Hi everyone!
I built a keezer recently, and decided to give a go at lagering. I pitched with Wyeast Pilsner Urquell strain. Nothing unusual about the brew, batch sparge, dry hopped, cooled the wort and pitched. I should note, however, that I couldn't find my hydrometer due to my wife's 'organization' recently, so I sadly don't have an OG. I left the carboy out at room temp for about 24 hours, and after seeing no activity I thought it best to chill and moved it to the keezer. The keezer is running about 58-59 at the moment. A few days go by, and still no tell tale signs of fermentation. I ran out to my LHBS and bought another packet, this time making a yeast starter. I did it a little differently this time, and after pitching, put it directly into the keezer to get it to the same temp as the existing wort. There was a bit of sediment on the bottom the next day, but during my periodic checks, no apparent airlock activity. On a whim, I bought some bohemian lager yeast and made a starter following the first method I used, and I'm seeing a decent amount of activity. Since this is my first attempt at lager, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on proper technique for pitching. I've got a couple of pictures of the growth on the top of the carboy, hopefully some one more experienced can give me some direction! Thanks!
I built a keezer recently, and decided to give a go at lagering. I pitched with Wyeast Pilsner Urquell strain. Nothing unusual about the brew, batch sparge, dry hopped, cooled the wort and pitched. I should note, however, that I couldn't find my hydrometer due to my wife's 'organization' recently, so I sadly don't have an OG. I left the carboy out at room temp for about 24 hours, and after seeing no activity I thought it best to chill and moved it to the keezer. The keezer is running about 58-59 at the moment. A few days go by, and still no tell tale signs of fermentation. I ran out to my LHBS and bought another packet, this time making a yeast starter. I did it a little differently this time, and after pitching, put it directly into the keezer to get it to the same temp as the existing wort. There was a bit of sediment on the bottom the next day, but during my periodic checks, no apparent airlock activity. On a whim, I bought some bohemian lager yeast and made a starter following the first method I used, and I'm seeing a decent amount of activity. Since this is my first attempt at lager, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on proper technique for pitching. I've got a couple of pictures of the growth on the top of the carboy, hopefully some one more experienced can give me some direction! Thanks!