Why do a secondary fermentation for lager?

[kingmustard]

We are doing one of those kits-in-a-can and we've waited those 10 days - so we're now ready to transfer it into a keg.

The instructions with the kit don't mention anything about secondary fermentation but we've heard we should perhaps do it (150g sugar for 40 pints/5 gallons).

Should this be done? Why?

 

[Fender Precision]

Hi, this is only to condition your brew and carbonate it. I do this when I bottle a batch. If your using a keg with a gas supply the sugar is not necessary but with a lager I would rack it - move it to another sterile FV for a week and then keg it. Lagers condition better at cool temps for a month or three. I hope you can wait that long :drink:

 

[Aleman]

We are doing one of those kits-in-a-can and we've waited those 10 days - so we're now ready to transfer it into a keg.

The instructions with the kit don't mention anything about secondary fermentation but we've heard we should perhaps do it (150g sugar for 40 pints/5 gallons).

Should this be done? Why?

:nono: Secondary Fermentation
The whole point of adding sugar when you transfer a beer to a cask / bottle is to generate condition - Or 'Fizz' as it may generally be known, this also generates CO2 in teh cash allowing the beer to be pushed out of the cask for dispense.

If you are using plastic pressure barrels then it is unlikely that you will be able to generate enough pressure in the barrel to have the same level of fizz as you would usually get in a lager style beer. . . . unless you get it cold enough . . . like 8C. What will happen is the pressure release valve would release the pressure when it gets to around 10 psi . . . or the barrel will rupture, with disastrous consequences. Therefore while you need to add some sugar to your beer to generate condition, 150g is pointless, and you would be just as wise adding around 60g, which will still generate enough dispensing gas to serve your beer (without excess fizz), plus the fermentation would be less leading to brighter beer sooner.

If you really want fizzy lager then you have to look at bottling your lager, and here I would use around 0.75 to 1 tsp of sugar per pint bottle.

 

[DaveDesign]

Also...

If anything like mine it tasted awfull at the finish or fermentation and at the point of bottling. It's taken 4 weeks of conditioning to just become drinkable.