First lager beer

[MrKloot]

Hey all,

I want to try out this recipe I found: International Pale Lager Recipe - Japanese Rice Lager | Brewgr

The thing is, it is not clear to me if i should be lagering after diacetyl rest (at 21 degrees C, according to recipe) or not.
Also, i'm wondering how to bottle carbonate a lager like this, if you can even call this a lager..

any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Gusso]

Sure it's a lager. You're using lager yeast. I always just carbonate my lagers by pressure fermentation, but I don't see why you couldn't just add the appropriate amount of corn sugar and carbonate it like any other beer you've made.

 

[MrKloot]

Sure it's a lager. You're using lager yeast. I always just carbonate my lagers by pressure fermentation, but I don't see why you couldn't just add the appropriate amount of corn sugar and carbonate it like any other beer you've made.

Thanks for replying so fast!
So what I think I should be doing is following the recipe that I found. After that I will be taking the beer out of my temperate control chamber and adding a sugar solution of 5-6 grams tablesugar (per litre of beer) and water. Then I will mix that with the beer in the container. Finally i will syphon it into bottles and letting them rest at room temperature (21 degrees C) for 2 weeks for bottle carbonation.

I'm just wondering the following:
1. do i need to lager at around 3-4 degrees C after the prescribed 10 days (12c) and 3 days (21.1C)? if not, why not?
2. is it really okay to call this a lager beer without doing the above? my first guess was it is called a lager beer because of the process of cooling to near freezing point.

thanks again for your time!

Michael.

 

[JRHoots]

Thanks for replying so fast!
So what I think I should be doing is following the recipe that I found. After that I will be taking the beer out of my temperate control chamber and adding a sugar solution of 5-6 grams tablesugar (per litre of beer) and water. Then I will mix that with the beer in the container. Finally i will syphon it into bottles and letting them rest at room temperature (21 degrees C) for 2 weeks for bottle carbonation.

I'm just wondering the following:
1. do i need to lager at around 3-4 degrees C after the prescribed 10 days (12c) and 3 days (21.1C)? if not, why not?
2. is it really okay to call this a lager beer without doing the above? my first guess was it is called a lager beer because of the process of cooling to near freezing point.

thanks again for your time!

Michael.

A lager will generally age (lager) for a bit after diacetyl rest at the cooler lager temps. I would do this prior to bottling. A cold crash usually happens right before bottling to clear the beer. I lager in a keg so I do it differently, but less than 2 weeks from brew to bottle seems a bit rushed for a lager IMO.

 

[MrKloot]

A lager will generally age (lager) for a bit after diacetyl rest at the cooler lager temps. I would do this prior to bottling. A cold crash usually happens right before bottling to clear the beer. I lager in a keg so I do it differently, but less than 2 weeks from brew to bottle seems a bit rushed for a lager IMO.

but would it be possible to do this? and what would be the difference? would the beer be cloudier?
if it's not possible or advised, would 2 weeks of cold crash followed by 2 weeks of room temp. bottle carbonation be okay instead?

 

[hundel]

When bottle conditioning, it’s typical to lager after packaging. Sugar reactivates yeast and essentially reverts any benefits of previous lagering in the fermenter.

Cold-crashing the fermenter serves a different purpose, allowing you to transfer less yeast and trub. Both occur after a diacetyl rest.

Your process will work just fine but I would highly recommend siphoning from the fermenter into a bottling bucket containing your sugar solution in the case of a lager.The extra sediment will settle but it’s wise in a clear style to reduce the amount of trub in the transfer, especially lager,. You’ll also get a more even mix of the sugar solution into the wort if you siphon onto it than if you stir it into the fermenter.

 

[madscientist451]

When I bottle lagers, I wait until the beer has mostly cleared, then bottle and let carb up for a few weeks, then lager at cold temps.

 

[MrKloot]

Your process will work just fine but I would highly recommend siphoning from the fermenter into a bottling bucket containing your sugar solution in the case of a lager.The extra sediment will settle but it’s wise in a clear style to reduce the amount of trub in the transfer, especially lager,. You’ll also get a more even mix of the sugar solution into the wort if you siphon onto it than if you stir it into the fermenter.

I was going to siphon from the fermenter into a bottling bucket with sugar solution anyway, that's what i always do.

So if i understood correctly i should bottle carbonate 2 weeks, then put the beer in cold storage (3-4 deg C) for at least some 2 weeks?

 

[madscientist451]

I usually lager for 2-4 months, sometimes longer.

 

[MrKloot]

I usually lager for 2-4 months, sometimes longer.

would 2 weeks also suffice to make the lager a little clearer? it is kind of time sensitive...

 

[Beermeister32]

This sounds like a rush job. Lager beers are not rush jobs. If it is time sensitive, go buy some beer down at Bevmo or Total Wine and More. Lagers take time to produce correctly.

Do not rush the bottling. After your final gravity has stabilized and the beer has been run through a D-rest, you can bottle. Cold crashing your carboy can cause oxidation in the beer from suck-back of air. Unless you use procedures to prevent this, don’t do it.

After bottling, you need to condition at room temperature 2-4 weeks to carbonate. Open a test bottle, if they have carbed OK, then you may move them to a refrigerator to lager. After conditioning, 60-90 days aging in the cold is typical for lagers. Then it is time to enjoy - don’t rush it…

Prost!

 

[soccerdad]

Maybe worth reading through some Brulosophy experiments re Short And Shoddy lager method. But IMO definitely (if bottling) package first, then lager. Also (just my opinion), the caves the Germanic tribes used to store beer were probably warmer than "just above freezing." 40 degrees Fahrenheit is probably enough.

 

[Rish]

would 2 weeks also suffice to make the lager a little clearer? it is kind of time sensitive...

It will be a little clearer and should be drinkable but not as enjoyable as if you give it the time it needs to properly lager. If you don't have the time, just drink it.

 

[MrKloot]

update: i've decided to brew a different beer together with the lager. One brew that is finished quicker so i can still have some ready for my colleague's birthday party. The lager i will leave in at 4 deg C until the first week of 2022. Thanks everyone! i now understand much more about the concept of lager beers!