stoby
Member
So I brewed my third lager back in June, an Oktoberfest/Marzen that I wanted to consume in an effort to ring in the fall. My previous lagering experiences have been mixed. My first was a Dunkel that started out a bit harsh, but after 8 weeks of lagering started to really come into its own (unfortuneately the picnic tap was snagged on a piece inside the freezer and when I went to get a refill, about three gallons had been dispensed). My second lager was a pilsner that tasted and smelled of canned corn (l later found out that this was probably due to DMS). So I have been nervous this go around.
For this beer I made a gallon starter, pumped in oxygen for 2 min, pitched cold, and maintained a constant fermentation temp within the yeasts specified range. I raised the temp toward the end for a D rest that I let go for about 4 days, and then cooled down to lagering temp of 33 degrees. I was going to rack it off to a keg and start carbing it up right away, but life happened and a couple of weeks elapsed before I was able to do so. It has been in the keg at the same temp for almost three weeks now, and today I took a small taste sample to see how it was. It tasted similar to what I associate my unconditioned ales. It was like it had ungelded layers of grainy/malt, and slight raw hop bitterness (not a bunch of hops in the style). There was almost a roast taste as well. I didn't taste any corn, butter, excessive alcohol, or green apple type off flavors, just a raw/harsh grainy beer.
Do you believe that this is just a green beer still? I'm not expecting it to be ready yet. I followed a recipe from Gordon Strong (All his brewing advice has always paid off in my endeavors), and it had stated it needed about 12 weeks of lagering time. However, I read more and more threads where people are saying it takes them 4-6 weeks to lager a 1.060 beer (about where mine was) and I thought that mine would be smoother by now, as I am about 6 weeks into the lagering phase (The time since it has been lowered to 33 degrees). Should I be worried? Is there something else I should do at this point or just ride it out and see what father time does? I sure do appreciate any help and advice.
For this beer I made a gallon starter, pumped in oxygen for 2 min, pitched cold, and maintained a constant fermentation temp within the yeasts specified range. I raised the temp toward the end for a D rest that I let go for about 4 days, and then cooled down to lagering temp of 33 degrees. I was going to rack it off to a keg and start carbing it up right away, but life happened and a couple of weeks elapsed before I was able to do so. It has been in the keg at the same temp for almost three weeks now, and today I took a small taste sample to see how it was. It tasted similar to what I associate my unconditioned ales. It was like it had ungelded layers of grainy/malt, and slight raw hop bitterness (not a bunch of hops in the style). There was almost a roast taste as well. I didn't taste any corn, butter, excessive alcohol, or green apple type off flavors, just a raw/harsh grainy beer.
Do you believe that this is just a green beer still? I'm not expecting it to be ready yet. I followed a recipe from Gordon Strong (All his brewing advice has always paid off in my endeavors), and it had stated it needed about 12 weeks of lagering time. However, I read more and more threads where people are saying it takes them 4-6 weeks to lager a 1.060 beer (about where mine was) and I thought that mine would be smoother by now, as I am about 6 weeks into the lagering phase (The time since it has been lowered to 33 degrees). Should I be worried? Is there something else I should do at this point or just ride it out and see what father time does? I sure do appreciate any help and advice.