Racking A Lager?

[The Mad Hopper]

Hi everyone, I've been reading through the forum for a few months now, but this is the first chance I've had to post anything.

I'm brewing a K&K pilsener at the moment and I want to know when it is best to rack it. I pitched the yeast at about 22deg and over the next 12 hours or so brought the temperature down to 10deg, where it has been sitting for a week. The gravity started at 1.066 and is now at 1.022. I've racked a few ales before and generally just wait until the gravity is stable. However, I've been reading in various places that people rack lagers when the gravity is about 3/4 of the way to the expected final gravity. Also, what temperature to I keep it at after racking? I was just wondering if someone with a bit of experience in this could offer some advice about racking lagers.

Cheers.

 

[Muggus]

Hi and welcome Mad Hopper.

Considering your lager is fermenting at 10 degrees, it will take its time getting down to its final gravity.
Might be an idea to leave it in primary for maybe another week. This will ensure a more thorough fermentation because it should be resting on a nice healthy yeast cake, and racking it off into primary will mean less yeast and may cause stress.

Once you're happy with the primary, rack it off as normal into secondary, and leave it there as cool as possible for at least a couple of weeks.
You'll find the longer and cooler you leave it, the cleaner and clearer your beer will become. Especially if you are using a good authentic lager yeast, it should be beautiful after a month maturation.

Edit: Oh just one quick thing to add, because it is a Kit brew, the final gravity will be lower than usual, but not all that low. If you're lucky you might end up a bit lower than 1.010. But yeah, there's a limit to how far your beer will attentuate with an extract brew.

 

[Reon]

Hi,

I am pretty new to this myself but this is what I do. 2 weeks in primary at 11 deg then transfer to secondary fine and raise temp for diacetyl rest for 2-3 days then slowly over 4-5 days lower temp to about 2 deg, add polyclar then leave for 1 more week and bottle. A more experienced brewer may disagree with my system but I am always willing to improve

 

[matti]

raise the temp to 18-20 to give it a little rest a day before you rack.
Once racked leave 2 weeks at close to zero as possible.
I get mine to around 2 degrees.
At warmer temps leave lagering a little longer.
It is best to lower the temperatur gradually to ensure you don't shock the yeast.
The yeast will continue to work then and you will have some left to bottle prime it.

 

[The Mad Hopper]

Thanks guys. I'll give it a few more days in the primary, bring it up to 20C for a few days, rack, drop it down as low as I can get it for a few weeks, then bottle. I'll let you all know how it goes.

 

[chadjaja]

I'll chime in here rather than create another thread.

Is the diacetyl rest absolutely necessary? I pitched cold and hoped to go by taste and if I get butterscotch then I'll do it. If i don't should I be safe to just rack and then cold crash before kegging? I was hoping to rack when done fermenting, leaving for another few days and then transferring and lagering in the keg iteslf. I've done ales every time up till now and want to do the lager yeast justice.

If it does need a rest most say to increase and decrease the temp slowly. But how can you do this? I have room in my keezer to fit the fermenter at fridge temps but that will get it down pretty quickly. And I'm fermenting in the garage at the moment at 10 degrees thanks to Melbournes cold.

Any advice on a time line or timeframe to work on?

Its been in primary as of 7 days tomorrow and its at 1020 currently with the expected rotten eggs odor and thick krausen where I can't see wort although it has dropped a fair bit from what it was.

So many q's but I hope I've given all the info needed on on my brew and what I've got to get answers as I have no experience with lagers to answer them.

Cheers
Chad.

 

[manticle]

Diacetyl rest is so easy to do I've never worried about whether it's absolutely necessary. Lagers take time anyway so an extra day or so at ambient temps works for me.

Don't worry too much about the gradual drop. Some relevant responses in a recent thread here: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...mp;#entry475480

As for when to rack - I've usually left mine in primary for between 10 and 14 days. For 1066 I'd look at maybe around 1016-1018 but I have to admit I may have pulled that figure out of my arse. It's just what I would do in the same situation, not advice from a brewing professor

 

[chadjaja]

Cheers thanks. It can't hurt to do it for a day or so I guess. I will prob rack mid to the end of next week at this rate and at racking put it in the fridge for two weeks before kegging. Normally I do this kit and bits with the brewcraft ale yeast that comes with the can or s05 to get a clean beer at higher temps.

Fingers crossed its clearer than those as it takes ages to clear up even in the keg.