First lager question

[TurnipGreen]

This is my first attempt at an actual lager. I've got a maibock that's been fermenting for about a week now. It spent the first 10 hours at about 60 f (I know that's high but I wanted to make sure it started activity). Then I dropped in down to 53ish ever since.

I'm still bottling and I need some advise on actually lagering. So from reading other posts I can either bottle condition when it's done fermenting then lager in the bottle or I can batch lager it and re-pitch some yeast.

I'm leaning towards batch lagering because I don't think I can fit all the bottles in my fermentation chamber.

So if I do that should I rack to a secondary?

If I rack should rack it before fermentation is complete to scrub out any oxygen?

Also does it matter what yeast I use to bottle condition?

Thanks!

 

[JimRausch]

Lager fermentation temps do vary some depending on what yeast strain you are using , but here is what I do using WY Bavarian lager(can't remember the #): 48-50 for the 1st week until visible signs start to slow. Then warm it up to 60-62 for a D-Rest. A D-rest can be done for only a couple days, but I tend to leave it there for a week or so until I have time to rack. I rack to a carboy, making sure I fill it to the neck to minimize head space, and move her out to my cold garage at 30-45. Leave it there for a minimum of 3 weeks and up to 3 months. I generally don't bother to add more yeast at bottling time. Even with my Bock last year that I lagered for 3 months and partially froze in the carboy. I was going to reyeast, but forgot. She carbonated just fine.
In the past when I have reyeasted, I've just used about 1/4 packet of the cheapest ale yeast I could find(Muntons). That worked well.

 

[Cyclman]

+1. If you can lager in secondary, that's more space efficient. I always yeast when I bottle, but know I am most likely wasting yeast.

 

[TurnipGreen]

Sweet. Thanks. To read a lot of of the threads I figured more than a couple weeks in a secondary and I would need to re-pitch.