Finding a recipe is not a problem, but finding info on how long to lager is. Not a single recipe I found goes beyond the boil phase. All I can find on the style is a historical note that it was brewed in March, and stored in ice-filled caves all summer long to drink in October. I want to make some for an event in late October. Does anyone have any further info? Lacking any myself, I was going to brew in late March, keg it, then a few weeks before the event filter and carb it. Anyone see anything wrong with that plan?
I am brewing a batch for a community event in October. My plan is much the same except I will brew in early April as I am gone the last two weeks of March. I don’t plan to filter.
I will probably primary for a month, secondary for a couple weeks, cold crash and keg. Then I will cellar it until August or so and will lager for a couple months
I already got mine done and bottled. Probably won’t be any left for October! But my intent was to let it age for a good long time at cellar temperatures to develop “that German lager flavor” which for commercial examples is probably more a product of age and shipping overseas than anything else. Time will tell if it was worth the extra age… if I manage to not drink any by October! It’s already tasting great.
I lager in bottles, so I can never make it last that long, but the rule of thumb is 1 week per degree plato of OG. So for a 1.060 brew, OG = 15P (divide gravity points by 4), so 15 weeks of lagering at ~34F.
My last Ofest was finished within a month and a half of hitting the lager fridge. I guess I felt the need to check its progress pretty often
If you lager in bottles, then I would definitely carb first. I can’t speak to lagering in bulk.[/quote]
I should have specified I was talking kegs. I have a 5 gal. Sanke, and hope to have a few pin locks this week.[/quote]
I wouldn’t carb it until a week or so before you’re ready to serve. Another way to resist temptation, plus if there’s any possibility of a leak, its not really worth it. Probably wouldn’t hurt, but I would just let the temp do the work.
That is a LONG lagering period! My limited experience with lagers is that if you have a strong and healthy enough primary fermentation, you don’t need nearly as long of a lagering period. I think 6 weeks is plenty for most.
I do like the authenticity of your process though, that beer will taste amazing if for no other reason because you’ve been waiting to drink it for 7-8 months!
If you brew in March for September/October consumption, you shouldn’t need to filter it at all (actually, you don’t really need to filter any beer).
The time frame is correct for a traditional O-fest brew. And if you brew cleanly and manage to keep your hands off of it for 6-7 months, you won’t regret it. I mean, it will probably be delicious after a few weeks, but after a few months it should be awesome.
:cheers:
