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Lagering in carboy vs. in bottle

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cresswell

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Here's a question I've been wondering about.  When making a lager, or a cool-fermented beer like an Alt, do the weeks at cold temperatures need to be in the carboy?  What would be the difference if you bottled as soon as the fermentation was complete, and left the bottles in cool temps for some weeks?    My first post, thank-you for any guidance!
 
Well, Personally the way that ive done it and ive just done a few lagers, was to transfer to a secondary for about a month or so depending on what your making, with pilsners you want to drink them as fast as possible they don't keep very long. Then you can bottle it, and yes their should be enough yeast to carbonate if not you can add some.
 
The short answer is 'no'.  I've done my lagering in the bottle many times and it turns  out just fine.  I also do some lagering in the carboy, but it gets tight with the number of carboys versus the rate at which I am brewing during the winter months (brewing every weekend + 7 carboys = limited time for full lagering in the beginning.)
 
Oginme said:
The short answer is 'no'.  I've done my lagering in the bottle many times and it turns  out just fine.  I also do some lagering in the carboy, but it gets tight with the number of carboys versus the rate at which I am brewing during the winter months (brewing every weekend + 7 carboys = limited time for full lagering in the beginning.)
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How much beer you brewing ive got a 8 gallon and a 5 gallon and a 1 gallon fermenter, which I'm tempted to try out making mead in, I make like 30 gallons a month with just that as I can get about 2 batches per fermenter out of the way. roughly 27 gallons or so.
 
My standard batch size during the winter months (basically from end of November to beginning of April) is 10 liters.  I brew every weekend with a few extra thrown in around New Year's eve and day.    I also usually take a 'brew-cation' late November/early December where I make about 4 to 5 brews during the week.  Outside of this, I brew 14 liter or 20 liter batches when I brew outside.  I've averaged around 33 brew sessions a year the last three years with all but 2 or 3 a year being 10 liter batches.
 
Oginme said:
My standard batch size during the winter months (basically from end of November to beginning of April) is 10 liters.  I brew every weekend with a few extra thrown in around New Year's eve and day.    I also usually take a 'brew-cation' late November/early December where I make about 4 to 5 brews during the week.  Outside of this, I brew 14 liter or 20 liter batches when I brew outside.  I've averaged around 33 brew sessions a year the last three years with all but 2 or 3 a year being 10 liter batches.
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That's a lot of beer, lol. What are your favorite styles of beer to make? I tend to make amber ales or pale ales. Ive only ever done one batch of dark beer a porter and one pilsner.
 
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