Youngs Definitive Lager

[Roy]

Got one from the Bargain Basement of Wilko's yesterday for the sum of £5.24, it was missing the yeast!

What Can I do to spruce this up in time for the world cup? What hops work well with lager? Can you add a 'hop tea' like with bitter/ale kits?

[dedken]

Here's another one I did earlier. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=30691#p330670. In fact I just bottled it yesterday. I had been 'chill-proofing' in my shed for the last 3 weeks but since the average temperature has gone up I decided it was time to get it conditioning. There have been quite a few threads on here lately about making lagers, most of which I've been involved in. Dig away!

If you can't be bothered to read through those links... here are some basic suggestions on how to improve kit lager - you can start by using a proper lager yeast like S23 and fermenting at 12-15C for two weeks minimum (I think S23 even goes as low as 8C - with lager yeast it works best fermenting slowly at low temperatures). Get some low AA hops such as Saaz or hallertau if you want to make a pilsner style. Goldings or fuggles would be fine for aroma as well, giving you a different take on the 'classic lager'. Don't use household sugar as a fermentable, use BKE or DME. You must bottle condition the lager afterwards, PBs are simply not up to providing the pressure required to achieve good levels of carbonation. I bulk-primed with approx 110g-120g sugar solution.

[Barm]

TBH - losing the kit yeast ain't a big deal; it's an 'ale' yeast rather than a 'lager' strain - and gives the finished product a 'pale ale' quality instead of the clean/crisp lager character.
Replacing with a decent lager yeast will give a much better result!

[Roy]

I'm going to get a decent lager yeast to go with it. Will take a thermometer to the garage at the weekend and see the temperature and probably leave it there (or the shed) for a good few weeks.

Would it be worth leaving it indoors until the fermentation starts then move it to a colder environment?

Also, where to get the saaz or hallertau hops from? Can't find anyone on here selling them?

I'm thinking of using 1kg of light DME and 500g Golden syrup, would this be recommended?

[boingy]

I brew that kit to get a standard lager. It's the only non-AG thing I brew. I use golden syrup in place of the sugar and add some hop tea - an ounce or two of your fave hop steeped in boiling water for 20 mins or so. I like Hallertauer. I've brewed it with the kit yeast, with S04, with S23 and also with the standard "beer yeast" Wilko sell. They all turned out fine and the one time I properly lagered it I did not notice any great improvement. If you prefer more flavour and strength then make the kit up to 4 gallons rather than 5. It will never be a world-beating beer but served chilled it is most acceptable and is also a good way to persuade non-homebrew drinkers that homebrew can taste OK.

Don't overdo the sugar. You'll only make rocket fuel.

[dedken]

Would it be worth leaving it indoors until the fermentation starts then move it to a colder environment?

Also, where to get the saaz or hallertau hops from? Can't find anyone on here selling them?

Yes let it start and then move it, gently, to a colder environment.

Just google 'buy saaz hops' and you'll be inundated with online shops offering you hops. Honestly these hops are ubiquitous, I just picked them up from a HBS, I think the ones I have were even grown in UK.

[Roy]

I ordered some saaz last night, along with 2x s-23 yeast for the lager and 1x nottingham yeast for my next out of date brew

[Roy]

I'm thinking:

Youngs Definitive Lager
1kg Light spray malt
250g Golden Syrup
30g Saaz Tea steeped in percolator
2x S-23 yeast
Make up to 23l

Thoughts?

[boingy]

I'd lower the total sugars a bit.

[Roy]

750g DME and 250g golden syrup?

[jimny14]

About dropping some fermentables, depends what sort of style lager and also what alcohol % you want. If you want some body n flavour to it etc, then if i'm not entirely wrong (surely someone more experienced will put me right please, we all like help) if you want to make it more alcoholic without adding flavour then its brewing sugar you want to build it up with, if you want body n flavour/aroma, more light dried malt extract would be good, with some steeped low alpha acid hops (i like saaz but playing around with anythin else is fun), or maybe even better n low maintanence ((sp,) (i'm a crap pedant, think it looks wrong but can't be arsed to work out why) dry hopping with same hops would give a nice aroma but hardly any bitterness. I'm pretty new to this so if i'm wrong i'd look forward to someone telling me i'm wrong, I like people who know what they're doing telling me how not to make mistakes. It means I make much more nice beer. Hope I can help, even if I've just made more questions.

Cheers James

[dedken]

I'm thinking:

Youngs Definitive Lager
1kg Light spray malt
250g Golden Syrup
30g Saaz Tea steeped in percolator
2x S-23 yeast
Make up to 23l

Thoughts?

Not knowing quite fermentable golden syrup is, but I'd say that looks like you'll probably have an OG of 1.045ish, which will give you an ABV of 4.5-4.8%. Is that what you're after? BTW you don't need to waste two packets of S-23 on it. Other than that it sounds fine to me.

[Roy]

That sounds good to me Ken!Will move it to the shed at my parents' when it starts fermenting then check on it in about 3 weeks and bottle all being well.