Lager troubles

[sstought]

Hi everybody,

Before I get started, is there one part of the forum just for troubleshooting? I'm sorta new here, but I'm thinking this one is the closest to that.

I'm having some problems with my latest brew, and was looking for guidance. I made a pair of lagers using Wyeast Activator Pilsner Urquell (2001), and I've never used a lager yeast before. A full 24 hours after, I'm getting no reaction AT ALL in the carboys, just a completely flat surface. It was a slap pack, and my worries about this yeast started when it didn't inflate at all after 3 hours.

I have the beer sitting out on my balcony to keep cool (I don't have a fridge to devote to fermenting and lagering, so I'm using May weather in Ontario as best I can), and I'm also wondering if anyone's ever had any luck with that.

My main worries at this point are keeping them cool, whether or not my yeast was dead, and how much temperature fluctuations are going to matter. Any advice?

Thanks,
Sean St.

 

[Tonedef131]

Lagers are slow starters, it's not uncommon for them to take well over 24 hours to get going. That said if you just pitched one pack, you really didn't pitch an ideal amount of yeast for a lager and it might take a great deal of time to get going.

 

[scinerd3000]

Lagers are slow starters, it's not uncommon for them to take well over 24 hours to get going. That said if you just pitched one pack, you really didn't pitch an ideal amount of yeast for a lager and it might take a great deal of time to get going.

exactly! Give it some time. Usually for lagers i use a LARGE starter. Ill take a gallon growler and make a starter which works well. Even with that large starter it still takes a few days to get going- just because you cant see anything happening doesnt mean its not starting. Give it a few more days until you become worried

 

[sstought]

Do you think I'll have better luck with fermentation in my 20*C apartment, or my 1-18*C balcony? How bad is an irregular temp?

 

[Yooper]

10C is ideal for that yeast. Inside at 20C would be awful- you'd have a ton of fruity off-flavors, probably along with some sulfur. Underpitching with only one pack, and having big temperature swings might make the problem worse.

Lagers require a bit more attention to temperature than ales do, so maybe you could find a cooler or a big trashcan to help insulate the fermenter to keep it from big temperature swings. You can wrap it in a blanket, too, to help insulate it.

 

[volstag]

Using a Budvar yeast (which is very similar to the urquell yeast) I have had fermentations take up to 4 days to start. In 5 different batches of the same beer, the fastest it has started is 2 days. I think next time maybe 2 packages of yeast, or a starter is necessary for a fast start.

 

[sstought]

It seems to be getting started now. Ive got it wrapped up in towels and blankets out on the balcony, which I open up at night. They seem to be keeping the beer nice and cool through the day, so I'm starting to be optimistic.... maybe. My only worry at this point is contamination, but that's always a worry. Thanks for the help everybody!