German Brewing

For some reason this is going to stick in my mind. I made a Helles Bock awhile back. It's laggering in an above ground cave (garage).
I was going to bottle it 1/1/16, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't let it lager for a couple more months.

Shouldn't be much reason to lager it longer than about 3 months, Rob. The typical German rule of thumb is 1 week for every degree plato (of the original gravity). But it certainly won't hurt it!

Thanks for the general rule! I think that's a lot easier than the crazy math thing that I had read.
So 15 Plato = 15 weeks = 3+ mos.

I assume the "lager" time does not include the initial fermentation period.

Nope, the lagering time is separate. I don't adhere by that rule, by the way. I'm far too impatient.