What thoughts do you have about fermenting a lager and then bottling right away. Then after bottle conditioning lager/store it cold for a month? Would the carbonation inhibit lagering effects?
I’ve wondered about this. I don’t think the carbonation would really pose a problem, but I wonder whether there’s off-gassing that takes place during lagering that you’d miss out on. Then again, some people lager in kegs, and you’d have the same problem.
I don’t know for sure, but I can’t think of any reason it wouldn’t work. Unless somebody else chimes in, I say give it a shot.
I’ve read that beer is better if it’s conditioned in bulk rather than in small containers. Of course I’ve also read that the Earth is round, and I’m still unable to prove that.
Lagering in bulk allows the yeast to best effect the cleanup, but it will still lager very well in the bottle. I lager in a cornie keg and apply CO2 while it lagers - no problems that I can determine.
:cheers:
I think you’ll get more consistency if you bulk lager (each bottle will end up being about the same).
I will give this a try, and I’ll attempt to transfer a generous amount of yeast cake to the beer in bottles so it at least has some chance of getting cleaned up. I wouldn’t necessarily rush this but I am shooting for a Cinco de Mayo party and bottled beer is traditional.
I only have a small dorm fridge which is too small to fit a fermenter, so bottle lagering is my only option. It has worked fine for me so far. I will give them at least 3 weeks at room temp to make sure they are fully carbonated (and I will test at least 2 of them), then they go in the fridge to cold condition.
I always lager in the bottle with good results. Make sure to leave it on the primary yeast cake long enough to fully ferment out and clean up. This will change for brewer to brewer but I leave it in the primary for 4 to 5 weeks at 48 degrees. Add the priming sugar bottle and let it condition at 65 to 70 for 2 weeks to carb. Then cool to lager temps and store.
I would not try to add any yeast while racking as there will be enough even if the beer looks clear.
