Brew UK Forum | General Brewing Discussions
Help on lagering technique
Hey everyone,
Gonna do a lager for my next ag (the lager with no name from greg)
I have been reading up on lagering and there seems to be multiple ways of doing it. I wanted to know if anyone has had the pleasure of lagering!
Heres what I have planned after reading loads of bits n bobs:-
AG as per norm.
Cool wort to 14-15c and pitch yeast (wyeast activator 2278 Czeh pils).
Put in brewfridge @ 11-12c and ferment as usual for 7-10 days until fg is reached.
Raise to 18-19c for 2 days (for a diacytil rest - not sure if this is needed as I have constant Low temp and pitched at a low temp).
Rack to secondary and seal with airlock @12c and drop 1-2c per day until 4c (lowest fridge will go) and lager for 2 weeks.
Bottle as per norm.
I think the biggest problems for me are (apart from the fact I have never erally lagered anything):-
Wondering is there will be enough yeast in suspension after the long ferment and lagering.
When to rack to secondary - at fermentation end or 3/4's into it so there is more yeast left for the secondary, and if so should I bring the temp up in the secondary for the diacytil rest instead.
Also how much sugar to prime with.
What do people think on this process?
Ta,
Nath
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!
Responses
Posted 2 years ago by Admin
Hi Nath, I've only done a lager once as I don't have a brew fridge so its difficult for me to get the temp right. I did it last summer by placing the fermenter in a container filled with water (which came about 1/2 way up the fermenter). I then filled some 1 litre PET bottles and froze them. I then placed around 4 in the water and replaced with frozen ones 2 / 3 times per day which got the temp down to 12c.
I primary fermented at that temp for about a week (can't really remember) but when the fermentation was about 3/4 way through. I then took inside and left for 24 hrs for the diacytil rest before racking into a clean fermenter and sticking in the fridge for 2 weeks. I then bottled with the normal amount of sugar.
It turned out nice, not as crisp as I was hoping I probably would have improved with a bit more time (shame I drank it all so quick!). I would have dropped the lagering temp more slowly if I had a temperature controlled brew fridge so you'll method looks good to me although you may want to the rest before fermentation is complete.
Don't worry about having enough yeast in suspension for carbonation as this will not be an issue but you may find it takes a bit longer to carbonate. I would use about 120g/23 litres.
You may want to make a starter up for the Wyeast as you'll need a fair amount of yeast when fermenting at lower temps. Probably worth doing a bit of research on that one.
Would be good to know how it turns out. I've been thinking about doing another one myself.
Fermenting:
Conditioning:Pale with Styrians
Drinking:Cascade Pale Ale, Summer Lightning
Posted 1 year ago by Member
Hi guys
Have just posted a question on lagering on another part, should have looked here first. Good points made, helps clear a few queries.
Would techniques such as lagering be a bit lost on kit brews. I am doing kits at the mo, but wish to refine the product/taste wherever possible but wonder if the extra time / effort would make a noticeable difference to the end product rather than usingthe basic method.
Great site thanks
Posted 1 year ago by Admin
If you make sure the kit has a lager yeast, or upgrade the yeast to a lager yeast then cold fermenting and lagering will definately improve your brews.
Fermenting:
Conditioning:Pale with Styrians
Drinking:Cascade Pale Ale, Summer Lightning
Posted 1 year ago by Moderator
+1 to greg there.
The first time I used s23 yeast and cold fermented I was amazed in the difference it it. Much more crisp and lager like, though I cant rememebr what kit I done.
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!
Posted 5 months ago by Member
Good to read source material as a basis for sure and right proportion measure of it. But, where lager yeast really came from? Before, it was used in Germany during the Sixteenth century to brew lager-style beers. However, a study that involved five years of fieldwork and genetic evaluation has observed where the stuff originated from. It turns out that beer invented by Germans uses yeast originated from Argentina. Discussing related article entitled Origins of lager yeast tracked to Argentina . Searching the truth for us to know behind its great use in beer.
Posted 5 months ago by Moderator
Thanks for that.
Fermenting: Wheat beer
Maturing/Conditioning:
Drinking: Pseudo-Lager, Oatmeal stout & Shop bought stuff
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