How long is too long for lager fermentation
- Thread starter Deanomite
- Start date
-
- Tags
- fermentation time lager
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,640
- Reaction score
- 2,576
- Points
- 113
A properly pitched, aerated lager fermenting at 48-50F (9-10C) with a gravity of 1.048-50 will take about 9-14 days to hit final gravity. Higher gravities obviously take a little longer, but I have never gone beyond 14 days even with a 1.070 lager. If you get everything right, the beer will be ready to lager in about 12-14 days, but if you underpitch, don't aerate well enough, ferment below 45F (7C) or anything else that may hinder the fermentation, it will take longer. Shorter is better. I have brewed lagers that were cleared, carbonated and ready to drink in 3 weeks (kegged).
If you decide to brew now and it gets done in 2 weeks, it's best to get it off the yeast after it's done and store it at near freezing temperatures. The yeast have done their work, now they need to be removed to prevent off flavors occurring due to the yeast breaking down and dying. I typically lager for 2-3 weeks at 33F (1C), but if you can keep it away from oxygen, 6-8 weeks is not a big deal as long as it's very cold. The cold will slow down any oxidation, drop yeast and tannins, clearing the beer.
After that you may need to reintroduce yeast (I highly recommend this) for two reasons. First, the yeast has mostly dropped out. Second, whatever yeast is left is pretty beat up by then. You can use any beer yeast to bottle condition, Nottingham, US05, S04 or 34/70 for examples. I like dry yeast because at bottling, you can just drop in a half pack of dry yeast into your bottling bucket and let it do it's work. Easy. If you don't add yeast, expect a much longer condition time. Let it set at room temperature until the beer is carbonated, then store the beer near freezing temperatures again to slow oxidation. Don't worry about the ale yeast interfering with the lager, at that point the ale yeast will not change the flavor of the beer.
Good luck. Lagers are a little tougher, but once you get used to them, it's not a big deal.
If you decide to brew now and it gets done in 2 weeks, it's best to get it off the yeast after it's done and store it at near freezing temperatures. The yeast have done their work, now they need to be removed to prevent off flavors occurring due to the yeast breaking down and dying. I typically lager for 2-3 weeks at 33F (1C), but if you can keep it away from oxygen, 6-8 weeks is not a big deal as long as it's very cold. The cold will slow down any oxidation, drop yeast and tannins, clearing the beer.
After that you may need to reintroduce yeast (I highly recommend this) for two reasons. First, the yeast has mostly dropped out. Second, whatever yeast is left is pretty beat up by then. You can use any beer yeast to bottle condition, Nottingham, US05, S04 or 34/70 for examples. I like dry yeast because at bottling, you can just drop in a half pack of dry yeast into your bottling bucket and let it do it's work. Easy. If you don't add yeast, expect a much longer condition time. Let it set at room temperature until the beer is carbonated, then store the beer near freezing temperatures again to slow oxidation. Don't worry about the ale yeast interfering with the lager, at that point the ale yeast will not change the flavor of the beer.
Good luck. Lagers are a little tougher, but once you get used to them, it's not a big deal.
