First Lager - Mike's Enormous Block

Hi All-

I brewed my first lager 3 weeks ago today. OG was 1.104 (hence the name Mike's Enormous Bock), well that and the comedy value.

So, gravity today is 1.037 and it is a bit sweet to the taste. (not that I am complaining about 8.9%ABV... I just want to make sure it does not finish too sweet).

Brew Smith2 predicts a FG of 1.025 and that I am currently at 62% ADF.

The beer is still in a plastic bucket primary and is bubbling every 14 seconds.

The yeast cake on the bottom is now 3/4" thick.

Should I....

(1) Rouse the Yeast (keep in bucket primary)

(2) Rack to a Glass Carboy (leave the yeast behind)

(3) Rack to a keg (leave the yeast behind)

(4) Do nothing. Just wait.

(5) Warm it up. (it is already at 62F)

The reason why it is at 62F now is that I start my d-rest way to early (I said this was my first lager).

I pitched at 64F (that was a cool as the Blichmann Therminator would chill the wort).

The next morning it was down to 50F and I held it at 50F for a week. (my temp control was a ferm wrap heater in the very cold garage).

Then after one week, I thought I must be getting close and started to warm the fermeter 1F per day until it was 60F (for the d-rest).

I think I pitched a decent amount of yeast. I grew 1 SmackPack on a stir plate in 2L of 1.040 wort. Then taking half of that yeast I grew it up in a 4L starter.

Thanks!

Edit - The title was supposed to say Enormous Bock not Enormous Block - damn you autocorrect! I can't edit the title.

bump

(i posted this during the Super Bowl, maybe you missed it?)

still trying to decide what to do, if anything.

I also came up with:
Option (6) Make a 2L starter of Nottingham Dry Yeast to get it going and pitch that. I've had good results with Nottingham being neutral and fully attenuating.

I don't think I am that desperate yet... since it is still fermenting.

It could be that there are enough residual complex sugars that you are done. Posting the recipe would help. Or hopefully, it just needs more time. I wouldn't pitch ale yeast yet. Do you have any more lager yeast to grow into an active starter and pitch that? That worked for a 1.102 RIS I made (dropped about 14 points).

I don't have any big lager experience, my biggest was an average bock of 1.066 OG that is currently in secondary. Yours is on the very tippy top end for a dopple bock, so an extreme amount of yeast would be required for a proper ferment. I would have probably made an average bock first, then pitched the dopple on top of the whole bock yeast cake. But I admire your bravado and zest for a first lager challenge! I also am hoping to hear others opinion on how to dry this one out a bit.

I think I am going to let it go until the weekend and then keg it.

Then I am going to stick the keg in the back of the closet and forget about it.

I am pretty sure it will improve over time. I'll probably put it on tap in a few months and then let it lager there but I think it could sit for quite awhile before then.

This is the recipe.

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
19 lbs 8.0 oz Munich Malt (6.0 SRM) Grain 1 49.7 %
19 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (1.7 SRM) Grain 2 49.7 %
3.2 oz Chocolate (350.0 SRM) Grain 3 0.5 %
0.30 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 9.6 IBUs
0.40 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 5 7.8 IBUs
Bavarian Lager (Wyeast Labs #2206) Yeast

Yeah, doesn't look like there should be a lot of unfermentable sugars in that grain bill. Maybe rouse the yeast back into suspension, and then keep it in primary for another 2 weeks? Sounds like it is chugging, but at a slow rate. Once you rack it out of primary, you drop a lot of yeast and fermentation will stop.

You've got quite the big beer lineup there. Me likey!

Mike's Enormous Bock is now on tap.

I let it sit in the house in the closet under the stairs at 55-65F for two months (in a keg). It was just a long secondary.

Now I am going to let it sit and lager on tap for as long as it lasts.

First impression. Is that it is a little sweet. Not terrible. Crazy strong.

I bet it improves after a few weeks of cold. Dat's a strong lager!