Lagering a kolsch

Does a kolsch need to be lagered in the secondary or can it be done in the bottle? If I do lager the secondary are there any concerns about the yeast being viable for carbonating?

Thanks for your help.

I have never lagered in the bottle, so I’d say do it in the secondary. You will always have enough yeast for bottling. The longer you lager/secondary the longer it may take to carbonate, but don’t worry about it.

I’ve brewed one Kolsch with Wyeast 2565, single stage fermentation for 3 weeks then bottled. This yeast took a long time to clear, and it lagered in the bottle for nearly 3 months in my cold cellar before winning a local ribbon.

I brew pilsners every winter the same way in a slightly colder room of the house and they work very well.

I try to minimize handling these kinds of beers to keep them as clean as possible. Possibly I end up with a little more sediment in the bottom of the bottle but the results are good.

Hope this helps.