Lager fermenting too fast?!?!?

So, here’s the low down. Got a nice big starter of fresh White Labs 830 yeast from my local brewery (drawn out of one of their fermentation tanks) and pitched it into my Doppelbock (OG 1.066) on Sunday (1/3/2010). I think about it and decided to throw a pound of DME into it yesterday (1/10/2010) to up the alcohol to the acceptable range for that style.

Before I did that I checked the gravity, 1.024!!!! So I pitched the DME (which should make it 1.032) but here’s my question. I thought lagers were supposed to take 3 weeks to ferment? I was planning on doing a diacetyl rest around this gravity to finish it up but I was planning on that being in two more weeks time. Should I step up my game plan and do a rest now? Can you do that rest at any gravity area or even when it’s finished fermenting?

I started the beer out at 52F when I pitched and the highest it ever got was 56 and now it’s back to 52 and there’s no more krausen left on top.

you need better temperature control. it sounds like your yeast did a diacetyl rest for you. generally your supposed to keep the brew at 50 for the first 2/3 of fermentation then up it to 60 for the last third. just to be on the safe side do the rest now.

Ok! Will do, thanks for the response Tipsy!

digging up an old thread with the same question. I pitched a big starter from a yeast cake on 4/28 and my fermentation is slowing down 5/3 (5 days later) and I would like to do a D-rest. My temp was 52-54 with WLP830. I do not want to D-rest then transfer to keg for lagering too early but would like to D-rest. any recommendations?

Did you taste diacetyl when you took a gravity reading to decide if it was time? The general consensus seems to be that a d-rest should happen at around 75% of your expected attenuation.

I do the D rest when fermentation starts to wind down, probably 90% complete. If you got a yeast cake from your brewery it was probably a massive over pitch and that's why it fermented so quickly. I've only ever had that happen when I rack onto a cake. If I'm going to do that I ferment incredibly low, I've gone as low as 43 and still has healthy sloooow fermentation. I'm sure the beer will be ok though. I would let it come to room temp now.