Bottle Conditioning a Lager

[nicobrews]

Hey guys,

I'm going to bottle condition my German Pilsner coming up this Friday but I'm curious if lagers/ pils need to be bottle conditioned at Lagering temps (35-40 degrees F), Lager fermenting temps (45-50 degrees F) or regular bottle conditioning temps of 60-70 degrees (room-temp). If it's at the low of temp will it take longer to bottle condition/ will room temp bottle conditioning negate the lagering period?

 

[McKnuckle]

You should allow it to thoroughly prime at room temp first, then chill down to lagering temps (cold) for extended conditioning. As long as it's fully fermented, the 3-4 weeks period at room temp will not adversely affect the cold lagering.

You could sacrifice one bottle after the priming period - put it in the fridge for 48 hours and drink it to check the carbonation. Once satisfied, begin the lagering phase for all the other bottles.

 

[nicobrews]

You should allow it to thoroughly prime at room temp first, then chill down to lagering temps (cold) for extended conditioning. As long as it's fully fermented, the 3-4 weeks period at room temp will not adversely affect the cold lagering.

You could sacrifice one bottle after the priming period - put it in the fridge for 48 hours and drink it to check the carbonation. Once satisfied, begin the lagering phase for all the other bottles.

Awesome, will do! Thanks for the reply.

Cheers!

 

[ChuckS1]

I use a plastic 12 ounce soda bottle to gauge carbonation. Once the bottle gets hard, I know the batch is carbonated.

 

[Steveruch]

I use a plastic 12 ounce soda bottle to gauge carbonation. Once the bottle gets hard, I know the batch is carbonated.

I use a 20 ounce bottle.