Fermenting lager

[MikeBusby]

I currently have a bohemian pilsner in my Ferminator at 12C. It has been going now for 9 days. The OG was 1051 and the expected FG is 1014. It is currently at 1022. All seems good. However, I really want to free up my Ferminator for a new batch at the weekend, so am ideally looking to move the FV into the garage at that point. The garage is likely to be between 0C and 5C for the few days next week, which is ideal for lagering, but is it too cold for the stage of fermentation I am likely to be at at the weekend?

Looking at the details for the Saflager S-23 yeast that I am using, it implies that I could have increased the temp to 14C after a couple of days. Should I try doing that in order to speed up the fermentation a little?

 

[fury_tea]

You could ramp up to like 17-21c if you like, I'd go 1c every 12 hours. That'll give you a diacetyl rest and should let your yeast finish their job a bit quicker. I've done this loads of times with no noticeable negative effects at all.

 

[MikeBusby]

Thanks. And do you think it is best to then lager in the garage in the FV, or bottle it at that stage?

 

[fury_tea]

Thanks. And do you think it is best to then lager in the garage in the FV, or bottle it at that stage?

This is personal preference. Lagering historically meant bulk aging in cellars and some would say you can't lager in bottles but honestly I've tried both ways and there's not much in it. If your lagering vessel isn't air tight there's a chance you can suck some oxygen in when you cold crash and inadvertently oxidise your whole batch.

If you decide to bottle and you are bottle conditioning, you'll need to leave the bottles at room temperature for a couple of weeks to carbonate before you 'lager' them. If you are lagering at the full volume you don't need to worry about that until later.