I have been a full on Jamil disciple since the fourth batch I brewed four years ago. I have been doing the pitching and letting it ferment at temperature listed in BCS with a slight temp bump toward the end of fermentation.
Recently Tasty and Chad have talked about driving fermentations after growth phase. This has coincided with my need to crank out some beers quickly for competition/festival. As a result, I allowed my beers to get through growth phase, then began dialing up my fermentation temps (up to 71-72) sooner than I would following the JZ schedule I have adhered to, and prob will when I am not in a crunch for time. My beers finished and cleared sooner than usual and I am pleased with the finished product.
So this takes me to lager brewing. Is it possible to drive a lager fermentation with positive results? If I were to pitch at 44-45 and allow it to ramp up to 48 on its own until it hits high krausen, can I continue to notch that temp slowly up to 55 with negative effect on my beers versus the set it and forget it at 48?
I know that the easy answer is try it, and I will, but I always try to get as much info as possible before diving in. I am looking for people with experience on this topic to bless me with their knowledge.
Mills