Wyeast 2112 California Lager yeast slowing down quickly

It's my first time brewing a lager. I pitched OG 1.057 @ 68F around 10PM Sunday night. There were signs of fermentation by the time I woke up. When I got home from work it was really going. I moved the carboy to a colder room. The carboy now reads 60F. It's Wednesday and things seem to be slowing down. Is that normal with this yeast? Did lower temp knock the yeast out or is it just less active at cooler temps?

Thanks in advance

The temp range for this yeast is 58 - 68, so you are on the colder range of the yeast. It will take more time when it is colder.

I'm having similar problems with the White Labs version of this yeast (San Francisco Lager Yeast)

I have found that this yeast works well if you pitch at 62 and raise it to 65 after 24 hours and hold it there for the rest of primary. I will jump it up to 68 for the diacetyl rest and the beer comes out clean. I have won 2 golds with my common so it's well received. I like it which is what counts the most...

Stauffbier said:

I'm having similar problems with the White Labs version of this yeast (San Francisco Lager Yeast)

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Really? I just moved my Munich Dunkel with SF Lager from 55 to 68 after it went from 1.050 to 1.022. Looking for it to clean up diacetyl issues by completing it's ferment in the warmer environment. I pitched on friday at 65 and moved it to 55 after about 6 hours. Took another 12 hours for any noticeable ferment to start. But, after that it's been going at a steady rate. So far, so good.

R2-D2 said:

Really? I just moved my Munich Dunkel with SF Lager from 55 to 68 after it went from 1.050 to 1.022. Looking for it to clean up diacetyl issues by completing it's ferment in the warmer environment. I pitched on friday at 65 and moved it to 55 after about 6 hours. Took another 12 hours for any noticeable ferment to start. But, after that it's been going at a steady rate. So far, so good.

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My Oktoberfest with SF Lager seems to be stuck..
OG was 1.071
predicted Final Gravity is 1.018

My yeast starter was a bit small, which is what I think the problem is. After 12 days it's still at 1.029 and very sweet. It's going down, but real slow! I bumped up the temps a bit and stirred the yeast up last night. Hopefully that will help. Otherwise, I guess I just have to be patient.

So has anyone had this yeast still finish properly after it began to slow down? I'm trying to plan if I will need to add new yeast or if it is common for lager yeast to slow down but keep going after the temp has dropped.

dirtybear7 said:

So has anyone had this yeast still finish properly after it began to slow down? I'm trying to plan if I will need to add new yeast or if it is common for lager yeast to slow down but keep going after the temp has dropped.

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I'm wanting to know the same thing.. If I need to pitch more yeast it will take 5 days to get here once I order it. I do have 2 types of yeast nutrient arriving on monday. One of them said it was good for beer with stuck fermentation, so I might be putting that in the mix. Since my gravity is dropping by .001 a day I'm thinking it's just a slow mover. I would be more concerned if it wasn't dropping at all. I'm looking forward to washing this SF Lager yeast, so I'll have plenty on hand for future possible problems...

All yeasts will slow down when they don't have as much food to chew on. The 2112 works best at 60 or below. Let it work a little longer. 2112 has a really meaty taste to it if the temperature is stressed and autolysis occurs.

For a real lager your going to have to go lower than 60 and use a different yeast. 2112 will have more lager character if you ferment in the 50's but it will take longer.

If you feel anxiety about the yeast give it a little swirl in the carboy. Then let it clear. That ought to do it. Slow and steady wins the race. If your final gravity is 1.010 then call it a day...It might linger around 1.020 but it ought to drop to at least 1.015

2112 can handle stress. Slow and steady wins the race.

Thanks for the help. I will swirl the carboy and continue to check O.G.

I wouldn't be checking gravity on this yeast for a minimum of 10 days. Leave it alone, stop stressing over it.

It seems to still be going, just slowly. It certainly smells nice coming out of the airlock. I will update in 2 weeks.

DB, whats the story? Everything turn out?

I like the results from SF Lager so far. Bottled both my two brews, Munich Dunkel (1.011) and Brown Porter (1.015), last week and they need at least another two weeks. But, love the clarity and neutral flavors that the yeast exhibits. I expect two solid beers.

The beer is kegged and carbed. It finished at about 1.016. I think the OG was closer to 1.061 looking back at the measured brix, not 1.057 as originally stated. It is clear and tastes like a straight up beer. Nothing fancy, but I wish I had room to store it until Summer.

I pitched a 1.5L starter and this yeast is slowly chugging away for the past ten days at 57F. Thanks for the info on this thread it answered my question!

Both my brews are very well carbed after spending 2+ weeks at 70 degrees. Chilled, sampled, and moved to my 40 degree garage for cold conditioning. I'm very pleased with the taste and clarity of both, especially the Munich Dunkel (the other is a Brown Porter).