[Shmello]

I am fermenting a Marzen-style ale (recipe from the March/April 2021 issue of Zymurgy magazine). The yeast is Omega OYL-071 Lutra. I thought I’d give it a try because my room temp this time of year is 70.

The recipe says:

“Ferment at 70 'F (21 C) for 2 weeks. Condition in secondary at least 2 weeks, but 4 weeks would be
even better. Just let the yeast do the talking-it'll tell you when it is ready.”

So, to begin with, from my understanding anyway it seems to be the general consensus that racking to a secondary fermenter is unnecessary. So I’m not planning to do that. If anyone has thoughts on that, I’m all ears.

As to how long to wait until bottling, I’m not sure what they are getting at. I know that by a week or so the active fermentation will have ended. Then what? I could sample for SG, but I doubt it will change much after that first week or two at the most. Am I supposed to be visually inspecting for clarity or something?

If anyone knows what the recipe-maker has in mind, please let me know?

[Bob357]

Not absolutely necessary but it does help to wait until the beer is relatively clear before packaging. I like to raise the temperature a few degrees for 2 or 3 days when I see the Krausen begin to recede to assure good attenuation. If you have the ability to lower the temperature to 40F or lower, do so after gravity has stabilized. This will speed the clearing process.

[erockrph]

Those are pretty vague instructions. In my experience, Lutra makes a very convincing faux-lager beer, but the catch is that it needs to be cold-conditioned like a lager for several weeks before it hits its prime both in flavor and in clarity. Just about any lager-style beer will improve with 2-6 weeks of lagering, faux-lagers brewed with ale yeasts included. While I wouldn't say you need a true secondary for this, I'd suggest that you cold-condition the beer for a few weeks and let your palate and eyes be your guide as to when the beer has hit its prime.

[Shmello]

Thanks for the info.

I don’t really have the ability to cold condition. I have an insulated bag around the fermenter which lets me lower the temperature to about 60 or so with some ice bags. I don’t know whether that would do me any good.

[Cliffs]

lutra is a kveik isolate. ferment warm, keg it once its done and let it lager in your kegerator. It doesnt need anything else. 

[Richard]

lutra is a kveik isolate. ferment warm, keg it once its done and let it lager in your kegerator. It doesnt need anything else.

Since you bottle your beer you can lager it in the bottles after it is carbonated.