[jtoots]

Brulosopher, great to see your name on this thread, I'll take the opportunity to thank you for the incredible "Brulosopher's Best Brown Ale" recipe... it currently holds the title of my best batch to date.  Cheers...

[reverseapachemaster]

I'm a pretty big fan of WY2000 while we are throwing out favorite lager strains. Granted my lagers run more towards Czech styles than German but I do not hesitate to use that strain both ways.

[denny]

I just bought More Beers temp controlled conical fermenter because I want to brew a classic German pale lager. I read the brewing classic lager article on the AHA site and it recommends fermenting your yeast starter at 50 degrees. I typically use a stir plate when making my starter, but don't have a practical way to keep the starter at 50 degrees. In order to maintain that temp couldn't I just brew the starter in my temp controlled conical and pour my cooled down wort in with it once my starter has reached a good yeast cell population? I'm talking about a 5 gallon batch. I've brewed with a California common yeast lager before since it is more tolerant to higher fermenting temps, but this time I want to use a more classic lager yeast. Any recommendations for a SMASH pale German lager?

I've always grown my lager starters at room temp and it works fine. I also ferment a bit quicker than usual (http://brulosophy.com/lager-method), having compared this to a more traditionally fermented lager, I can't say I'll be going back to the old way anytime soon. Belgian Pils + Saaz makes for a delicious SMaSH lager! If you make your starter big enough, you can just steal some yeast off of it for future use, that's what I do (http://brulosophy.com/yeast-harvesting). Cheers!

Folks, if you don't already know him, meet Marshall.  His website and blog are spectacular sources of experimental info.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I just bought More Beers temp controlled conical fermenter because I want to brew a classic German pale lager. I read the brewing classic lager article on the AHA site and it recommends fermenting your yeast starter at 50 degrees. I typically use a stir plate when making my starter, but don't have a practical way to keep the starter at 50 degrees. In order to maintain that temp couldn't I just brew the starter in my temp controlled conical and pour my cooled down wort in with it once my starter has reached a good yeast cell population? I'm talking about a 5 gallon batch. I've brewed with a California common yeast lager before since it is more tolerant to higher fermenting temps, but this time I want to use a more classic lager yeast. Any recommendations for a SMASH pale German lager?

I've always grown my lager starters at room temp and it works fine. I also ferment a bit quicker than usual (http://brulosophy.com/lager-method), having compared this to a more traditionally fermented lager, I can't say I'll be going back to the old way anytime soon. Belgian Pils + Saaz makes for a delicious SMaSH lager! If you make your starter big enough, you can just steal some yeast off of it for future use, that's what I do (http://brulosophy.com/yeast-harvesting). Cheers!

Folks, if you don't already know him, meet Marshall.  His website and blog are spectacular sources of experimental info.

yeah its good stuff. i just completed a helles using his lager schedule. very clean.

[ynotbrusum]

Sounds great, Marshall.  I make mostly lagers, but enough ales to say I make a fair variety.  I will try your lagering technique for sure.  I am used to 6-8 weeks on lagers, so cutting that in half will be great.

[sambates]

Like most have said, I make lager starters in a gallon jug at room temp. Once it's done, I cold crash and decant. This helps alleviate any worry of "off-flavors" from fermentation out of the temperature range.

Additionally, Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager & WLP 833 Bock Lager are my go to strains! I've also tasted amazing beers using Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager. Enjoy!