Beer Forum

Hi, all.

Since I rack right from my primary fermentation vessel to kegs for force carbonating (with great results, I might add), I have questions about lagering.

I want to rack from the primary fermenter to a corny keg and lager in there. In doing so, are there any concerns? Can I force carb while it lagers? Does adding CO2 pressure affect the lagering process?

Any help/thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

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That's how I lager- primary to keg with a good blast of CO2. I don't continually carb, but I don't think it will hurt it either.

I feel that pressure will make the yeast settle more readily, whether that affects your lagering, I don't know. I've had a number of low floccing beers that were still a touch hazy going into the bottle, even after a long time in carboy that dropped yeast out shortly after being bottled.

I remember hearing or reading recently that you should lager before carbonating, but I haven't been able to figure out why. I have only done it a few times, but have had quite good results lagering in a pressurized corny (to hold the seals) before force carbonating. I really don't have anything to compare to, I have just really enjoyed the results so far. I was planning on doing a split batch to test the difference between lagering while carbonated vs while just pressurized in August/September (when keg and serving space opens back up). I will try and remember to share results here if you are interested. Has anyone tested this before?

I do the exact same process as you. Primary directly into a keg for aging/lagering. Most of the times I typically just gas the beer up once its in the keg (providing I have cold-crashed the fermenter first). With lagers, I cold crash the fermenter, then rack over a clear beer into the keg. I purge to seal the lid and then forget about it for 3-4 wks. Usually around week 3 or so I will start to force carbonate it to get ready for drinking.

3-4 weeks? By then my first keg is almost gone or working on the second one with all the tasting to see how the beer is aging.

Lagers seem to benefit a bit from a little more extended aging at least IMO. And if I keep the rotation of brews going I usually can afford to let a good lager age a few weeks before tapping into it.

Letting a lager sit for a month will only help your beer. I hate when I get greedy and start drinking a keg only to find it taste better when it's just about out. Brew more beer. Let it sit.