Is WLP 810 bottom fermenting?

It's their San Francisco lager strain.

petep1980 said:

It's their San Francisco lager strain.

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I think it is- but I get a pretty darn big krausen with it!!!! I usually use that strain at 58 degrees or so.

Yooper said:

I think it is- but I get a pretty darn big krausen with it!!!! I usually use that strain at 58 degrees or so.

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Like Belgian Witbier big?

petep1980 said:

Like Belgian Witbier big?

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I don't know. I usually use buckets so I don't really have much of a reference, and I don't like Belgians or wits, so those are rare around my house!

Yooper said:

and I don't like Belgians or wits, so those are rare around my house!

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Booooo!

You weren't kidding about the krausen. I put 5 gallons of 1.049 OG wort into a 6-gallon carboy and had to remove the airlock. This is even @ 55F.

Any insight on how fast a fermenter the WLP810 is? I have a batch chugging away, has been in the upper 50's for the last week (after starting at 64 and dropping down to as low as 52) - this is day 10 of fermentation, I haven't taken a reading yet, but I'm headed home to do so.

If it's within 8 points of expected FG, should I bring it into the warmest part of the house for a diacetyl rest? Or can I just leave it to clean up after itself for another week and then rack to a keg for 6-8 weeks of lagering?

Well, answering my own question, this one is actually a slow fermenter when fermenting in the mid-to-upper 50's, similar to a lager pace. I took a reading on Friday, and my beer which started at 1.066 was at 1.030, or 65% of the way, after 10 days of fermentation - still too early to begin the diacetyl rest (not clear that it really needs one, but I'm going to perform one anyway).

Sound right?

Did you pitch enough yeast? When I use SF Lager it's done by 5 days. It's not a huge attenuator so you should mash low if you are looking for a dry beer.

Well of course I probably didn't pitch enough yeast - one vial, no starter. About 24hrs lag time before bubbling, I was really close to pitching a second yeast when I saw the first bubbles.

So, then, am I hosed? Or can I bring the temp up, rouse the yeast, add some yeast energizer? Or pitch a packet of Notty? Any hope?

Proper pitching rates are crucial to making great beer. With one vial in a 1.066 beer at widely varying temperatures you more than likely stressed the yeast. Which explains the longer than normal fermentation time as well as a general lack of attenuation. Next time make a starter and keep the fermentation temp stable.