[majorvices]

So you let it settle overnight and then just rack to primary and ferment?

I always chilled as far as I could, racked off and finished chilling to 44 in my fermentation chamber (chest freezer with temp control). When I first started brewing lagers I had an old fridge that on the warmest setting was 45 degrees. That worked perfectly.

[theDarkSide]

So you let it settle overnight and then just rack to primary and ferment?

That's it.

Big +1 to jamils method.  Made my first lager (ok fest) and it turned out GREAT.  Clean and malty.

Not necessarily JZ's method. This is standard lager practice.

Blasphemy!!!  Don't you know Jamil is an omnipresent, immortal time traveler ( kinda like Q ) that invented beer?  I'd be careful or he will go back in time and spit in your first homebrew, infecting it and make you never want to brew again 

I assumed it was some ancient chinese secret, but I learned of it first from Jamil, so I give him some credit. 

[weithman5]

i brew about 2 gallons at a time in a 4 g  pot.  before i built an immersion chiller i would just let it cool enough to handle and put it in the fridge overnight. then the next day pour into my bucket add yeast and voila.

[mmitchem]

I learned the old "Chill it down and rack before pitching" trick from JZ as well. It is really nifty and turns out awesome!

1. Chill the wort down to 41 F (5 C) and settle overnight
2. Rack the wort off the trub into your primary
3. Pitch the yeast
4. Let that badboy free rise to around 48 F (9 C)
5. When the fermentation finally looks like it is starting to slack, kick the temp up to 50 F (10 C)
6. When you are within a few points of your FG, ramp up to around 61 F (16 C) until it reaches FG to let the yeast to clean up (diacetyl is the devil)
   * This is really important if you made your starter at room temp

I do this for most every lager. After i do all this I usually cold crash it as well to get any lingering yeast to settle out. Then I rack it to the keg and lager for 4 weeks or more, but a minimum of 4 weeks.

[thomasben]

This sounds perfect... I'll take notes!!

[beerrat]

My first lager ( last January ) was a Munich Helles and I got a silver at NHC.  Your results may vary (i.e. Gold ).

Temp control, big yeast pitch, O2, and time/patience.  I also use a method that I heard from Jamil Zainasheff about letting the wort sit overnight at fermentation temp, transferring to another vessel, hitting it with O2 and pitch the yeast.  I was amazed at how much break material formed just overnight in the first carboy.  It is now a method I use with all my lagers.  I pitch cold ( 44 F ) and let it free rise to 50 F and hold it there. 

Good luck!

What is the rationale for leaving sit overnight before O2 and pitch?  Leave the break material behind?

[thomasben]

Yea

[majorvices]

My first lager ( last January ) was a Munich Helles and I got a silver at NHC.  Your results may vary (i.e. Gold ).

Temp control, big yeast pitch, O2, and time/patience.  I also use a method that I heard from Jamil Zainasheff about letting the wort sit overnight at fermentation temp, transferring to another vessel, hitting it with O2 and pitch the yeast.  I was amazed at how much break material formed just overnight in the first carboy.  It is now a method I use with all my lagers.  I pitch cold ( 44 F ) and let it free rise to 50 F and hold it there. 

Good luck!

What is the rationale for leaving sit overnight before O2 and pitch?  Leave the break material behind?

In my case it is to get the temp into the low 40s. Can't normally do it with tap water. I actually have done this on loads of beers, even ales. Never had a proble,

[tschmidlin]

I often leave wort sitting overnight before pitching too - no issues.

[majorvices]

there have been a few occasions when, and i'm not proud of this, i have been too drunk to pitch until the next morning.

[hoser]

I often leave wort sitting overnight before pitching too - no issues.

This ^^^^
I routinely do this to get to my desired pitching temp.  As long as your process, cleaning, and sanitation are sound, no issues.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Big +1 to jamils method.  Made my first lager (ok fest) and it turned out GREAT.  Clean and malty.

Not necessarily JZ's method. This is standard lager practice.

I wasn't aware that Jamil advocated this method, but this is how I've always done my lagers.  I let the wort cool to fermentation temp overnight because I can't chill to fermentation temp with my chilling method.  I mean, I could rig up a pre-chiller in an ice bath, but letting the wort cool to fermentation temp overnight in my lagerator is so much easier.

[mpietropaoli]

there have been a few occasions when, and i'm not proud of this, i have been too drunk to pitch until the next morning.

The yeast are doing the work at that point!  You're too drunk to dump something into something else!!??

[yso191]

Yes, very good info to know.  My next brew (my 4th), I'm planning to brew a Baltic Porter.  Any other tips?

Steve

[mmitchem]

Yes, very good info to know.  My next brew (my 4th), I'm planning to brew a Baltic Porter.  Any other tips?

Steve

Zymurgy recently had a great article on brewing Baltic Porters. Might be a good read pre-brew. Anytime I brew a classic style I tend to go back and read up on the history of the beer, region of origin and things of that nature. I find it really gets me in a good frame of mind for brewing that particular beer.