KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
So I'm finally set up to do lagers and just in time for a Maerzen! I'll be brewing on Saturday, doing a double decoction, and really hoping for a nice Oktoberfest bier. My question is to Kaiser and the other experienced german-style brewers. I've been doing a lot of research on lager fermentation and have mixed feelings about how I want to go about it. I'd really like to do the traditional fermentation with a slow decrease in temperature after about a week of primary fermentation to lagering/maturation temps. I'm worried that I'll do something wrong and it won't attenuate completely though. The other option is to use the more homebrew-friendly accelerated maturation/diacetyl-rest schedule. I'm afraid this safer option won't result in quite as good a final product though. I have a ranco digital temperature controller so controlling temperature/ramping temperature/etc. wont be a problem. Please ease my fears one way or the other.