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Author Topic: Carbing while lagering  (Read 3427 times)

Offline BUZZSAW52

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Carbing while lagering
« on: September 11, 2016, 11:46:08 am »
What are your opinions on carbing while lagering? I have an Octoberfest that needs to lager 3 more weeks. I would like to connect the gas to it next week so it's drinkable as soon as lagering is done. Opinions on whether that affects the end result would be great.

Offline Stevie

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2016, 11:47:13 am »
Do it

Offline BUZZSAW52

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2016, 11:48:16 am »

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2016, 11:58:50 am »
I carb in keg while lagering every time.
Jon H.

Offline brewinhard

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2016, 12:49:04 pm »
I carb in keg while lagering every time.

Me too. No issues whatsoever (except faster drinking...).

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2016, 12:55:03 pm »
I carb in keg while lagering every time.

Me too. No issues whatsoever (except faster drinking...).


Yep, works for me!
Jon H.

Offline BUZZSAW52

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2016, 02:31:06 pm »
I carb in keg while lagering every time.

Me too. No issues whatsoever (except faster drinking...).


Yep, works for me!

Nice, thanks guys!

Offline majorvices

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2016, 05:17:02 pm »
Supposedly yeast drops out suspension fast when co2 is not  present.

Offline BUZZSAW52

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2016, 05:19:51 pm »
I just bottled a batch tonight and that basically answered the question for me. In the bottle it has the carb first, then lager. I like kegging so much more. This beer won't be drinkable for 2 months. I'm not a patient man. Haha


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Offline majorvices

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2016, 06:01:28 am »
I just bottled a batch tonight and that basically answered the question for me. In the bottle it has the carb first, then lager. I like kegging so much more. This beer won't be drinkable for 2 months. I'm not a patient man. Haha


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Most lagers are drinkable within 2-4 weeks. Even bocks and doppelbocks don't need 2 months. In fact, after 2 months you may have missed the peak of freshness. This idea of lagering beer for months is mostly outdated except in the case of sour beers and some high gravity exceptions like barley wines

Offline BUZZSAW52

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2016, 06:25:46 am »
I just bottled a batch tonight and that basically answered the question for me. In the bottle it has the carb first, then lager. I like kegging so much more. This beer won't be drinkable for 2 months. I'm not a patient man. Haha


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Most lagers are drinkable within 2-4 weeks. Even bocks and doppelbocks don't need 2 months. In fact, after 2 months you may have missed the peak of freshness. This idea of lagering beer for months is mostly outdated except in the case of sour beers and some high gravity exceptions like barley wines

It seems everytime I rush a brew to the glass I feel like it really comes in right about the time the keg blows.

Offline brewinhard

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2016, 11:42:24 am »
Supposedly yeast drops out suspension fast when co2 is not  present.

Probably true, but when dealing with a corny keg size, I have not noticed much of a difference.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2016, 12:31:35 pm »
I just bottled a batch tonight and that basically answered the question for me. In the bottle it has the carb first, then lager. I like kegging so much more. This beer won't be drinkable for 2 months. I'm not a patient man. Haha


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Most lagers are drinkable within 2-4 weeks. Even bocks and doppelbocks don't need 2 months. In fact, after 2 months you may have missed the peak of freshness. This idea of lagering beer for months is mostly outdated except in the case of sour beers and some high gravity exceptions like barley wines

It seems everytime I rush a brew to the glass I feel like it really comes in right about the time the keg blows.


I'm not saying "rush". If you handle a fermentation right there is no benefit to extra extended aging. If you are finining then I can understand the long time it takes to drop yeast out of suspension though. Two months for  alight lager though is an awful long time.

Offline tommymorris

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2016, 01:01:58 pm »
I can drink excellent light lager in 4 weeks grain to glass. That's 2 weeks in the fermenter and 2 conditioning in the keg.

I could get out of the fermenter a bit faster, but, I always wait 2 weeks out of Diacetyl paranoia.

I regularly tap the keg after 1 week conditioning, but, the beer peaks after another week in the keg.

I think proper water treatment, gelatin, and ramping the ferment temp along the way speed the process a lot.

Offline brewinhard

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Re: Carbing while lagering
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2016, 05:20:39 pm »
I can drink excellent light lager in 4 weeks grain to glass. That's 2 weeks in the fermenter and 2 conditioning in the keg.

I could get out of the fermenter a bit faster, but, I always wait 2 weeks out of Diacetyl paranoia.

I regularly tap the keg after 1 week conditioning, but, the beer peaks after another week in the keg.

I think proper water treatment, gelatin, and ramping the ferment temp along the way speed the process a lot.

Totally agreed. I do tend to still see a bit of improvement in flavor as the beer enters into its 4-5th wk of lagering though. I tend to get a bit of lager "creaminess" that comes out. Whatever the hell that means!