First Lager Questions...

I brewed my first AG Lager yesterday. A Bavarian Dunkle from NB. OG after boil came out to 1.048 a bit shy of 1.050.

I used White Labs 830 Lager yeast with a 1 liter starter. Fermenting at 52 degrees, says 50-55. However with the ales i have done in the past the fermentation has been quite active. But this one seems really slow It is bubbling, but not nearly as much as I would like. Is this normal for a Lager since the temps are colder?

Nearly all the Ales I have done in the past i needed a blow off tube, but this I could easily use the airlock. Just wondering if this is ok or typical of a Lager.

Thanks in Advance..

I wouldn't worry, I usually find the lagers to ferment a little calmer than most ales and take a little longer to finish.

I find ale fermentations to be like a drag race and lagers more of a Sunday drive. They both get to the same place, you just have to be more patient with lagers.

zzARzz said:

I find ale fermentations to be like a drag race and lagers more of a Sunday drive. They both get to the same place, you just have to be more patient with lagers.

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+1

Lager fermentation is totally different. Make sure to do a d-rest and raise that temp before racking. You don't want a butterball lager

idigg said:

+1

Lager fermentation is totally different. Make sure to do a d-rest and raise that temp before racking. You don't want a butterball lager

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Ok thanks, thats what I wanted to know. With the cold weather I am able to keep the temp right at 52 degrees with the fermentor in a big tub of water.

The directions dont really tell me how long to let it sit at 52 but I am just going to follow general guidelines for Lagers...

What is a good way to do the D rest? and when to do it?

thanks...

wyowolf said:

Ok thanks, thats what I wanted to know. With the cold weather I am able to keep the temp right at 52 degrees with the fermentor in a big tub of water.

The directions dont really tell me how long to let it sit at 52 but I am just going to follow general guidelines for Lagers...

What is a good way to do the D rest? and when to do it?

thanks...

Click to expand...

It's best to do the diacetyl rest after primary or secondary is done (you've reached FG). I kick mine up to 64F for 2-3 days and then reduce the temp 5F/day until it reaches 34F at which point I'll leave it for several weeks to lager.

You generally want to do the diacetyl rest at the tail end of primary, when the beer is about 75% of the way to FG. That's because the yeast is still active then, and that's the best time to encourage them to keep going and clean up any diacetyl. For many beers, that's at about 1.020 or so.

After the diacetyl rest, make sure you are at FG before racking and then lagering.

Great info thanks. Fermentation has picked up a bit now it seems...

Since this is my first lager curious to see how it turns out...

I haven't done a lager but i ferment my ales at the bottom of the recommended temperature range and they ferment pretty slow. I've never needed a blow off even with my latest where I put about 6 gallons of wort in the 6 1/2 gallon fermenter (oops). When I get airlock acition (this bucket must have a little leak) it never goes above a bubble per second and takes about 3 days to quit bubbling.