Kolsch, lagering and stuff

[Vvv]

Hey, got some questions before doing kolsch:

All grain on WLP029/wy2565, plan is lagering at least a month but temperature is a bit problem for me.

Is lagering in 10'C any good? This is my basement temp, i can do it outside but temps will jump from -2'C to like 5'C i guess.

What about priming after a month, do i need to add some yeasts? What yeasts will be good to do it (gonna save slurry after fermentation so i can go with the same stuff)

And finaly what with clarity, i need most clear beer i can get. Adding some yeasts on refermentation can do beer cloudy?

Cheers

 

[madscientist451]

You can bottle and let it carbonate before lagering if you want to.
10C is a little warm for lagering; if you have a big cooler, put the bottled beer in there and change out 2L frozen ice bottles every day or every few days, its a hassle, but if you don't have another 'fridge, its the best you can do.

 

[Vvv]

You can bottle and let it carbonate before lagering if you want to.
10C is a little warm for lagering; if you have a big cooler, put the bottled beer in there and change out 2L frozen ice bottles every day or every few days, its a hassle, but if you don't have another 'fridge, its the best you can do.

Tiny movement with bootle and clarity lost :/

 

[RM-MN]

Tiny movement with bootle and clarity lost :/

The word lager means to store. Beers were stored in cool caves for later consumption and the combination of cool temps and long storage meant the yeast settled well and compacted so it didn't get stirred up when pouring. Your 10C area will work fine but will take longer to clear the beer than if you could store it colder. My ales clear out well at 22C if I leave them on the shelf for months. Even a hefeweizen turns clear.

 

[chris000]

lagering works at higher temperatures as well, but it takes way longer. and that is where you get into a stabiltiy issue; i.e. you either have "green" or "stale" beer so why bother.
regarding your outside temperatures, they are not that bad. frequent temperature variations are not helping with lagering. so, one cheap thing would be to insulate your beer outside to dampen the temp. fluctuations and to keep it just around the sweet spot

 

[Vvv]

Thanks for insight!

One more question, what about refermentation temp, should i bring it up to room temperature right after lagering+bottling? That small amount of sugar dont gonna bring any flavors using this temperature change?

 

[TurnipGreen]

I’ve left beer in a primary for more than three months and still had it carbonate just fine.

You can bring the temperature up to carb it more quickly. I’ve never noticed a difference in flavor. I usually bring some of my bottles up into my bedroom closet for a few weeks and leave the rest in my basement. The stuff in the basement (mid 60s f/20ish c) usually takes a week or two longer to fully carb, but it’s always finished. This works well for me because I rarely drink one batch too quickly. I’ve done this plenty of times with WLP 029.

You might find this brulosophy site interesting if you’re looking for some short cuts to lagering.
http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

 

[Vvv]

Thanks, i thought that carbonation will take a lot longer in a beer that was on lagering stage a month.

It is the first time im gonna do something like that

 

[TurnipGreen]

Good times. I love kolsch too. One of me and my dad’s favorite styles. It’s a fun one to play with and brew. It’s so simple and clean you can really pick out differences in hops and malts easily.

 

[Home_alone1]

Try wlp029

I brewed a kolsch last month and it’s not as clear as I would like , I’ve talked to a few people and read some articles comparing them and 029 is supposed to be a clearer yeast

 

[madscientist451]

Does clarity really matter that much? I never really worried about it. But if its important, you can try a product called Clarityferm

 

[Vvv]

Need to test gelatine and Irish moss too, just for experience because i never done that. Simply i always try to do the best

 

[TurnipGreen]

I usually don't worry too much about clarity. Particularly with kolsch, my favorite recipe has a bit of wheat in it so it doesn't get brilliantly clear. Also to depends how along your storing it for. If you fermented at lower temperatures it takes longer to ferment, including dropping bright and all that cleaning up the yeast does.

029 will get my kolsch, with wheat, pretty darn clear after a cold crash.