Oktoberfest lagering

[donchiquon]

I've had the Brulosophy (m)Oktoberfest fermenting for a week now with Mangrove Jacks M76 Bavarian yeast at 10 degrees (range is 8-14 degrees).

The gravity is already down to 1013, and I'm planning to transfer to secondary and lager for 6 weeks at 4.4 degrees (as per John Palmer).

I've let the gravity drop too low (doh! was on hols camping and supping too much homebrew) but does this still sound like the right plan or should I adjust?

Any advice appreciated! Cheers!

 

[donchiquon]

I've cracked on and transferred to secondary. Already a tasty drop so happy with that!

I'll gradually drop the temp down to 4.4 degrees.

I've been thinking about Palmers lagering advice and am a bit confused.

If I had racked and chilled to 4.4 degrees when 75% attenuated the yeast would presumably have gone to sleep (given it has a range of 8-14 degrees), so how would the rest of the attenuation happened?....

 

[mike-os]

Ideally give it a couple of days near the top end of the temperature range before lagering

 

[GermLish]

Ideally give it a couple of days near the top end of the temperature range before lagering

right, just google "Diacetyl Rest" and is done at the end of the fermentation for about one or two days

 

[baggybill]

His latest lagering method is a good read:

http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

I've done this on two brews now, drinking the first one already, was well impressed. I used the Coopers Oktoberfest recipe (see my sig) with WLP820 yeast.

I was a bit slacker with my timings though, as I was in no rush (and some personal problems came along):

Pitched yeast (no starter) @ 21° to get it going (as per White Labs instructions) for 24hrs - bubbling like mad!
Dropped to 12° for 2 weeks
Raised to 19° for 4 days (waited on air lock activity stopping)
Set to 10° for one day, added gelatin
Set to 0° (fridge won't go this low but did record 0.8°) for 2 - 3 weeks (unintentionally)
Kegged it crystal clear and tasting great flat!

Now carbed and drinking - this will never last 3 months :grin:

 

[strange-steve]

Why 4.4° that's very specific?

 

[donchiquon]

Ideally give it a couple of days near the top end of the temperature range before lagering

Sounds more familiar...I've reversed the temperature drop and ramped it to 13.5 degrees which is the top of the yeasts range.

Then I'll drop to 4 degrees and leave for 4 weeks.

......but I still don't understand how the traditional method is supposed to work!

 

[donchiquon]

Why 4.4° that's very specific?

Just a direct conversion of Palmers 6 weeks at 40 degrees.

 

[mike-os]

2 to 4 c is about right

 

[Spoon]

......but I still don't understand how the traditional method is supposed to work!

Probably more like the traditional method is "put it in a cave or a deep cellar for 2 months", even in 19th century Bavaria you're unlikely to have enough stored ice to get your cave down to 0C. Coupled with a poorly controlled primary fermentation is why it took months to do. If you can control your primary better then there's less to condition out, and so less waiting around, and we can go colder, which means clearer quicker.