Racking consensus

[Sasquatch]

Hot damn... I totally derailed a thread. I love it. There's no relation between bottling and racking. I can rack 5 or 6 times and still not have beer in bottles. My earlier post was merely suggesting that you need to rack more or less when the beer is "ready" by whatever standard you use, but that it really isn't hugely critical that you get it at exactly "the moment". Beer isn't like a woman... if you're a couple of minutes early, it doesn't freak out.

So... when DO you rack a lager? When it stops smelling like rotten eggs?

 

[homebrewer_99]

When I brew a lager I let it get active overnight then put it in the garage to chill out for about a week.

After I rack into the secondary (carboy) I leave it for 2 months.

Right now I have 1 in the primary and 1 in the secondary. Both are at 46F.

 

[Rhoobarb]

... At least they aren't "rollin numbers with your Kiss records out...."

Naw, they're alright. They just seem a little weird.

For ales, I just count bubbles in the airlock until they're down to one a minute - usually about 5-7 days. I rack it to secondary and let it sit for around 14 days, sometimes longer if I get too busy to bottle.

I've only done two lagers, both Bocks. I have one in primary right now. For lagers, I seem to have to rely on SG readings. My first went 8 weeks in primary and six in secondary. I took an SG reading last week and this current one looks like it's going to repeat that cycle.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Naw, they're alright. They just seem a little weird.

Just don't Surrender!

 

[djmd]

I was listening to Basic Brewing Radio and it was mentioned the lagers really suffer from off-tastes if they sit on the yeast and trub any extra time whatsoever. Is that generally true?

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

That may have more to do with the temperature at which they sit AFAIK.