Lager Kit

[thesteve]

Just bottled the Mad Millie lager kit that Brew2Bottle were promoting a few weeks back. It has always been IPAs I have done before and this is my first attempt at a lager kit. When I was bottling it yesterday it seemed so carbonated already, is that normal for a lager kit? I could have poured a glass and I'm sure it would have had a decent head on it before priming? Am I likely to be in danger of exploding beer bottles??

 

[terrym]

Obvious questions are how long in the FV, what was the FG at bottling time?
If it wasn't finished and rested so that residual CO2 had left the beer it might have had more fizz than your other beers.
Otherwise bottle bombs are only usually caused by a continuation of the primary or serious overpriming.

 

[thesteve]

It was in the FV for exactly two weeks and the final gravity reading around 1.008. Just seemed very very fizzy like no other beer I have done before but I wondered if that was just normal for a lager kit more so than an IPA??

 

[MickDundee]

Was it a “true” lager kit (I.e using a lager yeast at cold temperatures rather than an ale/hybrid yeast at ale temperatures) and was it lagered before bottling? If so the lower temperature of the beer will absorb more CO2 than an ale.

 

[thesteve]

Mick, it came with Mangrove Jacks M54 Californian Lager Yeast to ferment at 18-20 degrees. It was slightly warmer than that, maybe 22-24 degrees but came out with the correct gravity readings.

 

[terrym]

Looks as if it was done and likely rested for long enough for the CO2 to achieve an equilibrium. And whether its stout or lager matters not to the dissolved CO2 if the conditions are the same, i.e. fermentation finished and FV headspace/liquid CO2 at equilibrium. I wouldn't be concerned about it any more.