I have seen this said of Czech lager: "Condition for 1 week for every degree plato".
Plato is the specific gravity scale used by Czech brewers. As a rough measure, 12 plato = 5% ABV, 10 plato = 4% ABV.
So, do I need to keep my Bohemian lager in 2ndary for 12 weeks, then bottle and wait 3-4 weeks for carbonation?
Or does the 12 weeks include bottling time?
By the way, I have read that some breweries in Czech serve up their beer after 5 weeks in summer, because demand is high! I expect this is the "10" session beer, favoured by all-day drinkers in that fine country.
Mike
Czech lager: 12 weeks conditioning period
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Re: Czech lager: 12 weeks conditioning period
Mike
I don't know an exact answer to this, but if this is a cold lagering period typical of Czech Budwars etc., then I suspect that the traditional method would be to put it in a lagering barrel for 12 weeks at around 6 - 7 degrees subject to you having used a suitable yeast in the first place or having top fermented then pitched a lagering yeast.
Czech brewing methods can be complex and the lagering yeast may need clearing out of the final product before bottling. I believe both clarifying agents and filtration are used in some circumstances.
Reg
I don't know an exact answer to this, but if this is a cold lagering period typical of Czech Budwars etc., then I suspect that the traditional method would be to put it in a lagering barrel for 12 weeks at around 6 - 7 degrees subject to you having used a suitable yeast in the first place or having top fermented then pitched a lagering yeast.
Czech brewing methods can be complex and the lagering yeast may need clearing out of the final product before bottling. I believe both clarifying agents and filtration are used in some circumstances.
Reg