Holy Rotten Egg Smell Batman!!!...and diacetyl rest...

This is the first time in my 17 years of Brewing that I actually have a freezer dedicated for Lagering. Right now my Helles is holding, and fermenting, at a rock steady 50 degrees. :rockin: The first thing that slaps you in the face when you open up the Chest Freezer's door is the smell of rotten eggs. I know that's normal. I have read a lot obout the smell, and always wondered how a yeast could put off such a caca smell. Well, I finally got to smell it for my first time this morning, and YUCK!!! Here's to a 6 week Lagering phase!!!

Now, lets talk about about a diacetyl rest. I have read Palmer's excerpt in his book about it, and it pretty much boil down to when Primary fermentation slows down noticably, rease the temp of the beer to 60 degrees for 24-48 hours. Sound about right? ALso, any other more scientific ways to know when a diacetyle rest can be done then relying on visible signs of fermentation?

Best info on that is already here; Preventing Diacetyl -or- "Hold The Butter Please" Imho, everything you need to know is in there in great depth.

I saw the title of your thread, and thought, "Oh, he's finally making a lager...."

I've had just a few strains that smell sulfury, but it's definitely noticeable when you have one of those strains!

I like to do the diacetyl rest when the SG is 75% of the way to FG. So, without me doing any math this morning (I'm still on my first cup of coffee), I'd guestimate that would be 1.020-1.022 for most of my lagers. If you don't want to check the SG, Palmer's suggestion of when it slows down but isn't finished is a good guideline as well.

Revvy said:

Best info on that is already here; Preventing Diacetyl -or- "Hold The Butter Please" Imho, everything you need to know is in there in great depth.

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Thanks for the thread Revvy. After reading it, here's my plan. Once I notice the fermentation falling off, I'll simply set the Ranco to 60 degrees for 36 hours, then even ramp it up to 65 degrees for 12 hours. Rack and Lager for 6-8 Weeks.

RLinNH said:

Thanks for the thread Revvy. After reading it, here's my plan. Once I notice the fermentation falling off, I'll simply set the Ranco to 60 degrees for 36 hours, then even ramp it up to 65 degrees for 12 hours. Rack and Lager for 6-8 Weeks.

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I'd add a couple of things to that- one, check the FG first before racking and lagering. When you do that, check for diacteyl too.

Diacetyl in large amounts is easy to taste- buttery, butterscotch flavors. But it very small amounts, it's not so easy. It's sort of a "slickness" on the tongue that feels slightly oily. If you get any hint of slickness in the mouthfeel, continue the diacetyl rest, as it'll get worse, not better, with lagering time!