Bock's and lagering. Help....

[dougler13]

So one of my brew partners decided he wanted to do a Bock. I have limited experience with these but from what I gather you use a lager yeast and then the beer itself at some point needs to be lagered.

So my question is at what point in the ferment do you need to drop the temp to lagering temps and for how long? Also what temps are best for lagering Bock's 45 - 50? Also this particular beer is a variation of a Dubel Bock I believe. It has a starting gravity of 1.087 and uses 9.25 pounds of LME.

He has already bought all the ingredients before I realised what he was getting us into(he knows less than I do about this stuff) and our brew date is friday so any help on getting the details ironed out is much apreciated.

Thanks .

 

[FlyingHorse]

You might want to start here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Fermenting_Lagers
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10.html

 

[Yooper]

Well, if you're brewing on Friday, you need to make the starter yesterday! Make the starter ASAP, because cooler ferments require more yeast and that's a BIG beer besides.

Depending on what kind of yeast you have, you'll want to ferment the bock at approximately 50 degrees for about 10 days. Then, if you're doing a diacetyl rest, you can raise it to room temperature for 48 hours. After the diacetyl rest, you'll rack and then begin the lagering process. I lager at 34 degrees for 6-12 weeks.

Here's some good reading on lagers: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10.html

Edit- beaten by BikenBrew! The wiki link is actually much better!

 

[dougler13]

I'm sorry I must be retarded at using the wiki.. So are bock's fermented the same as lagers? Thats realy whats getting me. According to the wiki I can ferment at 50F and then bottle at room temp then lager at 32f after 7 days?Now as far as the diacetyl rest is that nesacary or can I just do that while carbonating?

 

[Yooper]

A bock IS a lager. The diacetyl rest should be done before racking, since it's the yeast that clean up the diacetyl. You should leave the bock on the yeast cake for the diacetyl rest. Not all yeasts produce much diacetyl, so you might not need a diacetyl rest. Since you're in doubt, though, it's good to do one anyway. You won't harm the beer by going ahead with one.

I don't understand your question about bottling for 7 days, sorry.

 

[Warrior]

I'm sorry I must be retarded at using the wiki.. So are bock's fermented the same as lagers? Thats realy whats getting me. According to the wiki I can ferment at 50F and then bottle at room temp then lager at 32f after 7 days?Now as far as the diacetyl rest is that nesacary or can I just do that while carbonating?

I have a bock in the cellar right now. I brew them as they did in the old days using cellar temps. This bock fermented a little warmer than I wanted at around 54 deg, lager season is about over for using the basement for me. I made quite a few lagers this winter and don't use a diacetyl rest. I usually let the beer ferment for at least two weeks before racking to the secondary. If you can store it in a fridge in the 30's for your secondary it speeds up the lagering time required. I have been letting my lagers age about 4 more weeks at cellar temp and am very happy with the way they come out.

 

[Fenster]

Sorry to interject, but in what way would the character of the beer change if it was not lagered?

 

[dougler13]

A bock IS a lager. The diacetyl rest should be done before racking, since it's the yeast that clean up the diacetyl. You should leave the bock on the yeast cake for the diacetyl rest. Not all yeasts produce much diacetyl, so you might not need a diacetyl rest. Since you're in doubt, though, it's good to do one anyway. You won't harm the beer by going ahead with one.

I don't understand your question about bottling for 7 days, sorry.

Well in the wiki there was a section at the bottom that said you could bottle and carbonate your beer at room temp for 7 days before you lager it. This would be mauch easier for me since it will be difficult to lager a whole carboy.

So what I would like to do is ferment for 2 weeks at 50F. Do a 48 hour diacetyl rest at room temp(68 - 70) then bottle and carbonate at room temp, then lager at 32F for 4 more weeks. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

 

[jaivy]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Fermenting_Lagers
here you go

 

[EvilTOJ]

Yes dougler, as long as the SG hasn't changed in three consecutive days, you can bottle it, let it sit at room temp for a week so it carbonates, then stove the bottles in a cold place to lager.

 

[dougler13]

Yes dougler, as long as the SG hasn't changed in three consecutive days, you can bottle it, let it sit at room temp for a week so it carbonates, then stove the bottles in a cold place to lager.

Thankyou very much I apreciate this clarification alot.. I was just a little nervous about it. I already had one batch go fusel on me from to high of ferment temps and did'nt want to screw up another.

 

[Warrior]

Well in the wiki there was a section at the bottom that said you could bottle and carbonate your beer at room temp for 7 days before you lager it. This would be mauch easier for me since it will be difficult to lager a whole carboy.

So what I would like to do is ferment for 2 weeks at 50F. Do a 48 hour diacetyl rest at room temp(68 - 70) then bottle and carbonate at room temp, then lager at 32F for 4 more weeks. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

I would rack to a secondary and let it clear for a week or two. This will reduce the amount of sediment in the bottle. I would then bottle and carbonate for two or 3 weeks at room temp. You could then store the bottles in the fridge for 2 or 3 weeks to lager it in the bottle.