Do you rack your lager

[Leemi1982]

Hi as a beginner slightly confused if I should rack my larger off into a secondary fermenter or straight to bottle, I’ve been researching it online some say you should rack into secondary fermenter others say not to, I’m confused? If not would this cause cloudy beer.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I rack to a bottling bucket for all beers even when I’m kegging. I then cold crash for 3 days which clears the beer. However opinion varies on this forum and elsewhere. Others will claims they never rack but it’s your choice.

 

[Sadfield]

Lagering is an extended period of cold conditioning that both allows the beer to mature and yeast to drop clear. This can be done in either a secondary vessel or in the bottle. Ideally as for long and as cold as patience and facilities allow.

If you do it in the bottle, you'll need to prime and then allow the beer to carbonate fully before lagering. You'll end up with more sediment in the bottle this way, but no more than you would with Ales.

In secondary, you may need to add fresh yeast at bottling if the lagering period is long and low.

 

[Alastair70]

I don’t. I lager for 4 weeks in primary, transfer to keg and give it another two weeks on gas before drinking.

 

[crowcrow]

I used to move all my beers around, to both a 2ndary and a bottling bucket. I haven't done that for a good couple of years now, and my beer is better than ever, so straight to bottle or keg from the primary works well for me.

 

[Mayor of Simpleton]

When I started, I used to rack to secondary and then to a bottling bucket. I gave up the secondary and go straight from primary to bottling bucket or keg with no appreciable difference.

 

[Ivor DeBeer]

One problem with clearing in the bottle is when you release the pressure, gas bubbles release from any yeast in the bottom often lifting the yeast with it. Reduced by less gas and longer rest so the yeast becomes more compact, also can't really transport it. Then there's pouring, a few have been drunk to steady the hand so not to disturb the yeast, dt's getting worst so I had to cut down on my drinking or go to kegs.
I don't do bottles any more, I ferment for 7 days under air lock, transfer to pressure barrel in cellar with priming sugar for minimum 3 weeks then transfer under pressure to a corny keg that had been brimmed with water then blown out with co2 to eliminate oxygen. Guaranteed clear beer even with pressure drop and should keep good flavour for months (theory never been tested). For the summer I have a jacket for him that I load up with ice packs, I could chuck him in the back of the car, even with better half driving, if any body ever was to invite me to a candle lit garden party.