First Time Lagering This Weekend

I’m going to brew a lager for the first time this weekend.  How long is the typical fermentation time… guessing that depends on the ABV, right?  How long should the beer condition?  I’m thinking about making a beer with an ABV around 7%.  Also, I was thinking about hopping the heck out of it.  This is a science project more than anything else.  Any advice or insights would be appreciated.

It’ll probably be done in 7-10 days depending on what temp you’re fermenting at.  If you decide to raise the temp at the end for a D-rest that’ll be another couple days.  Overall I usually figure on two weeks in the fermenter to complete fermentation, do a D-rest, and cold crash the beer before transferring to a keg or secondary for lagering.

Years back I made lagers that fermented for 2 weeks.  Now a 1.050 Pils will be done in about 5-6 days, higher gravity a few days longer.  Use mrmalty.com to get the right yeast volume to pitch, lots of O2 before you pitch, and some yeast nutrients in the boil.  I did not used to do all of that, but it is needed to make better lagers.

I consider 3 weeks a minimum for lagers. To me, lager is another word for patience.

With the primary activity done, I leave the beer on the yeast for another 10-12 days to clean up.  Then there is the lagering to deal with, often 8 weeks or more.