oktoberfest lager temp/history

"Can i bottle it once it starts getting warm and then keep it in the fridge over the summer? Any info or suggestions?"

I think that is an excellent idea, if you don't have a temp controller...or a cave

 

Bulk conditioning is great for oaking/adjunct addition, but probably not all that different than small bottles from a conditioning perspective...especially if you are going to put it in smaller bottles eventually anyway, IMHO.

"Better" is a funny word (and so is "conditioning") cheers

 

The beers were put in caves or cellars that were packed with block ice cut from lakes or rivers in the winter. I saw one in Bamberg at the brewing museum, that used to be a brewery.

 

As stated they used ice to regulate lager temperatures. I just saw an example actually of how the ice was either cut from lakes, or how companies would actually make icicles to sell to breweries. I would lager at 1°C for however long it takes for your beer to clear.

 

I thin

I think a few of the smaller ones do, but if so, I think they have their own ice makers. Augustiner Brau in Austria had an ice maker that they use for wort cooling (on an open frame heat exchanger too!) and I think they blow a fan over the ice into their cold storage rooms to keep the lager tanks cold.

 

I don't know about the ice blocks, but I think in your situation, it would be best to bottle and lager the beer at as close to 32F as you can manage. Lagering in the bottle is, in some respects, less than ideal, because it's difficult to bottle without introducing some oxygen, and you will probably get at least a small amount of sediment in the bottle. But it seems to me preferable to storing the beer at higher temperatures, which could (though I don't have personal experience of this) result in some staling and loss of flavor.

 

I think the best thing to do would be to bottle condition the beer at room temperature and then lager at near freezing once it's carbonated.

 

Yes, you should bottle condition at room temperature.

You might be interested in reading a Mr. Wizard (of BYO) response where he suggested lagering in the botte: http://byo.com/stories/item/2313-plate-chillers-lagering-mr-wizard

Cheers!

 

Mister Wizard also says... " The only thing that should be performed before bottling is clarification, and this only needs to be done partially since yeast is needed for bottle conditioning and the bottle bottom serves reasonably well to keep yeast sediment out of the beer, provided that some care is exercised when moving bottles around and when the beer is poured."

I take issue with his claim that the bottle bottom keeps yeast (and presumably the sedimented proteins/tannins, which he does not even specifically mention) out of the beer if you're careful when moving and pouring. Motion causes suspension. Even a little suspension is more than none.

I'm sure it's possible to make a drinkable bottle conditioned/bottle lagered lager. But I don't think it's a best practice. I know very few people doing it, and have never heard of anybody winning comps making lagers that way.

 

Below is what Chad Stevens posted in another beer forum concerning lagering in the bottle. As you will read he conducted an ‘experiment’ of a split batch and he found no difference in the resulting lager beers.

Cheers!

>Is there a difference between; bottling and conditioning for >2 weeks, and

>then lagering for 30 days OR lagering for 30 >days, and then bottling and

>conditioning?


I've done both. Even split batch: bottle some after primary, bottle some

after secondary, bottle the rest after lager. No appreciable difference in

the final product in your glass.

The only major difference might be a little more yeast at the bottom of the

beers bottled straight from primary and a little faster carbonation.



Long story short, I now bottle all lagers straight from a thorough primary,

let them prime, then extended lager. Particulate settles as a function of

particulate size, weight, density of the liquid (which is a function of

temperature) and DEPTH of the liquid. It takes much less time for a 12oz

bottle to settle out than a corney keg. I'm satisfied with the results.


Good luck,


Chad Stevens

QUAFF

San Diego

 

No difference. Is that what you read in the words you C&P'd? Here's what I read...

"The only major difference might be a little more yeast at the bottom of the beers bottled straight from primary and a little faster carbonation."

And more yeast (and other sediment) in the bottle means more in the glass, even if this particular guy didn't think it was "appreciable."

 

Chad Stevens’ stated:


“Long story short, I now bottle all lagers straight from a thorough primary,

let them prime, then extended lager. Particulate settles as a function of

particulate size, weight, density of the liquid (which is a function of

temperature) and DEPTH of the liquid. It takes much less time for a 12oz

bottle to settle out than a corney keg. I'm satisfied with the results.”


Cheers!

 

As a homebrewer, force carbonate lagers...unless you are a masochist. (IMHO)

 

So far you have quoted Mr. Wizard and Chad Stevens. What's your opinion?