Lagering - Can I do it in a Corny!

[slowdave]

Good evening all, I'm after advice please.

I'm about to brew a BrewUK Lighten UP Helles lager AG kit.
The instructions state to Ferment until complete then reduce temp to 3C for 4 weeks.
Should I leave in the FV for this or should I put it in a Corny for this 4 weeks at 3c?

 

[LeeH]

I'd cold crash and rack off into the Keg. Then lager it.

If you have the ability keep it under 1-2 PSI CO2.


Let me know how it turns out, I've never done a AG lager.

 

[chrisb8]

I'd do the same as @LeeH - cold crash for up to a week in the fermenter then bottle/keg and then let it lager and condition for a few more weeks (or as long as you can leave it alone)

 

[smcc]

At brew pub where I worked pre covid we will lager our Helles in kegs for 6-8 weeks we will basically open ferment initially then cover and let the pressure build with spund valve to complete fermentation and when done we pressure transfer to kegs for lagering

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I've got a Helles in a corny s lagering and being drunk. Really has improved over three weeks. I keep10 psi over t.

 

[smcc]

I've got a Helles in a corny s lagering and being drunk. Really has improved over three weeks. I keep10 psi over t.

yep it needs it, our Helles we serve tastes great after 2 weeks but its really so much better after 6 we usually keep ours at about 1.3-1.5 bar which is closer to 20psi

 

[LeeH]

This is really inspiring me to brew a larger the spring.

What makes a Helles a Helles?

 

[smcc]

This is really inspiring me to brew a larger the spring.

What makes a Helles a Helles?

Its just a German word, Hell in German is basically bright like a room could be Hell. Its just a lager but unlike sh!t like Heineken here in Bayern where I live they do it way better, very traditional. a Pilsner is a bit more crisp and bitter.

 

[slowdave]

This is really inspiring me to brew a larger the spring.

What makes a Helles a Helles?

My theory was that i could ferment my Helles by the end Feb, lager until the end March and it should be ready for a lovely sunny easter

And one last question, Would this brew benefit from a Protafloc (or similar) for the last 10 mins of the boil?

 

[smcc]

My theory was that i could ferment my Helles by the end Feb, lager until the end March and it should be ready for a lovely sunny easter

And one last question, Would this brew benefit from a Protafloc (or similar) for the last 10 mins of the boil?

wont hurt it will help with clarity but the helles we make at the brewpub is cloudy and still tastes great I am not big into really bright clear beer as this typically implies some level of filtration which can strip out hop compounds but to each his own

 

[Hanglow]

Worth a read from one of the very few pro-brewers in the UK who can make a decent helles
https://www.brewersjournal.info/the-art-of-helles-rob-lovatt-thornbridge/
Obviously a flotation tank for cold break removal might be a bit out of reach for us

 

[smcc]

Worth a read from one of the very few pro-brewers in the UK who can make a decent helles
https://www.brewersjournal.info/the-art-of-helles-rob-lovatt-thornbridge/
Obviously a flotation tank for cold break removal might be a bit out of reach for us

not a single mention of step mashing which pretty much all Bavarian breweries do (we in our brewpub copy some of the big boys in the area regarding temp rests) so I really question whether he has ever set foot in a Bavarian Brewery. We also skim krausen as there is some consesnsus that it can add some unwanted favours and bitterness

 

[Hanglow]

They can do single infusion, step infusion or decoctions at thornbridge.