Coopers Euro Lager - Noob Temp Advice Needed Pls

[LiquidL]

Hi all. This is my second ever kit and hopefully my first successful one. Please be gentle to a total novice!

Coopers Euro Lager + 1KG Coopers BKE2, To 23 litres, OG 1042
It's had 16 days in the FV at 14C (brew fridge) and now reads SG 1022, tastes fine.

The question is what do I do next? Once the gravity is constant over a few readings I know primary is done. I was then intending to batch prime in a bucket and put it in bottles to carbonate & condition.

Diacetyl rest? I think this means get it to room temp for a few days help the yeast get rid of diacetyl? Should I just whack the temp in the brew fridge up to 20 for a bit?
Crash cooling - is that important & would I do this after the diacetyl rest? What sort of temp should I do this at?
Carbonation - I think I need to up the temperature after priming + bottling so that carbonation kicks off. What temp and how long for?
Finally lagering, I just intended to leave the bottles in the cold garage for 3 months like the instructions say.

Just worried about the order of when to do things, and what temperatures. Any and all advice very welcome - thanks everyone.

[brewnaboinne]

I'm not a lager person so I'll stick to the first part - if your OG was 1042 then you'd expect an FG of about 1010, so I wouldn't do anything for a while (assuming it's still fermenting).

[LiquidL]

Thank you.

So it's probably not finished then. No wonder it tasted sweet. I'll check in a few days and go from there.

[Laripu]

I like to siphon into a secondary fermenting vessel - a glass carboy - for a month's lagering, to let the yeast settle. Some gelatin helps in that regard halfway through the secondary. Read up on how to use it.

I may be somewhat unusual in this forum in that regard. I'm in no hurry, taking 6 or 7 weeks to bottle, and making mostly strong beers. So as they say: YMMV.

But I have been home brewing for a very long time, and in two very different environments.

[purpleyeti]

did you swap the yeast for a larger one? as most kits come with ale yeast so you've fermented to cold hence it sticking.

[alexlark]

This kit comes with a true lager yeast. Pretty good kit too!

[LiquidL]

Thanks all. The kit does come with lager yeast as you say.

Checked gravity a few days ago at 1018. It's still going but I didn't expect it to be so slow. 28 days so far!

If it's still fermenting I'll let it do its thing before trying to go out and buy lager yeast.

[LiquidL]

Thanks again for advice all it was stuck at 1.018 so I've repitched more lager yeast and stirred up. Fingers crossed will check gravity later and hope nothing's gone bad.

[Haydnexport]

Leave for as long as you can, I did a few of them kits and it definitely improved with leaving on the yeast a bit. Have you got a spare Hydrometer ? It might be slightly out. Also off the top of my head my kits finished at 1.014 , but I can check the diary when I get home to confirm.

[LiquidL]

I believe the kit is actually finished now at just under 1.012. I should have taken advice and not done a lager so soon after starting this hobby.

I will bottle soon and hope it's drinkable after all this.

[Laripu]

I believe the kit is actually finished now at just under 1.012. I should have taken advice and not done a lager so soon after starting this hobby.

I will bottle soon and hope it's drinkable after all this.

Valuable experience, and I'm sure it will be great.

[Haydnexport]

making a nice lager is very rewarding , if a little challenging to start with