I'm checking in to see if anyone has done this "quick" version of a lager that we have discussed before. Have any of you lager brewers done one of these 3-4 weeks (grain to glass) lagers by ramping up the temp part of the way through the primary fermentation? There is a link HERE of a guy who has done it and says that the quality of the beer is very good and does not suffer from the schedule. I'm still doing the standard "long" primary, a bit of secondary and then kegging, carbing and leaving in the fridge for a good 2 months or so. I'm currently drinking a Red Lager I made in September. It's very good and nicely clear but I wonder if I could shorten the schedule. Cheers.
I've done it enough to realize there's no reason not to do it. Works great. BTW, Marshall will be featured in our next book!