Just as lagers require more fermentation time than ales, so do they require additional conditioning and maturation time. After bottling, lagers should be allowed to condition and mature for at least 4 weeks before consuming. Higher gravity lagers, such as double bocks, oktoberfests and Baltic porters, would benefit from up to 6 months of conditioning and maturation. A portly purveyor of homebrewing supplies once said, "If I could sell patience, I'd have retired a long time ago." With lagers, you must be patient in order to get the best results. Furthermore, make sure you calculate your time right if you want the full maturation of your lager to coincide with a certain season. For example, if you're brewing an Oktoberfest for... um, October... brew it in March (thus the alternate name "Märzen") and let it condition all summer as brewers traditionally did. Your patience will pay off.

Lager Brewing