Let lagers "warm up" before bottling?

[passedpawn]

I lager at about 30F (after 2-3 wks of ferment and diacetyl rest). After a couple of weeks of lagering it is very clear.

After that lagering period, I let it warm up to ambient overnight, then bottle. I do this primarily because I am worried about properly carbing it in the bottle when cold. That cold beer already contains a lot of CO2.

But maybe I am reversing the effects of lagering by letting it warm up. Are the components that cause haze getting "taken up" into my beer again during that overnight warmup period?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

This is exactly how I was taught to bottle lagers. I've never noticed them being hazy.

 

[Yooper]

No! You don't un-do lagering by allowing the temperature to raise.

I've gone back and forth on this myself. Sometimes I've allowed the temperature to raise before bottling, sometimes not. It's a moot point for me now, since I keg most of my beers, but in the past I decided that I would just use the highest temperature the beer had been fermenting at when I did my priming sugar calculator. So, if the beer fermented at 55, but I did a diacetyl rest at 65, that's the temperature I used. It worked pretty well, but it was disconcerting seeing almost-carbonated beer being bottled with 4 ounces of priming sugar!

It's true that colder liquid "holds" co2 better, but I don't think it really matters when you bottle it what the temperature of the beer is currently.

 

[passedpawn]

It worked pretty well, but it was disconcerting seeing almost-carbonated beer being bottled with 4 ounces of priming sugar!

Yes, I have bottled at around 50, and the beer was very carbed going into the bottles. A lot gas was let off during bottling (they were warming up), which leave me wondering exactly how much gas had escaped, which left me wondering how in the world to dial in my carbonation sugar properly.

If I tried to bottle at 30 or 40F, the calculators instruct me to use less than half the normal amount of sugar!

 

[Yooper]

If I tried to bottle at 30 or 40F, the calculators instruct me to use less than half the normal amount of sugar!

Yes, but I found that the best calculations for me use the temperature of fermentation, or the highest temperature that the beer was at.

What I mean is this- sure, the beer is at 40 degrees now. But, during fermentation it was at 55. Or, if I did a diacetyl rest, the beer got up to 65 degrees. It would have off-gassed quite a bit then, more than if it had been at 40 degrees the whole time. So, I've been using fermentation temperature for the priming sugar calculator, and it's been fine. The beers have not been overcarbed.

I first read this somewhere else- maybe a John Palmer thing. It didn't seem right, because the beer at 34 degrees was very bubbly. But it makes sense when you think it out.

 

[passedpawn]

Ya know what, it does make sense. So, I do a diacetyl rest at 65, then lager at 30.

When I bottle, I will do it at 30 but prime for a 65F beer.

I was thinking chemistry this morning, but the fact is that when the beer goes from 65 to 30 there is no more source of CO2, so that shouldn't increase.

Thanks Yoop. I just bottled and closeted 12 gallons of Helles. Yahoo.

 

[artyusmc]

may i interupt as i'm about to bottle.
my extract lager has been in the primary for about five weeks at about 55 to 45 degrees. I can bring up to 65 degrees, mix in 4 oz priming sugar and bottle. then let sit for whatever time i want back outside the garage with no bottle bombs worries?

 

[crammer]

may i interupt as i'm about to bottle.
my extract lager has been in the primary for about five weeks at about 55 to 45 degrees. I can bring up to 65 degrees, mix in 4 oz priming sugar and bottle. then let sit for whatever time i want back outside the garage with no bottle bombs worries?

I'm about to brew my first true lager and that's a good question. Hopefully this will get answered.

 

[passedpawn]

may i interupt as i'm about to bottle.
my extract lager has been in the primary for about five weeks at about 55 to 45 degrees. I can bring up to 65 degrees, mix in 4 oz priming sugar and bottle. then let sit for whatever time i want back outside the garage with no bottle bombs worries?

You didn't mention the volume, but I'll assume 5g. You will be OK, devildog.

 

[artyusmc]

yes 5g ohrah

 

[artyusmc]

okay tonight i start getting ready to bottle. 5 gallons vienna lagar at 1.010 fg check at 60 degrees. Start clean santizing bottling bucket. meanwhile wheres that 4 oz of priming sugar i can't find it no worries steal frm my next kit worry about that sugar later.

bringing 2 1/2 cups of water to boil add sugar let cool down. Now the dumb part i spill part of the sugar water mix about a half cup. clean quick before swmbo finds out .

I add two table spoons of table sugar to remaining two cups. Should i be alright? i know rdwhahb but??

 

[passedpawn]

 

[artyusmc]

thats what i thought, Just brew it bottle it and drink it.... cool

merry xmas eve in 4 minutes passedpawn

 

[passedpawn]

same to ya brother