Lagering and carbing at the same time

[h22lude]

I'm on a tight time frame. My last lager, I fermented at 55 for 2 weeks then raised the temp to 68 for a week then lagered for 6 weeks at 41. I then carbed it for 3 weeks.

Was that an overkill?

I'm looking to make my second lager (Oktoberfest). I need it to be ready by October 16th (Pats vs Cowboys game). The way I did it before would be too long.

This time I was going to ferment it until it is 75% complete. I'll raise the temp for a d-rest for a few days to a week. I'll keg it and bring the temp down to 40 to 45 for 5 to 6 weeks. During those 6 weeks. could I hook up the CO2?

What would you guys do differently?

 

[Yooper]

Lagering can be shorter, and you can carb it while it lagers. The key is to give it as much time as it needs. One week of lagering for every 8-10 points of OG is a good guideline. So, if you want it ready faster, you could start with a lower OG.

 

[osagedr]

(a) you will be fine lagering and carbonating at the same time, but only need the gas on for the last week or so.

(b) you probably don't need to lager as long as you think. October 16th is plenty of time. I brewed a Vienna last Saturday, it will be max 2 weeks in the fermenter, which would take us to August 6th, lager a month or six weeks and it will be ready to go.

You have tons of time to make your Oktoberfest. You really don't need the gas on for three weeks before drinking it.