What's YOUR lagering technique?

[moti_mo]

So I'm on my third pilsner now, trying to dial in my technique a bit more with each one. It's fermenting away right now in the kegerator at ~49 deg F. I'll do a diacetyl rest at ~63 deg F for a couple of days following fermentation, then set it up for lagering.

My question for you guys - who lagers in the same primary vessel and who transfers to secondary for lagering? For my first two, I racked to secondary and then lagered, but I'm wondering if this is necessary. I know plenty of people on here only do primary for their ales, but does the same technique hold for your lagers? Any benefits/drawbacks you see for either method?

Gracias.

 

[Yooper]

I always rack after the diacetyl rest (or at the end of primary if I"m not doing a diacetyl rest). I want to get it off the yeast cake before lagering. I have no problem with leaving the ales in the primary for three weeks before bottling or kegging, but with lagers you're looking at 10-12 weeks on the yeast cake if you don't rack it off of it.

Since lagers are "clean" and crisp tasting you don't want any yeast character or autolysis flavors in the final product. I know some people don't rack, and have lagered on the yeast cake. I've just never thought it was a great idea for me.

 

[wildwest450]

I would never lager on a yeast cake. My last lager was copied from a recipe from Zymurgy that said to rack after fermentation, take it down to 28f, re-rack to keg and lager at 34f. I thought it was a lot of extra work, but after seeing all the yeast that was left, I was glad I did it.

 

[moti_mo]

Cool, this is all in line with my original thinking, so its good to know the extra work is worth it. I'm looking forward to a nice spring-time pilsner, its been a while since I've made one.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I ferment in a glass carboy for 9-12 days (depending on how fast it started and how fast it ferments) and then rack to a corny right after the krausen falls. This is still a couple of points shy of FG. Then as it finishes in the corny it carbonates the beer (not fully but close to around 2 volumes CO2). I also let the temp rise right after I rack it for a sort of D-rest. 3-4 weeks in that corny then I do a closed transfer to another corny. Then I lager.

When starting with a fresh vial/pack of yeast I make a low-ish gravity lager first. Then I'll wash that yeast and save a little and pitch the rest into a bigger lager. Did a 1.050 Vienna last weekend and will do a 1.068 Maibock (with the cake) the weekend after this one.

 

[moti_mo]

Another quick question - do you guys wash/re-use your yeast from your lager fermentations? Anything different from ale yeast washing (which I now do on a regular basis thanks to the great sticky)?

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I do but only from low gravity brews. One problem that can happen is that lager yeast sometimes settles underneath the trub. So I can't really wash it using a glass carboy. When this happens I don't save any but I still use it to brew a big lager. The trub gets pitched with the yeast but since I only primary for 9-12 days I don't consider it much of an issue.

 

[david_42]

I lager in cornies. Much easier to move around and 100% light tight.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

David...I've seen it recommended when lagering in cornies to cut an inch or so off the dip tube, do you do this, or just don't worry about it?