This by far is my favorite video on your channel Larry. I’d love to see another video including your top tips and tricks for effective pressure fermentation. I appreciate your channel Larry!
I’ve got a batch of American Standard Lager pressure fermenting right now for a party in 2.5 weeks. Can’t do that with a traditional lagering process. 😉
If you decide to brew another batch of this on your traditional 10 Gallon or 5 gallon system I'd love to see the whole brew! Thanks for sharing this and doing the follow up video! Take care
My third brew is a helles lager in a glass carboy. She's only been pitched 14 days so far looking at a 60 day wait in total and watching this video is like discovering fire. Really makes the case for pricier brew equipment. Cheers again Larry!
Thanks. To the point of equipment cost, this actually saves me money by not having to purchase a dedicated refrigerator or glycol cooler for fermenting and lagering.
I have always stayed away from lagers because of the lack of equipment. Now, I have a lager in the "can". Can't wait to see how it turns out. Thanks for the video.
Great video Larry as always and many thanks for the mention. A few thoughts to add. 1) No real need to use a hop sock when using the false bottom. Ive not found an upper limit yet and I have tried some punishing hop bills. 2) By using a suitable kveik yeast (Skare, Oslo, Voss Gjernes) at an appropriate low temperature you would reduce the grain to glass time even more. Faster fermentation, conditioning time and no need to lager at all. You can get super fast results with this without the need for pressure even.
Great content. I’ve been using this method for about 6 months now and have successfully made a great tasting lager in 7 days using a Williams warn Keg. Should have done this years ago!
IPA's are great but seeing Lager getting some love in your videos is fantastic. Please try a Stella clone next.. thanks Larry for being more diverse in the recipes department and taking chances. Many thanks M
Hi Larry! Im new to homebrewing and having some issues with the recent batches. The ale gives me and my mates a very quick(almost immediate) and potent light headedness. It doesn’t seem like the usually kick from alcohol. We can usually finish 3 - 4 pints of commercial craft beer with 4% abv without any issues But we are having trouble finishing 2 pints each. mash temp: 72 C Yeast pitch temp: 28 C Fermentation temp: 23 C *fermented for 2weeks in a temp controlled fridge *probe was attached to the outside of the fermenter OG: 1.048 FG: 1.018 Thanks!
Larry, you are so right about this. I brew lagers in under a week in the kitchen, in Albuquerque, in August. It never gets less than 80F in my house, and is often closer to 88F when I get home from work, before I can turn on the cooler. I have been doing like that for years. I use a corney keg and spunding valve. That Spike Brite tank looks nice. I don't get finicky about clarity, but I have a trick for that (which you will like). Use the Williams Warn BrewKeg dosing device from morebeer to inject your gelatin. That way, you don't need to open your keg...
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY I have 8 gallons in 2 fermenters and the pressurized one was at 20 PSI this morning. I had to check and see what the Brofessor had to say about it.
Hi Larry , just using this method for a new Zealand pilsner. If you crash cool in the fermenter and then pressure transfer to the cold corny keg with gelatine finings you'll save that reopening step and air entry. I have to add some dry hops in my recipe so am cold transfer to another fermentasaurus with gelatine in, I have two hop bags suspended with magnets ready to drop in for a few days post clearing pre bottling ( for a competition) and then I'll keg the rest.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Hi Larry I have thought about this, agree fancy new and old magnets could degrade in the harsh beer environment, pH etc. I have vacuum sealed the magnet inside a vacuum seal pouch ( made on the vacuum sealer) this way I can sterilise the magnet in whatever I want along with the bag before loading it with hops. I have a fridge large enough to fit the fermentasaurus mark 1 in, conveniently it had a broken thermostat and would only chill flat out ( so if left on works as a freezer ). Using an STC1000 controller on it powers the cooling on and off and the heating if needed ( one dollar well spent on the fridge). Will get some pictures of the bags suspended whilst finings working ( later today ) I'm in NZ so currently midday 2nd Nov. Remember to sanitise your transfer tube and then bleed your transfer tube with some beer before attaching it to the keg, this way it doesn't push the air in the tube into your keg and risk oxidising the beer. This is easier than flushing the tube with CO2.
Hey Larry, I finally attempted my first lager using the pressurized method. It is still in the fermenter, but what really got my attention was how fast the fermentation started. It took less than ten hours to create twenty pounds of pressure in the fermenter. I backed off the spunding valve to fourteen ponds. I look forward to tasting it. May not wait for Oktober Fest. Cheers!
It can get up there real quick for sure. I began applying a preset pressure so that I can set my spunding valve to the desired value from the start so I don’t overshoot.
Hi Larry, that is a really cool bit of late night jazz on the intro. I'm experimenting with pressure fermenting and the flavour is good but bad clarity problems. I'll try the gelatin trick. Thanks.
I am fermenting a lager myself just now. I'm just fermenting in a plastic bucket in my new chest freezer at around 13 degrees C/55 f. I used 2 satchels of Mangrove Jack's Bavarian Lager dry yeast and it's fermented almost down to FG in only 4 days! I'm going to slowly let it warm to room temperature to finish it off and do a diacetyl rest. I guess I will have to lager it for a couple of weeks at least if I manage to wait that long.
Indeed. I'm just surprised it fermented this quickly despite being at a low-ish temperature. Using two packs of yeast probably had a lot to do with that. Next time though I'll try to ferment at 10C or so to see if there's a significant difference. I've done California Common lagers a couple of times fermenting at 18-20 C and they usually turn out very nice but they also need at least two weeks of cold conditioning to fully clean up.
hello Larry from south east Australia, which is the cold part but summer begins next week and I only heard about this method a while ago and after seeing your video I'm going to give it a crack, I have ordered a spunding valve and will attempt it inside the corny Keg, also I was watching a tour of a brewery once on another channel and commercial brewerys ferment lager at 18C / 65F under pressure as well in huge fermenters, it comes out carbonated then they filter it and they also sell the excess co2 they produce too, I think this must be for co2 refills etc I have been wanting to do a lager for years but the time and the off flavor potential put me off, but I'll be giving this a crack, beer is incredibly expensive in Australia, 50% of the price is tax a carton of 24 cans costs around $55, anyway thanks for the tips and the inspiration, cheers
I found your video when researching pressure fermenting. I don't have a conical yet, so I'm looking to do it in a corny keg like you mentioned. I am having trouble finding info on how much headspace I need to leave for Krausen. Thanks for any guidance you can give.
Super simple process. I can't remember what yeast did you use? I have used the high pressure white labs strain but many have used regular lager yeast under pressure with success. 👍🍻
Hi Larry, thanks. Did you use temp control for fermentation (e.g. fridge) or did you just let it sit out? What temp did you think it was at during fermentation? Cheers
Awesome video Larry! I’m glad you did this second video. I plan on buying the flex plus as well. They have a bunch of attachments though. What extra attachments did you use during this process or would you recommend getting? Also, I have searched everywhere for that false bottom to use with my grainfather but they are all sold out.
Hello Larry, just an update, I commented on here a month ago about how I was going to give this a try, well it is mid summer down here, tonight I connected the keg which I had put gelatin in 3 days ago and my God it worked! It is the best lager I have ever brewed, there is no off flavor what so ever, no weird smells like you sometimes get, it is so clean and crisp, after years of trying to ferment in a plastic fermenter and trying to keep temperature at around 12C then waiting and waiting and waiting only to find there is some off flavor and wondering if I have an infection or not, this has worked. I fermented in the keg with a spunding valve at 15 PSI and I used the Saflager s-189 Lager yeast which is a more cleaner flavor yeast, I was going to brew an IPA tomorrow but I think I'll be doing a Lager like this again, I have just ordered new kegs to do this in too, I still can't believe how good it is and it tastes like a Lager, has that clean crisp flavor, I used pale malt which is slightly darker than the pilsner malt I could have used, I used Magnum as bittering and Hallertau as flavor at 15 mins at the end of the boil and came in at 40 IBU and 4.9%, this actually tasted like a commercial lager, thankyou!
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY I have had 10 years of failures and nearly gave up, beer tastes like a store bough high quality lager, we are still in shock at how good it turned out
Great video. I have learned a lot watching this channel. I think I will have to continue doing lagers the old way as I just don't see the value right now to spend $1500 to save a couple weeks of fermentation / lagering time.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY hmmm... That's true... Didn't think of that. That's why I watch your channel!! I should look for or make a spunding valve... Thanks Larry!
Larry, have you pressure fermented any ales yet and do you think this is a good approach if you have difficulty maintaining cooler temperatures? Is there a reason why you would not do it?
Sweet. Thanks. I’ll try this weekend as well. @larry, I’m a Brazilian as well. However, as I’m living in NZ and brew in a shed, my temperature could oscillate more than 10°C in a day. Saying that I am thinking to use my fridge to control the temperature. Should I fix it in 21.1°C (70F)? Or is there another temp that I could improve this? Last question. I usually use the the imperial yeast L28 Urkel (slurry that I keep from my lagers), should I keep this yeast or better go to the w34/70 that you have used (I also have it some slurry). Also, thanks for your videos.
Hey Larry, Do you have the Vienna style lager on your todo list using the pressure fermenting process? If so maybe reflect back and identify differences and let us know in another great video. Thanks.
Great walk through. 2 quick questions. Did you pressurize the fermenter after filling or let it pressurize on its own? Any additional tips on pressurized transfer and avoiding foam? Cheers 🍻
Done it both ways. Each has a pro and con. Letting it naturally pressurize saves on your CO2 tank, but you must know what setting to use on your spunding valve in advance or fiddle with it as it grows to keep it from being too low or high. Force pressurizing it uses CO2 from the tank but you'll have the peace of mind to know the exact pressure it will ferment under.
Great video as usual! Does the Spike Flex+ gas manifold act as a spunding valve and release any pressure over 15PSI? Or, in this case, did the PSI just not go over 15? I'm a pressure fermenting newbie but just purchased the Flex+ :)
Hey Larry great video as always. You did a closed transfer but then opened the keg to add gelatin introducing oxygen. Any concerns? I have tried cold crashing in the fermenter first and then adding gelatin to the keg, purging it with CO2 and then doing a closed transfer.
Great vid Larry! I heard some comments regarding yeast not performing optimally under pressure. Is pressure fermentation thus linked to a few strains of yeast (e.g. WLP925) or do you have any advice on yeast selection or links to a database that shows which yeasts can function properly at 10-15 psi? Keep it up!
Awesome Video, as always Larry! I'm fermenting this recipe now (day 2) and can't wait to taste the results. Would you ferment Ales under pressure as well? I've got a spunding valve and would like to try this out after the Lager!
Love your videos keep them coming! I’m getting ready to brew a Vienna lager in my garage and it’s not heated and will get cold in there. I do have a heating pad that I can control the temperature of my Unitank. So my question is is it still ok to ferment under pressure even at colder temperatures? Also at what point did you close everything off? Right after pitching the yeast or when?
Great video. Id like to know what was your room temperature. Im Brazilian, and here is starting our Autumn. Medium temps in 25 celsius. Do you think is possible in this temp? Tks
Interesting. Saw your video in a link David Heath shared in our GF Facebook group. I just wonder if the pressurized fermentation works for lager only? How often did you check the pressure each day?
I’m curious about the gelatin finings. I’ve used Superkleer for ciders but added to the fermenter then racked to the keg. Was there any sludge or other weirdness in the first few pulls at the tap?
Do you recommend using a special high pressure lager yeast to do this? Or do you think it would work with traditional strains? Thinking about making a mexican lager but not sure about yeast selection.
Wow, this is some really cool stuff! You have insipred me to try this method now 😀. It would also be interesting to see what pressure fermentation can do to an ale. Maybe a speedster ale done in 4 days 🤔🤣?
Question Larry... I followed every step you did and watched this video a couple dozen times to make sure I didn’t miss anything. My beer did not turn out that good. I use distilled and did the “lager” water profile on beer smith. Do you think that’s the reason?
Hey Larry great video as always. I had a couple questions for ya, so it took about 4 days to reach FG and you let it sit for 2 more days for diacetyl rest? And secondly, it looks like you used your tap water with no salt additions? Thanks in advance
Very interesting, will add it to my bucket list of beers to try for sure. 2 weeks is better than 2 months for the same outcome. How are your mini pressure regulators for your kegerator working out so far?
Hey Larry! Great video and I definitely want to try this! I'm pressure fermenting in a corny keg and if I wanted to do this without exposing the beer to any oxygen, could I cold crash the fermentation keg before the transfer, put the finings in the serving keg, close it up, purge it, then do the transfer? Also, is there a risk that the gelatin will clog anything in the serving keg? Thanks!
looks mighty tasty man! for someone with no access to secondary fermentation or pressure fermentation, how could i do a speedy lager? or something that tastes like it. luckily i have a fridge dedicated to my FV but reading up on making lagers is really disheartening! mostly because it takes to long
Larry, I'm looking at new fermenters since my carboy is starting to have a hairline fracture in it. I don't have the room to add an additional fridge for cooling the chamber down to a controlled setting. I was looking at pressure fermentation as an alternative with an SS brewtech or a spike stainless steel fermenter. I have two questions within this: 1) do you ever have to use temperature controlled settings for pressure fermentation? 2) are there any types of beer you cannot pressure ferment with? Or that can't succeed in a room temperature setting? Thanks, Steve
The only temperature control I use is moving them around my house; e.g. from the basement to a warmer location if necessary. I use it on just about every beer style I’ve brewed over the past four years.
So I just went down the pressure fermentation route (fermzilla all rounder) and I had a quick question as I start my first attempt, a Mexican cerveza. Do you add pressure at the beginning, or do you just set the spunding valve and let the pressure build naturally? There’s not a lot of information out there.
I watched this video 10 or more times. Finally, I not only made my first lager but am fermenting in my keg and can't wait to try it. It's been about 8 days fermenting at room temperature but have no idea what the gravity is so I'm gonna play it safe and let it go 10 days before I follow the rest of your steps. Is there any reason I just can't put the gelatin into my serving keg before my transfer? It will be my first time using it as well. 🍻 Cheers.
Hey Larry how hot would you let the lager get under pressure before you would think about putting it in the fridge as I live in a warm country bit unsure if it will be doable Also I have problems after fermenting under pressure the carb level is always too low so give a quick carb for a short time but always over carb it
I tried it . I made a warm quick lager in my basement . It is great ! No pressure required the yeast made no off flavor I can detect. But I did 2 week fermentation because I was busy ...I did a one week lager in the bottles . So about 21 days mostly do to my busy life. THANKS for the inspiration LARRY
Great video. I don't have have a system like yours but I do it the "Brulosophy way" and have made some very good beers. (lagers)? I do BIAB on an induction plate.
Thanks Larry! I’ll definitely check it out. So with this pressure method you can do any lager yeast you wish? I remember you did a video a while back with the spike conical. You like this thing better?
Same as every other beer I brew by letting it sit for a few extra days after fermentation. With pressure lagers at room temperature, fermentation is over in just a few days because it is so rapid. I'm typically more patient than this and tend to wait a full two weeks like most other brews. This was an experiment to see how fast I could get it done without ill effect.
What was your final carbonation x psi and temperature (usually an ale man), I'm in the UK and should have my Fermzilla next week so trying my first lager. I was too impatient to do the full lagering process but this video gives me hope of getting a batch of lager in a sensible time frame. Love the videos and have used them extensively to setup my brewery in the garage, always my first port of call when looking for brewing tips. Lots of successful ales produced using the methods in your videos but now for the lager...
I'm wanting to use your method to brew a Maibock this weekend. I was looking at your spreadsheet and I can't see where it says you used a yeast starter, did you? My understanding is the Fermentis 34/70 is a pretty strong fermenter. Thanks in advance for the answer.
Thanks for the video, I've got the Flex+ fermenter and I'm ready to try a lager-like brew under pressure. I'm wanting to do a Killian's Irish Red clone.
Larry, First off I really enjoyed this video and keep going back to it. I am trying to decide between a Flex+ and a CF10. My question is what in your mind is the highest temp I could ferment a lager or ale under pressure?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY I am trying to decide if I can leave the CF10 in the garage without a chiller and what temp can it stand doing a lager under pressure. Using 34/70 or some other high pressure yeast. OR if I'd be better served by buying a Flex+ and using my chest freezer. I really want the CF10 due to single vessel volume.
Larry, I went with two Fermzilla All Rounders to start with till I figure out my next step. Thank you kindly for your time and reviews. I'll have another Spike product in the future.
Hello Larry! I am looking into brewing your 11 day lager as a celebration beer for my birthday next month. I just had a few questions about the fermentation portion of it. If I were to get a spunding valve what psi should I ferment the beer in order to finish in 6 days? I was also curious if the temperature of the room changes anything when it comes to pressure fermentation. Looking forward to your answer, thanks for taking the time to read this!
Hey Larry, are you hooking up a CO2 tank to the fermenter for the entirety of the fermentation? I recently fermented on the flex plus without attaching a C02 tank and noticed the C02 levels in the flex plus were not holding but slowly dropping. All tri clamps are hand tightened very tight and I used lube on the gaskets. Any thoughts on my problem?
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry Thank you that makes sense, I used the white tape (face palm). One other question for the 3inch clear cap and all other tri clamps besides the lids are you just hand tightening or really cranking down on them? Also I can’t seem to find the correct live stream. Thanks again Larry.
Thanks for the great video! I'm trying this method now. I have a spunding valve setup with the tank. Do I need to add pressure from a co2 tank, or just let it build up from the fermentation process? It appears right now it's built up to 2 psi from just the fermentation.
Hey Larry, thanks! I have the Flex+ also and picked up the gas manifold. I see on their website it says not recommended for use as a spunding valve. Did you have an issues with the pressure ferment? Can you foresee anything that would be an issue with using it to pressure ferment? Can't wait to brew a lager and test this method on my flex+, thanks for posting!
I want to give it a try Larry, but i don't have the ability to keg yet. Can i finish it up with sugar for carbonation and bottle? And should i cut down the amount of sugar?
It’s not that simple. Yeast is a living creature that reacts to its environment. The primary purpose of pressure fermenting is to suppress ester production at temperatures above the recommended range of the yeast strain used. Yeast strain, pressure, and temperature are interdependent variables for which there are no hard rules established except that you don’t want your yeast to suffer/die nor get off flavors. You need to experiment to see what works for your variables. I personally don’t go over 15 psi at room temperature which is typically about 70 F in my basement. This works for me, so I stuck to it.
Larry did you have to do any temperature control on your fermentation or did you only pressure ferment at room temperature? I ask because I just bought a fermzilla and if i can pressure ferment at room temperature I will probably give this a shot.
Making lagers without refrigeration equipment is the primary reason for me switching to pressure fermentation; to create great tasting lagers with minimal esters in minimal time without refrigeration.
Hey Larry.... great video! Question: could I do this recipe without doing the different rests you show in the vid? Would it affect the end beer? Interested in trying pressure fermentation and gel finings... would the recipe work without the rests? Thanks!!!
