Bottling Lagers

This spring I bottled up two lagers. A maibock (1.064 and 2 months lagering) and a doppelbock (1.100 and 4 months lagering.) The maibock got no additional yeast and carbed up nicely but slowly, about 3-4 weeks. The doppelbock got half a packet of champagne yeast and carbed up fairly quickly. You could get away with either.

If you want to be sure it carbs adding yeast won't hurt. You can even give them some additional time at lagering temps after bottle conditioning if you are looking for a bit more clarity.

 

I always bottle my lagers (4-5 batches a year) without adding any yeast at bottling and they all carbonate just fine. I typically taste the first bottle at about 3 weeks of bottle conditioning.

I should caveat that I brew moderate gravity lagers (i.e., less than 1.060) and my longest lager duration was 7 weeks (I typically lager for 5-6 weeks).

IMO adding a bit of yeast at bottling has no negative consequences. Add the yeast if it would make you sleep better at night. IMO what yeast strain you decide to use is not too important.

Cheers!

 

Most of my lagers end up in the keg but I bottle 2 or 3 batches a year with no additional yeast and no carbonation issues. Lagering time anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks. Gravity anywhere from Helles to Doppelbock

 

If I'm going to do a full-fledged bottling day, I'm going to 'accidentally' suck up a bit of that yeast layer on the bottom of my fermenter. The yeast should still be alive after 3 months. Bottles are meant to be poured carefully anyway.

 

Although it's too late to consider this as an option now, but it seems like there are advocated of bottling shortly after fermentation is complete and then lagering in the bottle. It's interesting that no one seems to be saying that in the posts above, so I don't know who has said that in the past.

As for me, I've brewed the same Maibock recipe three times (the only lager beer that I've ever brewed), I bulk lagered, and did not add any yeast at the time of bottling. I had a perfect, fluffy head on every beer.

 

I have discussed this in the past as an equivalent/alternative strategy. I have personally never down this with a lager beer (a beer fermented with a lager yeast) but I have lagered my Kolsch and Alt beers in this manner and they turn out great.

As far as I know whether you cold condition lager beers in the bottle or in bulk you obtain equivalent results.

Have you read any scientific studies which compared the two lagering methods?

Cheers!

 

Jack, I have not read anything on the topic. But I'm motivated to take a peek at what 'truths' I might find on the internet. Stay tuned.

 

The problem with lagering in the bottle is that all that stuff that drops out of suspension (a main goal of lagering) is still in the bottle. So every serving will stir some back up. There are some who will claim they are so good at pouring that nothing gets re-suspended. Okay.

 

I'd recommend a less attenuative yeast strain than the original. A more attenuative strain could result in a lower FG and over-carbonation.