Hello from Mississippi

Hi everyone! Wow what a great forum. I am really enjoying reading through the posts and am learning a lot. I have started my very first batch of Lager yesterday and haven't seen any signs of fermentation yet. Should I be worried or just patient?

Thanks!

My SG is dropping (started at 1030 and is now at 1020 overnight) but no bubbles from the airlock. I pitched a little hot (around 93 F) and figured I would have a slow start but Im a little concerned that I may need to repitch. Is this a common problem? Any advice would be great.

Well, after a brief investigation, I found that my screw on carboy top could use a smidge of tightening. Bubbling away now which should explain everything. Next question, how will the loose top overnight affect the final quality of my brew?

Quick question, how cool is the beer right now? You pitched a little hot, which won't kill the yeast (you won't need to re-pitch) but this might lead to some off-flavors. If this is really a lager, you need the beer to be pretty cool (usually around 50 degrees or so, depending on the yeast) for it to ferment properly.

Its at 26 c right now. and I have it in the coolest part of the house. In Ms, we realy have bad weather for lager making.

That's a little warm, even if you were making an ale. Doesn't sound like you'll be making a true lager, which requires a cold conditioning at a lot colder temp.

You might think about putting the fermenter in a big tub of water, and swapping out frozen jugs of water once or twice a day to control your temps a bit better. Or, don't worry about it, and know that you'll be making more of a steam beer (lager yeast fermented at ale temps) than a real lager. The lager yeast may give some weird flavors at that temp, just be aware.

Great idea about the ice in a tub. Any guesstimates on how many gallon jugs to get to 50 c?

Will my loose top have a detrimental affect on quality as well Bird?

I wouldn't worry about that, hell, read up some of the stories around here, people have done a lot worse.

I have an old fridge that I can use for future batches of Lager. Ill put the fermenter in it and adjust the temp to the warmest setting, that should work. Thanks alot Bird!

There are lots of threads around here on converting old fridges to fermentation chambers. I think you'll find that you need a separate thermostat to get the right temps (the fridge may not allow a high enough setting for when the lager is in primary).