1st lager.... and its really cloudy... need advice

This was our 5th batch. I've had no batches get infected so far, although due to small mistakes each of the first 4 brews has turned out a little different than intended. Not bad, just different.

I got a "Pre-Prohibition Lager" kit from Seven Bridges for my birthday, and recently got a free small refrigerator that went into my basement, so I decided to try it out. Boil went fine, added a gallon of bottled spring water to top off, and threw in the Wyeast Pilsner Lager. Sent the primary into the fridge at 48 degrees. After a few days, it's happily bubbling away.

Two weeks later I decide to rack to secondary. I open the bucket and I notice the smell. It's not BAD... not exactly.... but it doesn't smell great either. The ales I brewed all smelled like good beer when I racked to secondary. This one had me worried.

Worse yet, it's REALLY cloudy. Once I got it into the carboy, it's the color and cloudiness level of apple cider. We used Irish moss flakes during the boil, just like with all my ales. I went ahead and filled up the five gallons, airlocked it and threw it back into the fridge. I'll be lowering the temp each day 4 degrees until I can get it to 32 degrees.

Is this normal? (The smell and/or color?) Can anyone offer advice?

Thanks.

What's the smell? Buttery? (diacetyl...give it a couple days at 65F). Sulfur-y? Some lager yeasts produce sulfur smells, IIRC.

The cloudiness should clear while lagering. I'd check the smell and look again in 3-4 weeks.

At 48F, fermentation would be really slow and diacytal cleanup would take a lot longer than 2 weeks. I agree with the above, slowly get that temp up to about 65 and leave it there for 48 hours, then start the decline back down to 33F afterwards.

Lagers do stink though.

Thanks guys. It was more of a sulfur-y smell, so I think I'm going to just leave it alone.... the kit says to slowly bring the temp down to 32 degrees, which I'm doing in 2-3 degree increments per day.

On a semi-related note, I think I read in some other thread about how you can use gelatin either during or after secondary fermentation to further clarify the brew - know anything about this?

thanks again.

I use gelatin on my lighter brews.

Very easy to use. Pour 1 C water in a saucepan and put it on the flame. Stir in 1 tablespoon of gelatin. When the water gets WARM (not hot) and the gelatin dissolves stir and pour it into the carboy. Let sit overnight and the brew should be clear. If you are not in a hurry let it sit 2 days. It can't harm it.

Some instructions say to add it at bottling/kegging. I don't subscribe to those instructions because I don't want to transfer the gelatin.

If you are using it in a lager you don't have to get the brew warmed to room temp. Just leave it at the low temp and it'll work just as well. Of course, at the lower temps it looks more like you have a home-made lava lamp.