Lagering my pilsner

[nobbyhigo]

Hi all need a little advice
I have a hbc pilsner fermenting at 9 degrees in the garage so all is going well
The question i have is after fermenting the instructions say to lager for 4 weeks do i bottle and prime first and allow couple of weeks at room temp to carb up then lager it

Rack it to a second fv and lager it for 4 weeks then bottle
Or just lager the fv its in for 4 weeks then bottle
A little long winded for a simple question
Any help much appreciated

 

[Leon103]

I believe you lager in the fv prior to priming

 

[nobbyhigo]

Cheers thats what i thought after that will the yeast be ok to carb up the pilsner

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Firstly I mainly do lagers and pilsners and I do things differently. I MINI KEG and bottle obviously prime them and then I bring them inside somewhere warm for 2 weeks then they go back in the cold for lagering. For roughly 2 months + I tend to lager around 0c to 1c

I might also add bottling or kegging before you intend to lager helps prevent infection for the obvious reasons.

 

[Leon103]

I want to do a Pilsner. Could I transfer from fv into mini kegs, lager in the fridge, then open and prime with sugar and put somewhere warm?

 

[Motorhomebrew]

I don't see why you would do it that way. I just keg and prime and then bring in to the warm for two weeks then lager.

 

[nobbyhigo]

2 weeks fv 2 weeks indoors then 4 weeks in the fridge lagering sounds good to me
If tou mini keg them how much do you prime ?

 

[Motorhomebrew]

I prime my mini kegs we 3 medium heaped tea spoons. And I get a good result. If its your first time priming a mini keg try priming a keg with my measurements and then try one with 4 tea spoons. Reason being it will show you the difference in carbonation. You might find you prefer 4 tea spoons.

 

[nobbyhigo]

Cheers for that will give 3 spoons a try

 

[Leon103]

I thought you lager prior to priming. My mistake. I really need a brew fridge lol

 

[Motorhomebrew]

I'm not saying people don't lager before priming I'm just saying what I personally do

 

[nobbyhigo]

If you lager before you prime is there not a chance of killing the yeast so no carbination can happen
or am i thinking about this wrong

 

[Motorhomebrew]

To be honest I don't know as iv always lagered my way. I'm sure someone will pop along eventually and answer your question. But that has always been a worry of mine if I was to lager in the FV however I never will as my way works just fine :)

 

[Clydebrewer]

Trying not to hijack the thread but, Rob you say you have made Canadian Blonde, did you lager it? I have some in FV at the moment and have mini kegs ready to go. How did the CB work out?

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Trying not to hijack the thread but, Rob you say you have made Canadian Blonde, did you lager it? I have some in FV at the moment and have mini kegs ready to go. How did the CB work out?

Yes iv made CB and no I didn't lager the standard version as it comes with an ale yeast but I did condition it. I didn't like it either. My tastes I suppose. But I did do a Canadian Blushing Blonde Lager and that I lagered but it didn't turn out well. I put it down to the wort being made with grains used for an ale but it wasn't unpleasant just had a twang.

 

[Clydebrewer]

Thanks Rob, I usually drink darker stuff but thought I'd try this as a lager alternative for wifey. She usually likes San Miguel etc, with your experience what do you think would be similar? Cheers

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Well I wouldn't recommend the Canadian blonde unless you like ales. Like I said I used a lager yeast with a kit of CB and it didn't turn out well. I don't drink San Miguel but maybe try Coopers Original Australian Lager. Its up to you weather or not you use the kit yeast but its not a lager yeast. It uses an ale yeast. I always swap the kit yeast for a true lager yeast so I can brew it at the correct temperatures

 

[MyQul]

If you lager before you prime is there not a chance of killing the yeast so no carbination can happen
or am i thinking about this wrong

It wont 'kill' the yeast but if it's its a ale yeast it will drop it out of suspension and not carbonate. HOWEVER ale yeast is top fermenting whilst lager yeast is bottom fermenting so may well carbonate your beer anyway from the bottom. I've never used lager yeast so have no experince with it. I've yet to try out lagering as I've only recently got some temp control in the form of a fermentation bag

 

[VillageBrew]

Apologies for being very slow on the uptake, but.... if I want to brew a decent lager can I pitch yeast and then stick the FV straight out into the wilds of my garage? Or does it need a short period in the comfort of our utility room first?

Also, if fermenting right in at around 10°C or lower would the yeast in a lager kit cope with that or do I need some genuine lager yeast? Only being impatient - was thinking of grabbing a kit from Wilko's rather than wait for yeast to arrive through post.

:wink:

 

[cheapbrew]

I'm no expert but I have read lots and folks recommend a proper lager yeast and start them of 15 -18°C then when fermenting well move them to somewhere colder, although a proper lager yeast should work from lower temps.