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Author Topic: Bottling a Lager ?  (Read 3458 times)

Offline ndcube

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Bottling a Lager ?
« on: November 27, 2009, 12:51:31 pm »
Is it better to bottle something that has been lagered / cold conditioned while it's still cold or to let it warm up first?

Offline a10t2

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Re: Bottling a Lager ?
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2009, 01:15:42 pm »
The sugar will be more soluble at higher temperatures, but I don't think there would be any practical difference.
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Offline ndcube

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Re: Bottling a Lager ?
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2009, 01:31:38 pm »
I guess I was just thinking that whatever came out of suspension while cold (acids, yeast, whatever) might resuspend when warmed up.  I guess as long as your carefule not to disturb the sediment then it will be ok.

Offline Kaiser

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Re: Bottling a Lager ?
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2009, 08:00:08 am »
I guess I was just thinking that whatever came out of suspension while cold (acids, yeast, whatever) might resuspend when warmed up.  I guess as long as your carefule not to disturb the sediment then it will be ok.

Some of it will be redissolved. I'd just rack it off the sediment into the botling bucket while it is cold and then add priming sugar and some rehydrated dry yeast. You'll have to boil the priming sugar anyway which dissolves it. And the yeast will survive the cold shock. Especially since you'll be storing the bottles warm for conditioning.

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Offline bluesman

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Re: Bottling a Lager ?
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2009, 08:10:37 am »
As has been said...you might as well just slowly warm it up and then rack into priming bucket with sugar and yeast if necessary because you have to warm it up anyway.
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Offline Kaiser

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Re: Bottling a Lager ?
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2009, 08:24:58 am »
I still think is is better to rack the beer off the sediment before it is allowed to warm up. Some stuff redissolves when the beer warm up. I also think that there will be some convection in the carboy as the sides and the bottom warm up. I'm not quite sure how much of a difference it will make for the final product given that there is always some accidental sediment pick-up during racking.

Kai

Offline babalu87

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Re: Bottling a Lager ?
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2009, 09:42:56 am »
I still think is is better to rack the beer off the sediment before it is allowed to warm up. Some stuff redissolves when the beer warm up. I also think that there will be some convection in the carboy as the sides and the bottom warm up. I'm not quite sure how much of a difference it will make for the final product given that there is always some accidental sediment pick-up during racking.

Kai

This

I would damn near freeze the beer if I could to pack the yeast cake down solid.

Keg to keg transfers always work better when its the keg in the back corner of the keezer (coldest section) so it stands to reason that the colder the beer the tighter the cake and less chance for pick-up

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Offline bluesman

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Re: Bottling a Lager ?
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2009, 10:55:49 am »
I still think is is better to rack the beer off the sediment before it is allowed to warm up. Some stuff redissolves when the beer warm up. I also think that there will be some convection in the carboy as the sides and the bottom warm up. I'm not quite sure how much of a difference it will make for the final product given that there is always some accidental sediment pick-up during racking.

Kai

This

I would damn near freeze the beer if I could to pack the yeast cake down solid.

Keg to keg transfers always work better when its the keg in the back corner of the keezer (coldest section) so it stands to reason that the colder the beer the tighter the cake and less chance for pick-up



I guess I never really looked at it from this perspective, but it sounds practical and makes good sense.
Ron Price