Do I Have to Lager My Oktoberfest Immediately?

I have two cornys full of Oktoberfest...but only room for one keg in my lagering fridge. Is there any issue with letting the second keg sit in my basement (around 65 degrees) for about a month and THEN lager it? Or do lagers need to lager immediately upon kegging/bottling?

Hmm... that's a good question. I only have a few lagers under my belt (one of them a true Oktoberfest/Marzen brewed in March and lagered until October) but I would venture to guess it's probably fine if it doesn't get lagered immediately.

I'm curious to see what everyone's thoughts are....I should add that the second keg that won't get lagered right away will be for next year (2013).....

I absolutely hate this response, but I think it's entirely called for....



RDWHAHB!



Boom! Id consider it a long diacetyl rest!

TwoGunz said:

Id consider it a long diacetyl rest!

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This!

I guarantee you will notice a fairly big difference between the two beers. Lagering is done for a reason...


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You're good. I 'conditioned' an Oktoberfest for a month before lagering (keezer was busy with fermentations). The Oktoberfest turned out to be my best beer of 2011.

shelly_belly said:

You're good. I 'conditioned' an Oktoberfest for a month before lagering (keezer was busy with fermentations). The Oktoberfest turned out to be my best beer of 2011.

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3 cheers for anecdotal evidence.


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wildwest450 said:

I guarantee you will notice a fairly big difference between the two beers. Lagering is done for a reason...

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He's not not lagering, he's just deferring it

wildwest450 said:

3 cheers for anecdotal evidence.


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Said the pot to the kettle...

shelly_belly said:

Said the pot to the kettle...

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No, I actually defer to those with more experience I this situation and did research instead of throwing out a wild guess. For the record, how many lagers have you made?

TwoGunz said:

He's not not lagering, he's just deferring it

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And you feel that it will have zero consequences by "just" deferring the lagering process for a month? What do you base that on?

shelly_belly said:

You're good. I 'conditioned' an Oktoberfest for a month before lagering (keezer was busy with fermentations). The Oktoberfest turned out to be my best beer of 2011.

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Excellent...that's the kind of evidence I was hoping to hear. I am indeed lagering it, but won't start the lagering process for about a month.....

yournotpeter said:

Excellent...that's the kind of evidence I was hoping to hear. I am indeed lagering it, but won't start the lagering process for about a month.....

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Ha ha, embrace the n00b.