Lagering in the keg? (I.e., no secondary)

[badmajon]

Hello. I've been brewing for 7 years now and I'm finally doing a lager. I get the general idea but I'm wondering if I could lager in my keezer by taking the beer from primary and after the d-rest, putting it in a corny, throwing in some gelatin and hooking it up to gas (12 psi) and not touching it for 4 weeks? I keep my keezer around 3-5 c.

Most recipes call for racking to secondary and lagering in a carboy in a dedicated lagering chamber. Just wondering if I could get away with doing it different. Keep in mind this is my first lager, and I really want it to turn out right.

 

[arnobg]

Yes most people seem to lager in the keg and that's how I do it. No issues leaving it hooked up to gas at serving pressure either, it will keep the lid sealed and you'll have one less thing to wait for after you have finished lagering it.

I personally do a 2-3 day cold crash on the yeast cake in primary before racking it to the keg just to leave behind a little yeast.

 

[porterpounder]

You can also purge the keg and leave it under just enough pressure to stay sealed and not keep it on CO2 for the duration. Works either way.

 

[Kerrbrewer]

My method is the same as porterpounders

 

[ncsuwerewolf]

Same as porterpounder here for lagers and a fantastic Kölsch. Only reason i keep 8 kegs for 5 faucets. That and one is dedicated to stouts on nitro. That one goes slow.

 

[IslandLizard]

You can also purge the keg and leave it under just enough pressure to stay sealed and not keep it on CO2 for the duration. Works either way.

Doesn't the headspace CO2 dissolve in the beer and only leave little pressure? Or do you rely on the clamp to keep it sealed and air out?

 

[porterpounder]

Doesn't the headspace CO2 dissolve in the beer and only leave little pressure? Or do you rely on the clamp to keep it sealed and air out?

It reaches and equilibrium, so there is still pressure in the keg to keep the gas in solution. It's not fully pressurized, but there is enough to keep it sealed.