oops might have screwed up my lager

i made a Sam Adams Boston lager clone on saturday. pitched wyeast 2206 Bavarian lager yeast and forgot to put it in my lagering fridge! Its been in my basement at 64F and is fermenting away; do I put it in the fridge now or what? How will this effect the flavor, attenuation, etc?

Should be fine. It's not too far out of ideal temperature range. And by too far, I'd mean something like in the high 60s and low 70s. Anyway, there shouldn't be a problem. Just get that temperature down to the ideal range (slowly, don't shock the yeast) and keep it there as you normally would. Then, after the yeast have attenuated, just take care to do a nice diacetyl rest since being a little higher than it should've may cause additional DMS production.

That's it. Relax, don't worry and...well, you know the rest.

EinGutesBier said:

Should be fine. It's not too far out of ideal temperature range. And by too far, I'd mean something like in the high 60s and low 70s. Anyway, there shouldn't be a problem. Just get that temperature down to the ideal range (slowly, don't shock the yeast) and keep it there as you normally would. Then, after the yeast have attenuated, just take care to do a nice diacetyl rest since being a little higher than it should've may cause additional DMS production.

That's it. Relax, don't worry and...well, you know the rest.

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That's good advice. This might not quite have the flavor profile that you wanted, but it'll still be good. Chill it gently and go on like nothing bad happened. I promise, I won't tell

EinGutesBier said:

Then, after the yeast have attenuated, just take care to do a nice diacetyl rest since being a little higher than it should've may cause additional DMS production.

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Dimethyl sulfide and diacetyl are two different things. Precursors to DMS are formed during the mash. Continental Pilsner malts are well known for this. DMS itself is formed from these precursors if the wort is not boiled long/strongly enough or during a slow cool-down and has a cooked corn/cabbage flavor.

Diacetyl is formed during fermentation and has a buttery/butterscotchy flavor. Different yeast strains produce different levels of diacetyl, but one common element is that it is produced more at higher primary fermentation temps. A diacetyl rest re-invigorates the yeast and they clean up much of the diacetyl.

So, anyway, for the OP, diacetyl is a concern, so a rest would be beneficial. However, you probably produced some esters at that higher temp. which will lead to a fruitiness that you can't do much about. You may want to lager a bit longer than you planned to allow the yeast time to clean it up a bit more. That temp. was your fermentation temp., not your ambient temp., right? If it was your ambient temp., then your fermentation temp. was probably even higher. Fortunately, Sam Adams is pretty well hopped, so there is something for off-flavors to hide behind. It should still be good beer!

menschmaschine said:

Dimethyl sulfide and diacetyl are two different things.

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Ah, crap, you're right. In all fairness, that post was made pretty late at night. :cross:

EinGutesBier said:

Ah, crap, you're right. In all fairness, that post was made pretty late at night. :cross:

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I hear you. I've got the two of them confused before as well.

that was the fermenter temp. ill go with a rest and lager longer thanks for the advice

pickles said:

i made a Sam Adams Boston lager clone on saturday. pitched wyeast 2206 Bavarian lager yeast and forgot to put it in my lagering fridge! Its been in my basement at 64F and is fermenting away; do I put it in the fridge now or what? How will this effect the flavor, attenuation, etc?

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Just wondering what the recipe is???

jesse said:

Just wondering what the recipe is???

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Ditto. Bump.