Carbonating European Lager bottles

[scottb12]

Hi everyone,

 

I'll be bottling in the next few days, since I've used a lager yeast do I need to keep the bottles around 18 deg for a couple of weeks or can I store them at a cooler temperature? I won't be drinking them until Xmas.

[David B5]

Hi Scott,

Last week I sampled my first European Lager which was combined with BE 2 and fermented at 16c.

It was bottled at day 14 and kept at 16-17c for three weeks at this temperature before being consigned to a very cold shed.

At ten weeks of age it is still a little "green" but I have no doubt it will improve into a great beer.

Carbonation was good at these temperatures and there isn't a hint

of residual sweetness.

It is the first lager I've brewed so I'm far from experienced on the subject.

A friend of mine has successfully brewed a lager recently using

Safflager yeast and he maintained a constant temperature of 12c. for the entire process. I don't know if Cooper's lager yeast will behave the same at such low temperatures but you can definitely get a bit lower than the 18c. with no problems.

It's worth noting the day after sampling we purchased another couple of Eurorean Lager kits. They're not quite in the fermenter yet but they're getting close.

Enjoy!

 

[Matty A]

If your not drinking until Christmas, feel free to leave it at a Cooler temperature. I have mine sitting at roughly 15C (only because of the shed temperature) but I believe they are ready to drink now. I am also waiting till summer.

[scottb12]

Thanks for the replies. I used the same recipe as you David and have just had a taste out of the sample jar (day 12 in the fermenter)and it tastes awesome. Once bottled I'll leave it in the shed which probably gets down to 10 deg at night. Then another can will be going into the fermenter [happy]