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Is there any benefit from begining to lager one month after bottling.

I am considering putting my latest batch of bottled lager into the fridge while I am away for a few weeks. However, I won't bother to re-organize the fridge if there is nothing to gain.

The brew was:
Coopers Pilsner
1 kg DME
Saaz, 12g@60mins, 6g@25mins, 6g@15mins
W34/70
3 weeks in primary at around 12C then bottled. The bottles will be at room temperature (15C + -5 or so) for a month by the time they could go in the fridge.
["To alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems"]

Technically, you will not be lagering because your beer is already bottled and carbed.

You will effectively be cold conditioning. Nothing wrong with that, particularly with a lager, but when it comes to making a true lager via lagering (the process of fermenting your brew at a low temp) you've missed the boat I'm afraid.

Actually lagering refers to the storing process at low temperatures after fermentation.

Lagering and cold conditioning are in essence the same action.

The above is not really lagering or cold conditioning because it has already been bottled. What you are really doing is refrigerating beer. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Pale_Ale wrote:Actually lagering refers to the storing process at low temperatures after fermentation.

Lagering and cold conditioning are in essence the same action.

The above is not really lagering or cold conditioning because it has already been bottled. What you are really doing is refrigerating beer. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Is that right????

I thought it was pre-bottling???

Sorry about the wrong answer then. That must be why the lagering is done at racking stage.

EDIT: Forget it. I was confusing myself and everyone else along with me.