lagering advice needed, Dopplebock Options

[YeastWrangler72]

Hey,

someone might remember the post I did about my dopplebock's FG being high (1.022, instead of 1.017)
primary for 1 week
secondary for 2 weeks - dry hopped
bottling bucket, with priming sugar for 1 week (to let sugars be consumed) + I bottled 2 to see what would happen / taste

Well, after 7 days the bottles tasted too hoppy (I usually) only dry hop for 7 days & the gravity (bottling bucket) was down a bit, to 1.02
racked it back to the secondary on Wed. - after 10 days in bucket.
Had great positive pressure in the air lock!

Well, I need to secondary back for another batch.

So, should I rack to to the bottling bucket (all I have) - and put it outside for 2 weeks to "lager" *making sure if temp.s drop below 45 F. to pull it inside at night?

Gees - is it a plant or beer!

thanks for any advice

[RunDownHouse]

Well, it's not really priming sugar if you don't package right away. It's just adding fermentables and letting it... ferment.

Hard to say about the taste, but the more you dry it out by adding sugar, the hoppier you'll perceive it to be.

If your addition of sugar in the secondary had fermented out, the positive pressure in the airlock was probably just CO2 being knocked out of solution, not any real activity. Although, with a beer as big as a doppelbock should be, one week in primary isn't ideal.

Why do you absolutely have to move a beer into secondary right away? I would probably just wait if I was in your shoes, or buy another vessel. However, if you're good sanitarily, it shouldn't be a big deal to hold it in the bottling bucket. Getting that spigot clean and sanitary is a bitch, though. Also, all this transferring is probably oxidizing the beer unless you're doing it under CO2. Even commercial breweries that have tanks that can hold pressure and plenty of CO2 to push everything try to move the beer as little as possible. It may not be a big deal, but moving the beer from vessel to vessel certainly isn't doing it any favors.

[YeastWrangler72]

Well, it's not really priming sugar if you don't package right away. It's just adding fermentables and letting it... ferment.

RunDown,
When your right your right! (smarty pants)
Well, I'd intended on bottling (thus "priming" sugar was added) but stopped because the FG wasn't where it should be - dig?
Yes, I learned an important lesson about checking SG BEFORE doing things!

Hard to say about the taste, but the more you dry it out by adding sugar, the hoppier you'll perceive it to be.
Well, the bottled did taste tart - but when the batch was racked back to the 2ndary 10 days later - it was much more mellow.

If your addition of sugar in the secondary had fermented out, the positive pressure in the airlock was probably just CO2 being knocked out of solution, not any real activity. Although, with a beer as big as a doppelbock should be, one week in primary isn't ideal.

So, you're saying that it should have stayed in the primary fermentation tank for more than a week, before being racked to secondary? (I've done this same beer twice before and it turned out really well)
Can you please explain / clarify?

Why do you absolutely have to move a beer into secondary right away? I would probably just wait if I was in your shoes, or buy another vessel. However, if you're good sanitarily, it shouldn't be a big deal to hold it in the bottling bucket. Getting that spigot clean and sanitary is a bitch, though. Also, all this transferring is probably oxidizing the beer unless you're doing it under CO2. Even commercial breweries that have tanks that can hold pressure and plenty of CO2 to push everything try to move the beer as little as possible. It may not be a big deal, but moving the beer from vessel to vessel certainly isn't doing it any favors.

I appreciate your thoughts on this one... I guess that I could wait.
It's just that I've a Irish Ale in primary - been 7 days - that's when I typically rack it off that yeast cake - since I've heard that some off flavors can develop if left there too long.
And, I want to brew my 1st beefed-up Irish Sweet Stout w/ oatmeal, using that yeast cake in primary for the ferment - and have it ready for Christmas.
So, I can't move anything w/out either buying another carboy (which I'm leaning on... per your advice) or using the bottling bucket (which you've now got me paranoid about - thanks!)
* Typically I consider my sanitation above questioning - I teach a course on Food Safety & Sanitation & practice what I preach - but this CO2 situation isn't something I've considered / was aware of until now.

Whew!

Thanks for the reply - I hope to hear more from you or others http://www.brewboard.com/style_emoticons/b...ard/scratch.gif

[Barley]

A week isn't too long in primary. But, it looks like you've got other brews coming up, so, I'd invest in some more fermenters. I know lots of people that ferment in buckets with spigots. Not a big deal sanitizing.
Just my two Lincolns.

Brew on, (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/cheers.gif)
jeff

P.S. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

This post has been edited by Barley: Nov 23 2009, 08:57 AM

[Hoppy1]

You really can't rush beer, 1 week in the primary for a lager of such gravity is not anywhere enough time. I let my doppelbocks sit in primary until terminal is reached 3-4 weeks sometime. Also forget about secondaries, I haven't used one in over a year with no ill results.

[YeastWrangler72]

Cool.
Thanks guys.

Would a glass carboy be better for long term primary fermenting, as in the case of lagers?
I mean, is a plastic bucket just as good? I go out tomorrow to get something... but I'd like some advice on what would be best, with financial AND flavor considerations.

[Hoppy1]

I would recommend switching to glass for extended primary storage. You don't have to worry about the problems with plastic but glass does has its disadvantages. Harder to clean, harder to move when full and extremely fragile. I consider these downfalls minor when I look at the benefits of glass.