BigB
Well-Known Member
I have been brewing for quite a while now and have always done ales. This weekend I brewed my first lager. I am just curious as to what to expect. My dumb a$$ is using an ale pale as a fermenter, so I really can't see too much of what is going on inside. What I can see, is a very small (maybe 1cm) layer of bright white foam on top-more like carbonation foam than krausen. No airlock activity whatsoever... Easy Revvy.... I know, I know! It's not a fermentation gauge! These are my thoughts...
1. This minimal "krausen" seems logical because it is a bottom fermenting yeast (Saflager W-34/70). I know the yeast is good because I used 2 packages, rehydrated as recommended, and had a nice little foaming going on while rehydrating.
2. The lack of airlock activity seems reasonable because it is, after all, fermenting at 50 degrees and even lager yeast are slow at that temp.
3. I pitched when the wort was approximately 55 degrees and the yeast was about 58-60 degrees. Within 4 hours, the fermenter was at 50 degrees and has held at 48-50 degrees since. I'm thinking that that slightly warmer temp for such a short period of time shouldn't hurt.
What do all of you lager pros think?
1. This minimal "krausen" seems logical because it is a bottom fermenting yeast (Saflager W-34/70). I know the yeast is good because I used 2 packages, rehydrated as recommended, and had a nice little foaming going on while rehydrating.
2. The lack of airlock activity seems reasonable because it is, after all, fermenting at 50 degrees and even lager yeast are slow at that temp.
3. I pitched when the wort was approximately 55 degrees and the yeast was about 58-60 degrees. Within 4 hours, the fermenter was at 50 degrees and has held at 48-50 degrees since. I'm thinking that that slightly warmer temp for such a short period of time shouldn't hurt.
What do all of you lager pros think?