Tasted Lager after 13 days in bottle, Is this normal?

We brewed a batch of Vienna Lager. Spent 17 days in primary fermentation, then bottled. It was kept at around 55F during primary, and is bottle conditioning at around 60F. We tasted it at 10 days and 13 days, and it is very flat, and has a sharp after taste. We are worried about the beer, has anybody experienced something similar? Will this go away over time?

So you didn't lager the lager?

No, we didn't lager it. We are doing a group batch, so there are a lot of different interests and opinions involved. Unfortunately (for the beer) we are all beginners, and this is the first lager.

I'm worried more about the carbonation, is there a reason it is so flat? Should we give the bottles a swirl to kick up the yeast?

TyTanium said:

So you didn't lager the lager?

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love that!

OP, you really should lager a lager, by that, we mean that after primary an extended cold aging process follows. usually weeks or months just above freezing. but all is not lost, as you can cold age beer in bottles. first, you should let them condition, 3 weeks at room temps is the general timeframe here, and with a Vienna that's what you're dealing with. although bigger beers take longer. after they're carbed up, they may still taste funny since you didn't lager this batch, but you can store them in the fridge for some weeks or longer after they're carbed, and they will smooth out some, and become more lager like.
next time you brew a lager, ferment cool like you did and after FG is reached, let the temp drop 1-2 degrees a day until you're at lagering temps, then hold it there for a few weeks. i like the 3-5 days per degree plato, or 1 day per gravity point method of lagering. so for a 1.040 beer, you have 40 gravity points, and would lager for 40 days, a 1.060 beer would be lagered for two months using this ratio.

Yep, it will still be flat at that time. Some lagers need to be conditioned for months.
However, with that being said I have a coopers euro mash extract recipe in the bottle now. 2 weeks in and I just did a taste test to see if it tasted like butter. I didn't do a diacetyl rest, just left it in the primary at 12C for a month and racked.. lol

Its bubbly but it needs more time still. It's cold lagering in the bottle. Be patient with it, and get going on a nice ale that finishes quickly.

60 is on the low side to carb up the beer. Flavor you need to lager that thing.

So our new plan will be to store the bottles at 70F for 3 weeks, then transfer to a fridge for a couple of months.

moore1289 said:

So our new plan will be to store the bottles at 70F for 3 weeks, then transfer to a fridge for a couple of months.

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Sounds like the best you can do now. Good luck.

what was the yeast used by OP?

Either the White Labs German Lager 830 or 838, purchased at the Beer Nut.

Thanks,

moore1289 said:

Either the White Labs German Lager 830 or 838, purchased at the Beer Nut.
Thanks,

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I have a small tester batch of the WL 838 (Southern Germany lager) going right now, to build up enough yeast for a 5 gallon batch of lager next go round- and test out my fermentation fridge and my lager processes.

good luck.