Californa Lager

[ECH]

Probably a dumb question, but when it comes to making a starter for a Lager yeast, is it done the same way?

Going to try my hand at using a California Lager yeast to make a Pilsner Urquell clone. Figure if I put it in a glass carboy for fermentation, and put it on the concrete floor in my basement, it should be cool enough to ferment properly (14-16C), rest of the house the ambient temps are too high. Short of putting the AC on and the fermentor in the room with the AC.


To the other extreme, after the Pils, going to try my hand at a Saison, and got some Yeast Bay Wallionian Saison Yeast, and it is supposed to be fermented at 25-30C

[Two Wheeler]

I'd say it's done the same way but more care is needed to ensure that you have a proper pitching rate so that your yeast is healthy and clean.

http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

[Roger]

Your starter should be done the same way just bigger as much as twice as big. As far as keeping it cool you might want to try putting it in a swamp cooler. It's just putting the carboy in a bucket with water and a T-shirt around the carboy  and usually a fan blowing on it. The evaporation of the water soaking up through the T-shirt cools the carboy down. There's all kinds of info on line about it.

[pliny]

If your point is to make a nice summer blonde lager that's fine. Just to clarify, California Lager and Pilsner Urquell are different.

California Lager, say something like Anchor Steam (WY2112/WLP810) Temperature Range: 58-68° F (14-20° C)
Pilsner Urquell (WY2001=/WLP800) Temperature Range: 48-56F, 9-13C

The California Lager strain might be a bit more forgiving.
If you have the Pilsner Urquell strain in a 14-16C, it would probably take off.

[ECH]

Yeah, just don't know if I can get it down to that low temps. Thought about the PilsU strain.

I have done a couple in the past that I have used German Ale yeast for, but lack the snap that a pils usually has. Mind you anyone that tried it had no complaints, all our own worst critic I guess.

The yeast pack is about a month old (according to the date) and I usually do about a 1.5L starter anyway.

[Roger]

Maybe try a 2L + starter and the swamp cooler trick. Might just be the ticket...

[JamesC]

If you opt for the swamp cooler thing, and can make the time / enough ice to maintain ice in the water, it will keep the water at 0 degrees. I'm not sure how labour intensive that would be, but it's a guaranteed way of regulating water temperature.