Lob Shot Lager

After brewing a lot of ales over the past few years I finally decided to try my hand at brewing a lager.  Lager beers need to be fermented at colder temperatures than ales, as lagers require a very clean and crisp taste profile as opposed to the fruity ester profile of an ale.  These colder temperatures reduce the yeast's metabolism which leads to longer fermentation times.  In order to achieve the colder temperatures needed for good lager fermentation (for this German Lager Yeast I need 50-55F) it was necessary to buy a chest freezer and use a digital temperature controller to keep the fermentation temperature constant around 53F.  In addition to fermenting at lower temperatures lagers need to be...Lagered...

The word lager comes from the German word "lagern" which means to store.  After primary fermentation is complete lagers are stored for weeks or even months in cold temperatures around 32-38F.  During this extended lagering time the yeast is cleaning up other compounds in the beer than can give rise to off flavors that would ruin a nice crisp lager.  This lagering period also helps to clear the beer of all the proteins and particles that end up floating around during fermentation. 

Kegging the Bourbon Bacon Ale

You can see the recipe for this brew here.

The Bourbon Bacon Ale after 1 month in the carboy

Playing with my new kegging gadgets. 5 lb CO2 tank, nice regulator and 5 gallon cornelius keg

Siphoning the ale into the keg