i've seen on here many different pieces of the steps to fermenting a lager, but i wanted to try and find/make a schedule for me for making my first lager.. here is what i have read in a bunch of threads and put together here.. please for all of you with lager experience, just take a look and see if i'm on the right page, and critique if necessary.. thanks!
make large starter - i'm planning on making it at room temperature and crashing/decanting off the liquid for each of 2-3 steps.. i have to buy a new flask i believe so hopefully i can get my hands on a 3000L or 4000L in time.. i currently only have a 2000L and figured that won't be nearly enough since i use that for some ales..
brew the beer - not many steps seem to be different for the actual "brewday" portion from an ale, but let me know if i'm way off base here
wort into carboy - i use BBs exclusively, so i figured to cool with my plate chiller then fill my BB.. i can put an airlock on but no yeast yet and stick it in my fridge at a temperature in range for what the yeast recomments.. at this step i would also put the starter in the same fridge to get the temps down as well
pitch yeast - probably the next day? should have had enough time to get down at least close enough to the right temp.. i can decant the rest of the wort off the starter, pitch and aerate then plug it back up
primary fermentation - check the gravity and keep in primary until the fermentation is about 75% complete.. if this is accurate how would i decide this? (totally random numbers here just for ease of math) if i started at 1.100 and it was supposed to go down to 1.000, would i rack to secondary for D-rest at 1.025? and do i have to take into account the attenuation of the individual yeast strain?
Secondary/D-rest - sit in basement room temp (probably around 65 degrees) for 2 days for a D-rest.. then put back into fridge at the lower lagering temperature for a month?
keg - keg, force carb at correct psi for about 2 weeks.. enjoy
besides taking readings during primary, are there any other times that you would need to take a gravity reading since i would be lagering for a month?
thanks for your help!
make large starter - i'm planning on making it at room temperature and crashing/decanting off the liquid for each of 2-3 steps.. i have to buy a new flask i believe so hopefully i can get my hands on a 3000L or 4000L in time.. i currently only have a 2000L and figured that won't be nearly enough since i use that for some ales..
brew the beer - not many steps seem to be different for the actual "brewday" portion from an ale, but let me know if i'm way off base here
wort into carboy - i use BBs exclusively, so i figured to cool with my plate chiller then fill my BB.. i can put an airlock on but no yeast yet and stick it in my fridge at a temperature in range for what the yeast recomments.. at this step i would also put the starter in the same fridge to get the temps down as well
pitch yeast - probably the next day? should have had enough time to get down at least close enough to the right temp.. i can decant the rest of the wort off the starter, pitch and aerate then plug it back up
primary fermentation - check the gravity and keep in primary until the fermentation is about 75% complete.. if this is accurate how would i decide this? (totally random numbers here just for ease of math) if i started at 1.100 and it was supposed to go down to 1.000, would i rack to secondary for D-rest at 1.025? and do i have to take into account the attenuation of the individual yeast strain?
Secondary/D-rest - sit in basement room temp (probably around 65 degrees) for 2 days for a D-rest.. then put back into fridge at the lower lagering temperature for a month?
keg - keg, force carb at correct psi for about 2 weeks.. enjoy
besides taking readings during primary, are there any other times that you would need to take a gravity reading since i would be lagering for a month?
thanks for your help!