I don't wanna wait Lager

Hello,

I originally planned on using a Kolsch WY smack pack for my first AG. I smacked..2 days later..nodda...made a starter for an addtional 2 days..nodda. So I had a WY Pilsen 2007 kicking around. I smacked and pitched 10 days ago (less than 24 hrs after wort chilled) My OG was 1.054, and the last two readings are 1.012. There is still lots of thick gummy krausen on top of the beer. I am keerping the temp 45-50F.

So, the question now is....

When should I rack into a secondary? After the krausen falls...or wait a while?
I don't want to wait months for this (I know..it IS a lager....so are there any bottle condioning options as well?)

Any input would be greatly appreciated as I am eager to try my AG.

Cheers.

I would pull it out to room temp (~70F) for a few days for a d-rest and it will pretty much finish up fermenting. Then rack to secondary, drop the temp down as gradually as possible to your lagering temp, and then wait as long as you can stand it.

Koelsch is an ale, not a lager. Although the yeast will work at the temperatures you mention, it can be very sluggish and stubborn.

Most lager yeasts (like your Pilsen) will start well at room temps and keep fermenting at true lager temps (~50 ish) so raise the temps as recommended above.

If you're in a rush to finish and drink your beer, lagers are not for you. The word lager in German translates roughly as 'to store'.

Thanks for the info guys.
I will probably experiment with some other yeast (even dried) as I want to get a lighter bodied, crisp, clean, hoppy beer reciepe that would make for a "standard beer that I will always want to brew" I was hoping the Kolesch yeast would do it..but had to use the lager (planned for a real garage lager in november).

I just gotta research a pseduo lager yeast now...

Cheers.