First Lager - bottling and lagering question

[heckler73]

Made my first lager, and I don't want to end up with flat beer.

I'd like a couple more opinions on this

Bitburger Pilsner recipe calls for:

Ferment for 3 weeks at 50F, Secondary fermentation optional. You simply have to Lager this beer to get it right. Lager for at least another 3 weeks at 34-35F. Keg it up and enjoy!

I'm now at 21 days in primary @50F and 4 days at 60F for D-rest.

I bottle (no kegs quite yet). I use dextrose in the bottles to carbonate.

I read the recipe as ferment it 3 weeks then lager it 3 weeks, then keg it (force carb) and enjoy!

To bottle it instead of keg, and have a successful carbonation with dextrose, do I:

1) Bottle now, at 3.5 weeks primary, let it sit 3 weeks warm in bottles, and then lager for another 3-4 weeks at 34F.

or

2) Rack it now to secondary, let sit 3 weeks at 34F and then bottle and condition warm without adding yeast at bottling. This is how the recipe reads.

or

3) Rack it to secondary, let sit 3 weeks at 34F and then bottle with additional yeast.

or

4) Leave it in primary, cool down to 34F and let it lager 3 weeks. Then stir up a bit of yeast when bottling.



It's my first ever lager, and I'd hate to wait 2+ months and end up with flat beer. That would suck! Thanks!

 

[heckler73]

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-7.html

Palmer talks about adding yeast when bottling, that's what I was planning to do by saving some of the yeast from primary.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I rack and lager about 6 weeks after the D-rest. I bottle with a small amount of yeast to play it safe but a lot of people here don't and still get good results. It just may take a little longer to carb. If you do add yeast it doesn't have to be the original yeast. I usually use 2-3 grams of dry yeast (US-05 is good) that I keep hanging around. Since fermentation is done, the yeast doesn't add any detectable flavor at this point. Once bottled, I let it condition at room temp for a few months and then throw it in my spare fridge and enjoy.

 

[ThunderpantsBrewing]

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/prime-dose-priming-sugar-and-yeast-carbonation-capsules.html

These are expensive, but they do the trick. There is a small amount of yeast and yeast nutrient as well as priming sugar in each capsule. I wouldn't use these for every batch of beer, but for a beer I've put a lot of time into, I'll spend the extra money to make it great.

 

[heckler73]

I guess everyone else brews ale?


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[JimRausch]

I would do #2.
A 3 week lagering is nothing- there will be plenty of yeast left to carbonate. After a 3 month lagering, I'd probably add yeast. But, if you are worried at all, it won't hurt to ad 1/4 packet of any cheap dry ale yeast at bottling time.

 

[Yooper]

You can either lager in a carboy, or in the bottle; it doesn't matter.

You may want to lager in the carboy, so you bottle only clear bright beer, and have a bit less sediment in the bottle in the end, but many people bottle after the diacetyl rest, let it carb up, and then lager in the bottle. The end result is basically the same.