lagerering vessel

Brewing Processes
1

For lagering (this is my frst batch):

  1. Is it okay and/or recommended to use a corny keg as the lagering vessel?  Can beer be dispensed from the same keg after lagering is finished?
  2. How close to final gravity should I be prior to lagering?
  3. Is it best to cool the beer in the primary prior to transfer to the lagering vessel or rack and then cool?
  4. If the beer lagers in the keg do I need to periodically release pressure so as not to affect yeast activity?

Thanks

2

Just fully ferment beer in the fermenter.
You can transfer beer to corny cold or at fermentation temp.
You can carbonate while lagering.

3

+1…Completely ferment your beer, before lagering.
I love using corny kegs for lagering, because the less I have to transfer, the less there is to clean.
Some folks like to cold crash, prior to lagering…This is up to the brewer…No ill effects, either way.
Your yeast activity at the time of lager should basically be non-existant (I should say there is little/no co2 being formed…So, purging is not necessary).
The only reason I ever purge a keg is to release the air that I put in there, before I turned on the co2.
The phase of fermentation that produces co2 should be over, by the time you are ready to lager.
The only thing the yeast MIGHT be doing is cleaning up a few of their byproducts…
But, the cold temperature used for lagering should force them into a dormant state.

4

+1.  Good advice above.  Fully ferment out  in primary.  I always keg for lagering.

Dave

5

  1. this would be fine, it would be equivalent to a bright tank in a commercial brewery.  You can serve right from the keg or, if you expect a lot of sedimentation you could transfer to another keg.

  2. if doing a traditional German lagering then you would start to slowly lower the temps a few degrees per day when you are about 2/3 from OG to expected FG.  Personally I just leave @ 50 for 4 weeks and then I’m done.

3)depends on how you manage the primary.  If you are using the traditional method i would cool first then transfer.  It will take a few days under that method to get to lager temps and I would want as much yeast as possible to clean up diacaty.

  1. using the traditional method, yes. You could rig a blow off tube using a gas in QD and some tubing.