Oktoberfest help!

[carlsonderek]

So I'm brand new to lagering. Got a fridge last spring with a thermostat and all that jazz. Now all went really well til bottling. I was assuming that after bottling, I needed to keep the bottles in that real cold range. 38-42°. Obviously after 10 days (I tried one to test progress) I now know its BARELY carbonated. I needed the fridge to cold crash some cider anyway so I took the Oktoberfest out to room temp. Am I too late for it to carb itself?

 

[carlsonderek]

Also, if it DOES spring back to life and carbonate, can I assume that sweet sugary smell is just from my priming sugar, since clearly it hasn't been eaten up yet? It's didn't smell that way before I put that in the bucket so I assume its from that...

 

[QuercusMax]

I cold condition and then bottle all my lagers. After I bottle them, I allow them to carbonate at room temperature for about 2 to 3 weeks. They come out very nice. You do not need to bottle condition your lagers at lagering temperatures, that will merely result in them carbonating extremely slowly, if at all.

You will be very unlikely to get off flavors from allowing them to carbonate at room temperature. The amount of growth that will happen in the bottle is very very small, and that is when any ester formation takes place. Don't sweat it, bring them up to room temperature, and possibly give each bottle a quick turn upside down and then back up right. This will bring the yeast back up into suspension, allowing it to carbonate your brew better.

 

[daksin]

Even with lagers, you should carbonate at room temp, 65+ or more. Not much carbing will happen at 50F or lower. You were right to warm them up!

 

[carlsonderek]

Ok thanks guys! I was wondering if a quick turn upside down would also be good to mix up the yeast...now I know it will probably help. Thanks again

 

[Maxkling]

The last bock I did, I fermented at 50 til a few points from FG (if FG was 1016 then I looked for around 1020) then warmed to around 65 to do diacetyl rest for 2 days, once FG was hit and rest was completed I then slowly brought down the temp, like 5 degree per day til I hit 34, and then lager for 3 or 4 weeks. Once lagering was done, I bottled then as any ale and let them sit at room temp.