maltMonkey
Well-Known Member
I have a few lagers in the work and while I know how I should bottle condition them, I have some problems and questions:
-- Beers will be lagered for 3 months or more, so I'm assuming there won't be much yeast left to carbonate. I would like to use the primary yeast strain so that flavor is not affected. I always wash my yeast, but if it's been sitting in the fridge for 5 months or so I'm afraid it won't be viable either. I don't want to buy new yeast (at $6 a vial or smack pack) just to carbonate, and I don't know if using a cheap (and neutral) ale or lager yeast would be the way to go.
-- If I end up using a lager yeast I do not have the ability to keep the bottles at the primary fermentation temp (around 52°).
-- I've read that once the bottles are carbed up you need to age them at 45° or below. I don't have enough fridge space to age all these bottles because my fridge is full of secondaries of lagering beer.
I know that bulk lagering is preferred, but it seems like it would be easier to:
-- bottle right after fermentation
-- rack cleanly and bottle while there is still some viable yeast to carbonate
-- condition the bottles around 63° for 3-4 weeks (hopefully this wouldn't cause off-flavors)
-- lager/age in fridge for 4 months or so (I'll have room because I've skipped the secondaries).
-- Beers will be lagered for 3 months or more, so I'm assuming there won't be much yeast left to carbonate. I would like to use the primary yeast strain so that flavor is not affected. I always wash my yeast, but if it's been sitting in the fridge for 5 months or so I'm afraid it won't be viable either. I don't want to buy new yeast (at $6 a vial or smack pack) just to carbonate, and I don't know if using a cheap (and neutral) ale or lager yeast would be the way to go.
-- If I end up using a lager yeast I do not have the ability to keep the bottles at the primary fermentation temp (around 52°).
-- I've read that once the bottles are carbed up you need to age them at 45° or below. I don't have enough fridge space to age all these bottles because my fridge is full of secondaries of lagering beer.
I know that bulk lagering is preferred, but it seems like it would be easier to:
-- bottle right after fermentation
-- rack cleanly and bottle while there is still some viable yeast to carbonate
-- condition the bottles around 63° for 3-4 weeks (hopefully this wouldn't cause off-flavors)
-- lager/age in fridge for 4 months or so (I'll have room because I've skipped the secondaries).