I’m reading Zainasheff and Palmer’s book ‘Brewing Clasic Styles’ and they reccomend lagering hybrid beers (cream ale, blond ale, altbier, etc.) for about 4 weeks after primary fermentation. Will there be enough yeast left in suspension to bottle condition at the end of the lager, or is kegging and forced carbonation the only option without pitching additional yeast :?:
Just pitch a little dry yeast (1-2g), rehydrated, and don’t worry about it.
I’d think after 4 weeks, you’d still be fine without adding yeast… but I would agree with Shadetree, just add a little dry yeast. It can’t hurt and it’s worth it rather then risk non-carbonated bottles.
Hello!! I’m brewing my first altbier tomorrow, and am planning on using a wyeast 1007 (shaken) starter made with some of the cooled wort from the same batch and pitching 8-12 hours later (I have no extra DME or grain). Getting way ahead of myself, but am now curious about lagering in bottle. I wasn’t planning on transferring to a secondary. It sounds like I may need to add 1-2 grams of rehydrated dry yeast and also the recommended priming sugar when transferring to bottling bucket to ensure proper carbonation? Bottle and condition for two weeks as normal, then lager in fridge (or maybe a cooler with ice water) for 4 weeks? Did I get this right? I’m kinda short on fridge space. Thanks!
Another thing you can do is cold crash your fermenter in your swamp cooler with ice water for a day or so before bottling. Im not sure you need to add more yeast to the bottling bucket. I don’t bottle much but when i do I don’t add more
Ok thanks. That is a good idea as I’ll already have it in the water bath. I also don’t want to blow the caps off my bottles with too much carbonation, you know?
would you transfer this to secondary after primary has completed? Then cold crash before bottling?
