Lager Stopped Fermenting

I made an Irish Red Lager last friday 8/9 and followed the advise of the LHBS for how to handle the yeast. I used Czech Pils wyeast 2278. I started it at 65F and when the activity started I lowered the temperature to 50F. The temperature range for the yeast is 50 to 58 and it fermented for a couple of days and then slowed to a snails pace. I took a gravity reading this morning and it was at 1.030. OG for the beer was 1.051. So I aerated it some more, and put it back. My thought was that I filled my carboy more then usual so maybe when I aerated it the first time it was insufficient. It still tastes good, so I think I am still in business. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I forgot to mention that I make 2.5 gallon batches.

Thanks

Lagers ferment differently than ales, the cold working yeast takes a lot more time than warmer ale yeasts. On "average" my lagers take two weeks to get down to the point I want to do my d-rest. How are you sure the fermenting has stopped? I bet it hasn't.

It's a lager, so you need to let it go. By nature they take way longer than ales due to the temperature at which they ferment.

Adding oxygen after a week isn't the best idea. The yeast use the oxygen to reproduce, then switch to eating the sugars and making alcohol.

When you say you followed LHBS directions for the yeast, did that include a starter to increase the number of yeast cells?

From my experience lagers typically start off (first several days) like Ales with plenty of activity as they consume the very simple sugars. Then it looks like nothing is happening while they work on breaking down the more complex sugar chains.

NEVER aerate after you pitch. Aeration after alcohol is present creates oxidation off-flavors.

ONLY aerate before you pitch your yeast!!

Ooooops, Lesson Learned

The good news is it takes quite a while for oxidation to take hold. Finish this beer up as quickly as you can and drink it down. You probably have 3-4 weeks before it starts to taste like cardboard.

TopherM said:

The good news is it takes quite a while for oxidation to take hold. Finish this beer up as quickly as you can and drink it down. You probably have 3-4 weeks before it starts to taste like cardboard.

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Its lost then, I have surgery in 12 days and can't pick anything heavy up. At its current rate it won't be done bubbling by then.

Don't give up on it. No telling the severity of the oxidation. Finish up the beer and see how it turns out. You never know!

TopherM said:

Don't give up on it. No telling the severity of the oxidation. Finish up the beer and see how it turns out. You never know!

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My plan was to let it sit 2 months while I recover from surgery. If I could bottle it before, then I could drink it real fast. I did a lager 2 weeks ago and it finished in 4 days. Is there any way to get it to finish faster?

raymadigan said:

My plan was to let it sit 2 months while I recover from surgery. If I could bottle it before, then I could drink it real fast. I did a lager 2 weeks ago and it finished in 4 days. Is there any way to get it to finish faster?

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Only bumping up the temp. Then start over as it will have enough time to ferment

You could pitch more yeast, but over-pitching creates its own problems. Sadly, you appear to be stuck between oxidation and a snail's pace. - A brewer's version of a rock and a hard place.

DrewschBag said:

You could pitch more yeast, but over-pitching creates its own problems. Sadly, you appear to be stuck between oxidation and a snail's pace. - A brewer's version of a rock and a hard place.

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Maybe my best option is to toss it and just start over.

raymadigan said:

Maybe my best option is to toss it and just start over.

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This is never the best option. Unless it is infected, which doesn't seem to be the case.

I suggest you do as Beaksnbeer says and raise the temp up to mid 60s. It should finish before your surgery. If you can't bottle/keg before your surgery, wait until you're at FG and cold crash it. If you end up tasting the cardboard, serve this one to your BMC friends after they've had a few.

I was thinking about this earlier this morning, would it change anything if it wasn't oxygen that I shook up into the wort?

It is fermenting so they gas on top of the wort in the carboy is CO2. I took a piece of sterile plastic and put it over the top and shook it. So, for the most part I shook CO2 into the wort. I know it was a stupid thing to do, and I won't do it again. Does this give me better odds that it will be better then cardboard?

I think odds are good that your beer will turn out just fine, even though lagers are more susceptible to off flavors because of longer aging and less flavors to mask. I know over the years I've done some stupid things while brewing and stressed over it, only to finally drink it and have a masterpiece. Live and learn, I wouldn't worry too much about it. PS good luck on your surgery!

I would recommend letting it go slow and low. When 2/3 done attenuating, bring the temp up 10 degrees for a D-rest, then lager it for 5-6 weeks at just above freezing.

If it's oxidized, which I am not convinced it was shaking it with CO2, the damage is done. Rushing it to slam it down may "save" the beer, but it will be subpar, lagers need lots of yeast, lots of oxygen, lots of time, and cold temps to produce wonderful, clean beer. I would risk a bad batch ageing it, and having to toss it, than rushing it, which will ensure it is subpar.

Well, I raised the temperature to 13C, the range for the yeast is 10C to 14C. I will just let it go and see what happend. It will sit for about 10 weeks, if it finishes fermentation soon enough to rack it to secondary while I can still lift it.

Thank you for all of your good advise. The burping has slowed down considerably and the krausen has started to drop so I raised the temperature for the d-rest.

Only time will tell what this will be like.

I appreciate all of your help.