Lagering in a corny....gas or no gas?

[BrianL]

I racked my first lager (Munich Helles) into a corny, purged it with CO2 and put it in my chest freezer. I planned on letting it sit for a few weeks before attaching the gas to carbonate, but started thinking it would absorb the CO2 in the headspace (especially since it's cold) and possibly pull in oxygen. So I just hooked up the gas to be safe.

I think once it's carbonated and everything is in equilibrium then it'd be safer to pull off the gas. Is my logic right or would I have been safe just letting it sit without CO2?

[brewinhard]

I think some would tell you that it is okay to keep it with just the initial purging, but I am anal and always let my gas run for a bit into the beer after purging just to make sure that all the posts/gaskets are sealed up nicely. I have heard of people who did not add additional CO2 before lagering and they have come to find beer leaking out of the keg. So, I always leave my gas on after purging for a few additional minutes at 25-30 psi while I finish cleaning up from the day of racking/kegging.

[EagleDude]

Based on Dan Gordan 4 1/31/201. I asked Dan the very same question. Without hesitation, Dan says to lager under pressure. He is all about German Purity brewing, so he transfers into lagering tanks with fermentation still happening (or with added wort) then lets tanks naturally carbonate. With that in mind, I have been storing under 5 PSI for the first week or two, then jumping the regulator up over the next two to four weeks until I'm sitting at the right volumes for the beer. Without a dedicated regulator (to individually control keg pressure), I don't see a problem placing the beer at the 10 to 14 PSI from the start and lagering as necessary. Both methods have worked well for me ... That was the Southern Answer.

West Coast Answer: Pressure lagering is good.

[thatguy314]

Put pressure on to flush out the oxygen and also maintain the seals. Remember, the pressure will decrease significantly when it gets cold, both because it disolves in there and because the gas pressure decreases with temp (PV=nRT for those who remember high school chemistry)

[BrianL]

Thanks for the input. I'll stick with keeping the gas on.

I wish I could remember every good bit of information I've heard on the BN shows.