Lagering / keg conditioning/carbing timing

[fuzzybee]

All - I've been lagering for a year or so now, and I'd like to try to naturally-carb my next one. I typically do the a quick-lager, raising the temp at 50% of expected attenuation, and then at 75%. When there are a few points left, I raise to mid 60s for diacetyl rest. After a week or so in the 60s, I drop the temp to start lagering.

Where would the keg conditioning come in schedule-wise? Should I transfer to my purged, sugar-solutioned keg before dropping the temperature or afterwards (which would obviously require raising the temperature again)?

 

[Dland]

To answer your basic question; Allow beer to carbonate before cold crashing, you should not need to raise temp again. Besides there being no reason to do this, it takes time and yeast may not get going as well to carbonate your beer after being crashed once. Here are a few additional suggestions;

If you are fermenting in keg, simply remove blow off tube when there are a few points left, when you now do your D rest. Beer will naturally carbonate while reaching full attenuation.

If you ferment in primary vessel, rack to kegs when there is .004-6 points left, seal, and beer will carbonate.

Since you "quick lager" getting the timing right might be more of a challenge. If you miss the .004-6 window then prime w sugar as you planned, let beer carbonate, then cold crash and condition.

The .004-6 window is a bit arbitrary, could be .004-010, if you overcarb a bit, it won't be too much and you can let off a little extra gas, or use a spunding valve set to desired finished PSI.

However you time it, I recommend giving keg a little blast of CO2 just to be sure keg seals.

Lastly, your "quick lager" , speeding up fermentation time, does not save much time and probably does not make for the best lager (not saying it will not be good). The bulk of the extra time making a good lager is in the lagering, (storing) at cold temp. There is really no way to speed that up. If you really get into making lagers at their finest, it helps to have plenty of kegs, so you can let time do its work and not rush things.

 

[fuzzybee]

Thanks! Yep - I ferment in kegs. I have a spunding valve, too, so I just need to remember to put it on day 1 in-line with my keg-purging line.

I do have iSpindels I use, so I can at least see what sort of activity I have going on in there. They tend to get a little wonky when they are under pressure, but that shouldn't be a big deal.

I'll do this on the next batch.