Getting Lager Crystal Clear

[GrowlingDogBeer]

I plan to brew another Pilsner, this time for a garden party which will be happening in the summer.

I have made a few before, so am fairly comfortable with the recipe.

Brew Length 45 Litres

OG 1.051
IBU 27
ABV 5%

Grain
10Kg Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt
Hops
40g Northern Brewer 60 mins
20g Hallertauer (Mittlefruh) 15 mins
40g Saaz 5 mins
Yeast
WLP800 Pilsner Lager Yeast

All my lagers before have been Bottle conditioned, and have always been a bit cloudy / hazy, this time I want a nice crystal clear bottled beer with no sediment.

Two main things will be helping me achieve this, one is finings, the other is my new Blichmann Beer Gun.

My plan is to brew and ferment as normal, then stick it into cornies to lager for a couple of months prior to carbing up and bottling.

When should I add the finings though?

I was thinking that I should add them after fermentation has finished and before kegging and lagering, is this right?

In order to get rid of chill haze as well should I cool the lager back down once fermentation is finished, to encourage the Chill Haze, then fine while the haze is there?

What finings should I use as well, I was planning on gelatine as it seems easiest.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[greenxpaddy]

Not much interest in lagers currently it would appear!

Whats your fermentation temperature schedule Steve?

Sorry I can't answer your questions as I am new to lagers and need advice myself

[Horatio]

I can only tell you what I do if it's any help.

I ferment at 12c for 5 days then raise to 18c for 3 days. I then go back to 12c for another 5 days. After this I rack into a polypin and lager at 0c for as long as I can wait but try for at least 6 weeks. I then bottle from the polypin and it is crystal clear every time (well I have only made around 10 lagers now using this regime). I condition under the kitchen table for a week before storing somewhere cool. I sample after the week under the table and it has always been clear. I never use finnings in any of my beers as I never seem to need them. I have no idea why my beers are always clear; I treat my water every time, I recirculate the mash run off until its clear and I use protofloc in the boiler. I run clear wort into the FV. I use WLP 800 or sometimes 802; both being reused each time with no ill effect.

[leedsbrew]

I use isinglas in secondary then transfere to lagering fridge for 4 weeks at as close to 0oC as it will go. Never needed to use polyclar etc but I reckon thats due to waiting for the chill haze to drop. I know you don't but if you needed it clear quick then polyclar would be the way to go IMHO.

Cheers

LB

[pantsmachine]

I would lager it for a couple of months in a secondary vessel to let the yeast beasties complete their work then fine it and then transfer to the CK.

You could i suppose look at an inline filter and pump from secondary through the filter to strip remaing yeast and haze clear. Thats too budweiser commercial for me but that's how they do it.

[greenxpaddy]

Just been reading up on the lagering phase. Thats the bit I'm going to struggle with currently as I don't have a capacity to chill to that temperature at the mo for 2 x 50L.

If I placed 50l of beer outside in my kinspan cosy, well sealed and insulated do you think with outside temps fluctuating, average on 24 hrs normally 3C, it would freeze? If only a small surface area froze on the top, like on a pond, would it affect the flavour or would those small amount of dead yeast simply fall away as trub?

[GrowlingDogBeer]

Cheers all, thats helpful.

So I should ferment in primary, 5 days at 12C then up to 18C for 3 days, then drop back down to 12, That was roughly my plan anyway. Then transfer to secondary. Does secondary need to be under airlock, as that will cause me a challenge as I don't have any airtight fermenters, not that will hold 45 Litres anyway.

My fermenters are just the Mango Chutney bins so you can't really get an airtight seal, but it would be closed, and it will be in a fridge at about 0 degrees so should be OK I would think/hope.

[leedsbrew]

You could gaffa tape the outside of the lid to form a better seal!

[Horatio]

Not sure on the airtight part. I rack mine into two polypins, expel all the air then close the taps. i find that the lagering process brings any chill haze out and then it settles in the polypin. That way there should not be any chill haze forming matter in the botttles so when I chill the bottles they stay clear.

The one I'm lagering at the moment is going into cornies; first time I've ever used them, so should be interesting! I may well be calling on your corny expertise in the next few days Steve!

[GrowlingDogBeer]

I may well be calling on your corny expertise in the next few days Steve!

No worries, I'll pop over and consume all your beer for you

[greenxpaddy]

I think it's just one less step if you carbonate in secondary, but it's not exactly necessary from what iread today

[far9410]

I'm in the process of my first lager at the mo, I think I've got it right in my head, but think I may struggle to carbonate in bottles after such a lengthy process, I may therefore leave it in cornies.

[greenxpaddy]

I've read you can add a small quantity of any yeast you do have to prime in bottles. You won't get any flavour coming through from just priming with a different yeast, though I would use a highly flocculating yeast like Fullers.

[leedsbrew]

couldnt you gaffer tape the outside of the lid on the mango barrel Steve. Will be more air tight and doesnt need to be sterile!

[charliefarley]

I've given up on finings, my lagers always get clear within a couple of months. If you're brewing now for summer you'll be fine without finings.
Secondary/Lagering in a corny is fine as it can hold the pressure but difficult to know how much it will carbonate unless it is really racked at final gravity. I usually ferment for three weeks @10 (WLP800) before lagering. Otherwise an airlock is needed in another vessle, because that yeast still kicks out CO2 even at 2C.
Transfering conry to corny once a month works well to get rid of the sedimented yeast.