I am an unabashed lager lover. My first beer epiphany came from a glass of Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel in the mid-1970s. A few years later, homebrewing brought the giddy realization that I could brew my own. Much has changed on the homebrew front in the past 25 years, making the chasm between commercial and homebrewed lagers a matter of brewing skill. The equipment and know-how is the same, but the availability of top-notch ingredients has eliminated all compromise. We now have the option of making authentic, classic versions with ingredients from Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the United States, Canada and England. The initial hardware investment, a refrigerator or freezer unit and temperature regulator, is modest and all that is needed beyond routine brewing equipment. A little patience and extra attention will also help.
The term lager is a misnomer of sorts. By default it has come to mean “bottom-fermented.” Lagern is German for storage and refers specifically to the post-fermentation cold-conditioning period. For the sake of familiarity and consistency, we’ll refer to traditional bottom-fermented, fully lagered beers as lager, lagerbier or bottom-fermented, all of which have become interchangeable.
Hardware
The main considerations for brewing lagers are fermentation/temperature, yeast choice/handling, and timing. In summary, they are fermented between 46 and 58 degrees, warmed briefly to reduce diacetyl and then lagered at 32 to 40 degrees. Temperature control is critical, and the best way to achieve this is with a plain refrigerator or freezer and a temperature controller/regulator. The latter can be purchased for $50 to $100 at any homebrew shop. Regulators vary in capability, but not in effectiveness. They operate by bypassing the internal thermostat of the refrigerator with a remote probe. Single-degree adjustments are possible.
Any functioning refrigerator or freezer will work fine if you have a reliable regulator. A tight door seal and working compressor are the only requirements. If you don’t care about cosmetics and are resourceful, fridges and old freezers can be found cheap or even free. When they wear out, donate them to the local appliance restorer for parts. This repurposing keeps them out of the landfill for as long as possible. With all of the internal shelves and baskets removed, they are surprisingly spacious and can be used for hop or beer storage or double as a kegerator.
