First Lager fermentation batch...

[jonaken]

Hello Friends,

I have converted my mini fridge into a temp controlled fermentation chamber and attempted my first lagering process. The lager yeast has been active for two weeks. Now it has stopped fermenting and my brew buddy has said that I should bottle it if it has reached final gravity. Since I have never done lagering, the that fermentation always took me around 2 months to reach final gravity.

My question is...Is it adviseable to bottle just after 2.5 weeks?

 

[Spectre216]

From everything I've read, now that it is done with the main fermentation you should raise the temp to 60ish for a d-rest, and then cold store it at as close to freezing as you can push it for 6 weeks.

 

[RonPopeil]

If you bottle it now how do you lager it cold and still get carbonation? I would rest in a warm room (room temp) for 24-48 hours and then lager it for however long your recipe is all in the bucket. Once you're ready to carb bottle it. Once bottled you can bring it back to cold storage to lager longer.

Really, whichever vessel is easier for you to store at the proper temperature is the best way to go. I don't see why you couldn't count the carbing time as a d-rest. Just have to start counting your lager schedule after you get it cold again. If you're bottling with the lager yeast then you could bottle it and go straight to cold conditioning. Even at 40F lager yeast should be active. Higher gravity beers take longer to carb in bottles but they also take more conditioning time so I think it would wash.