Fast actin' lager yeast

Made up my oktoberfest a few weeks ago and pitched per mr. malty calculator - two smack packs of 2308 Munich Lager around 60F and fermented at 55F.

I checked the gravity about 3 days on expecting about 75% of a complete fermentation (FG ~1.014). I had planned on performing a D-rest for 3 days upon a 75% completion, but it turned out to be completely fermented out, or at least down to my predicted FG. I tasted the hydro sample - a little diacetyl - so performed the rest at 65F for 3 days, then back down to 45F gradually over the next few days.

Has anyone had experience with a seemingly slow acting lager yeast going that quick? Will my D-rest be less effective given the gravity was lower than expected so quickly and probably no more room for fermentation?

Never had a lager go that fast, but I always ferment on the low end of temperature. I guess if you pitched a large quantity of healthy yeast and fermented on the high end, it's definitely possible. If it is fermented out, your D-rest will be less effective. But diacetyl can be eaten up during lagering too, so I'd just make sure you lager it for a good long time (depending on OG, maybe 8-12 weeks). Then taste it to see if there's still any diacetyl. If you're bottling, you'll want to add some dry lager yeast (~1/2 pack per 5 gallons) to the bottling bucket just to be safe because of the long lagering.

So far I used almost solely this yeast, so I don't have any comparison. But my first lager on this yeast was done in one week - I pitched warm and after 2/3 of fermentation rised temperature for D-rest.

Per the pitching calculator, i didn't really consider this to be overpitching, if anything 2 packs in a 2qt starter was probably underpitching for a lager. I also didn't consider 55F to be the high end of this strain for primary, but what do i know.

I plan on holding it for at least 10 days at 45F, the down to 32-35F for at least 10weeks, so hopefully any diacetyl will get gone then.

cactusgarrett said:

I plan on holding it for at least 10 days at 45F, the down to 32-35F for at least 10weeks, so hopefully any diacetyl will get gone then.

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Sounds like good plan. I'd be interested to see how it turns out.