F for a more lager like beer” but in the Specifications box at the bottom of the page, it states that “Ideal fermentation temperature” is 52F for lager. Which is it? The yeast is Danstar Nottingham.
It’s my first attempt at a lager (got an old fridge for the occasion) and I’m hoping to get it right.
Nottingham is an ale yeast. The copy area is correct, in that fermenting at 58-62 will make the beer more “lager like” than fermenting at a higher temperature. But to make a true lager, you’d need to go buy some lager yeast, in which case you’d want to ferment it at 52 or lower.
I googled it and the kits I saw had Fermentis S-23 dry lager yeast in them, I’ve read mixed reviews on that yeast. It would probably make a good beer with the Nottingham fermented in the upper 50s, the low 50s might be kind of sketchy, could stall out. If you want to do a true lager I’m with sl8w, get yourself some some lager yeast, something like Wyeast Bavarian Lager[/url]. If you do go with liquid lager yeast you’ll need to make a starter, but you probably knew that. 8) If you don’t want to do a starter I’d recommend [url=http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-ingredients/beer-yeast/saflager-w-34-70.html]Saflager W-34-70
dry yeast, I’ve used it in the past with good results.
