Traditional lager beer can last up to 3 months, but modern commercial pressures have substantially reduced brewing times in most breweries. In a modern lager brewery, secondary fermentation may or may not occur during cold storage. Once the fermentation is finished, it will be ready for the true cold storage stage for three to four weeks or more. A general rule of thumb is to prepare a standard-strength beer for four weeks and add one week for every five degrees of original gravity for larger beers.
In the case of all lager beers, except very strong ones, cold storage for more than eight weeks may show an unwanted aging character. How long does lager beer fermentation last? Lagers can take 1 to 3 weeks or more to ferment, and final severity may not even be reached after primary fermentation. Lagers ferment at lower temperatures than beers, and yeast metabolism works more slowly at these temperatures. Therefore, it takes longer to ferment the lagers.
The duration of beer is a matter of discussion. American light beers typically stay close to freezing for 10 to 20 days, while some strong German doppelbocks can be kept for up to six months. For medium to high gravity beers, Greg Noonan, brewery owner and author of “New Brewing Lager Beer” (1996, Brewers Publications), recommends 7 to 12 days for each original 2nd gravity dish. A Plato degree is roughly equivalent to 4 “points” of specific gravity.
For less severe lagers, the time is reduced to 3 to 7 days. According to these guidelines, a German beer of 1064 Og,. must remain in lager for 56 to 96 days, while a 1040 American lager must remain between 15 and 35 days. Refrigerating lagers is recommended, but not required for long-term storage; at the very least, avoid warm temperatures and large fluctuations to promote stability and delay aging.
Lager beer is not like other beers, it takes longer to ferment, requires different handling and more attention. Keep reading this post, as I'll explain everything you need to know about beer fermentation. India Pale Lager (IPL) is a modern hybridization of the India Pale Ale (IPA) style and a component of “lager beer” (insert your own interpretation) that has been acquired by the craft beer industry. Extracted from the sediment of primary yeast and allowed to cool and age, the beer must be clarified and the sulfur and other strange aromas and flavors will dissipate until it reaches the clean character that lagers are known for.
Make sure to set the yeast at the right temperature if you want that clean, crisp beer effect. There are some differences in attenuation and flavor between the varieties of lager beer (some end up drier and crunchier, while others are a little sweeter and milkish), but they tend to be more similar to each other than the wide variety of beer varieties. Learn how to cool your wort and maintain the ideal fermentation temperature for excellent lagers. However, the bottom line is that lager is a beer most needed to be brewed, but if you have patience, you will succeed.
A cheesy keg is an ideal container for making lager beer because it allows you to purge well and doesn't break easily if you submerge it below freezing point. However, with a little knowledge and readily available equipment, the intrepid homebrewer can make beers as good as those available on the market. Maybe that's why most of the beers in the world that are sold on the shelves are of the lager variety, rather than the ale variety. The term “lagering” refers to the prolonged secondary aging that beer undergoes at cold temperatures (above freezing).
For many home brewers, the verdict on dry brewer's yeast has not yet been decided, but some homebrewers report good results with these new strains...
