Poll: Do you brew lagers and if so how often

I do one or two a year. One invariably is an American lager style, for family gatherings. It's not terribly difficult if you have a decent process, and it's fun to use the lager as a stepping stone to get them to try the other beers I bring, like an Oktoberfest, or an American stout. I've created a few beer geeks that way, I believe.

 

don't have good enough fermentation temp control.

would love to brew some lagers, but honestly i'm intimidated by them at this point.

 

My fermentation temp control is not up to snuff for a good lager, however if that happened, I wouldn't mind brewing a nice drinkable hoppy lager to keep on tap for a while.

 

I just got a chest freezer on Craigslist that I'll be using as a kegerator and to lager.

 

I do one a year, when the weather is appropriate and I can have the fermentor in the garage and use nature for "temperature control."

When I have real temperature control, I'll do them more often.

 

I have always wanted to do more, maybe this year. My garage fridge is my lagering fridge so I typically do lagers in spring-fall.

 

I typically do about 5-6 a year. Currently have a Helles on tap and a German Pils lagering now. Key is having a second chest freezer with temp control. Brew lagers year round.

 

Every year I brew at least a Dopplebock for Spring, a Pils/Light Lager for Summer, a Common, and an Oktoberfest. I would say 40-50% of the beer I brew are lagers...

 

Have no desire to brew a lager

 

Lager=ale's red headed stepchild

 

i tried an oktoberfest this past fall and for some reason it didn't start fermenting. we had to dump it down the drain because by the time it had finally started, the batch spoiled. that said, i'd like to give it another shot.

 

You'll learn in due time.....

 

Nope..not so much

 

Hmm, if you had my India Pale Lager (7.4%, 90 IBU) a couple years ago, you may have a different opinion (two months to brew, two days to drink). Also, just this past weekend Fitger's in Duluth had a beer called Wizard of Saaz which is an Imperial Pilsner that was simply amazing (drank like a IPA, with the crispness of a pilsner). My negative opinion of lagers in general changed when I had fresh Pilsner Urquell in Prague rather than the shit we get and brew here.

I still prefer ales as a general rule, but there are some amazing lagers out there.

 

I've enjoyed a lager or two in my time but my point is why go to more trouble and take more time for a inferior product?

 

Inferior in the only sense that matters...flavor. It's kinda like comparing a nice rare steak to a piece of tofu

 

How is the product inferior? Explain please.

 

I think there are many more superior ales out there, yes. But a top notch lager is no worse than a top notch ale, so I do not agree that lagers are inferior. I might also argue that (exclude BMC), there are many more inferior ales as well. The fact is that in craft brewing a large majority of the beers in the market are ales, but that is IMO because they are generally easier to make and have a lower cost to the brewer to produce.