Naturally carbing a lager in a keg.

[Bulls Beers]

I pretty much only keg. When I do I put the gas to 30 psi for a few days, then dial back to 10-12psi and serve. It's been working well, but I would like to start naturally carbing my kegs. Anybody have a good process?

My lager process is, 7 days or so fermenting. Once I get to my FG and did a diacetyl rest, I transfer to a keg. I then slowly drop the temp until I get to 32. Leave for 4-6 weeks.

 

[Yooper]

I pretty much only keg. When I do I put the gas to 30 psi for a few days, then dial back to 10-12psi and serve. It's been working well, but I would like to start naturally carbing my kegs. Anybody have a good process?

My lager process is, 7 days or so fermenting. Once I get to my FG and did a diacetyl rest, I transfer to a keg. I then slowly drop the temp until I get to 32. Leave for 4-6 weeks.

You can do that with kegging, as long as you're force carbing. But for naturally carbing, the beer has to be at room temperature. It will never carb up with priming sugar at 32 degrees. You'd have to keep it at room temperature for a couple of weeks before lagering.

 

[Bulls Beers]

You can do that with kegging, as long as you're force carbing. But for naturally carbing, the beer has to be at room temperature. It will never carb up with priming sugar at 32 degrees. You'd have to keep it at room temperature for a couple of weeks before lagering.

I figured you'd have to do it before lagering, but wasn't sure. Will keeping the beer at room temp cause any problems for that long before lagering? Also, do you think there is a taste difference between the two processes?

 

[mattd2]

You can do that with kegging, as long as you're force carbing. But for naturally carbing, the beer has to be at room temperature. It will never carb up with priming sugar at 32 degrees. You'd have to keep it at room temperature for a couple of weeks before lagering.

Could the carbing be combined with the diacetyl rest? i.e.
Ferment 7 days -> transfer to keg with priminig sugar and condition @ 70°F for 3(ish) weeks -> Lager @ 32°F for 4-6 weeks.

 

[Yooper]

Could the carbing be combined with the diacetyl rest? i.e.
Ferment 7 days -> transfer to keg with priminig sugar and condition @ 70°F for 3(ish) weeks -> Lager @ 32°F for 4-6 weeks.

I just don't know what any taste impact would be, but this sounds like a good idea if there is a diacetyl rest done.

I've never come across this before, so I just don't know for sure.

I HAVE lagered in the bottle, though, with good results and I'd assume that the keg is a big bottle so I don't see why it wouldn't work. When I lagered in the bottle, I did a 10 day (ish) primary, a 2 day diacetyl rest, and then racked to secondary as it wasn't completely clear. After another week, I bottled with priming sugar, let the beer carb up for two weeks, then lagered it for 8 weeks in the bottle.

I did that when I didn't have any way to bulk lager, before I started kegging. It worked out well, so my assumption is that it would work in a keg as well.

 

[Bulls Beers]

I know you don't know, but I wonder if it's worth the extra time and quality of beer. Thanks Yooper...Maybe I'll try it..I would assume it's better than all that gas being absorbed in the beer.