Lager brewing

Yup, no need for you to reconsider your ales.

I have been homebrewing for 20+ years and I have never conducted a secondary for my ales.

Cheers!

 

Agreed. I brewed a munich helles lager with Wyeast 2308 and 2 ounces of Saaz. 6 weeks in primary and 8 weeks in secondary and it turned out great. Everyone who tried it loved it and wanted more.

Also my fermentation was my cold winter basement, anywhere from 34-39F the entire time.

I think the colder temps are fine for that yeast, but you just need a lot more time.

 

I do think that it is common in Germany to use air instead of oxygen but I think air tops out at about 8-9PPM of dissolved oxygen, which is less than I like for a lager or any high-gravity ale. Many brewers make it work but I prefer the ability to add more oxygen. We add 16-17PPM oxygen in-line for lagers. I know that Gordon Biersch uses air and Dan maintains that air is the only way to do it according to his Weihenstephan education. On the homebrew scale I would rather not take chances with being able to get enough oxygen via air. Pure O2 is just a safer method to ensure you are getting enough.