My beer looks really strange, not activity

[krc333]

I brewed this beer on Friday night and as of Sunday I'm not seeing any activity. I've also never seen my beer look like this before. I'm wondering if my yeast is not active because it looks like everything from the bottom of the carboy has bonded together and is now floating around like a brick in my beer. Click link to see a pic of the beer. I've since swirled it around a little but I'm still not seeing any activity like I normally do.

3/4 grain light munich
7.5 lb's pale ale extract
2 ounces of mt hood for 30 minutes at boil
1 oz of vangaurd with 30 minutes left in boil
1 irish moss tablet 10 minutes at the end of boil
South German Larger Yeast, white lab liquid
5 gallon batch

SG=1.07

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58886100@N05/5399702136/

I've made this before and it was great

 

[twigboy2000]

How much of the lager yeast did you pitch? Did you have a starter? What was the temp?

The floaters just look like an interesting collection of protein break material. Never seen it collect that way, but then every wort is different.

-chuck

 

[krc333]

Just one liquid vial from White Labs. I didn't check the temp before pitching, but it was room temp so probably anywhere from 70-75 at the hottest.

It's crazy looking, almost like a piece of foam. I think eveyr thing was bonding together and then it floated up in the shape of the carboy bottom.

 

[twigboy2000]

Ideal fermentation temp for that strain is between 50-55F. For that OG wort, you really underpitched as well. Lagers need a large cell count to get going. MrMalty figures you need about 506billion cells or 5.2 vials of very fresh yeast. It may start, but there may be off-flavors from underpitching. Do you have the temp control for lager fermentation?

-chuck

 

[SKMO]

No words of wisdom here but that pic is nothing like I have ever seen, really unique. It looks like the trub / break material bonded up, and broke loose in a big chunk.

It also looks like you have some krausen scum on the inside of your fermenter like it had fired up well and left some residue... making me think at least "Something" happened while you had your back turned.

I'm sure somebody will have the perfect explanation, but not me. Hate to say it but something does not look quite right here. If it smells OK I'd be tossing in some US-05 or something pretty quick cause it looks like your intended yeast is AWOL.

"Relax Don't Worry" only goes so far and if three days into this all I had was a giant floating chunk of something and no apparent fermentation I'd be going to plan B. Strictly my opinion.

 

[krc333]

So I got home from work this morning and the yeast appears to be active. Air lock is bubbling and I can see the trub on top of the beer. Plus that big log is now gone. I topped off the carboy after pitching the yeast and I'm wondering if the water was so cold that it shocked the yeast and it took a day or two to warm up enough. I didn't do anything different from the last time I brewed this beer.

I think crust is just dry foam from topping it off. I cleaned everything prior to starting so it shouldn't have been anything left over. Plus I always clean right after brewing so nothing gets caked on.

Also, what is US-05?

 

[MalFet]

So I got home from work this morning and the yeast appears to be active. Air lock is bubbling and I can see the trub on top of the beer. Plus that big log is now gone. I topped off the carboy after pitching the yeast and I'm wondering if the water was so cold that it shocked the yeast and it took a day or two to warm up enough. I didn't do anything different from the last time I brewed this beer.

I think crust is just dry foam from topping it off. I cleaned everything prior to starting so it shouldn't have been anything left over. Plus I always clean right after brewing so nothing gets caked on.

Also, what is US-05?

US-05 is a neutral dry yeast, similar to WLP001 or Wyeast 1056.

Too cold? I thought you pitched at 70. You do have lager yeast temp control, right? That's a mighty hot pitch. Anyway, that was the weirdest looking thing I've ever seen.

 

[krc333]

When I pitched my yeast it was around 70, but afterwards I topped off my carboy with cold water and I'm wondering it that shock the yeast or something.

It seems to be off and running now. I'll let everyone know how it turns out as the last time I made this beer it turned out great.

 

[jbug440]

My IPA did that this weekend. All my break material floated to the center in a big brick about 4 hours after pitching.2 hours later fermentation exploded and it was churning and bubbling away. I assume the co2 pushed the brick off the bottom.

 

[Yooper]

When I pitched my yeast it was around 70, but afterwards I topped off my carboy with cold water and I'm wondering it that shock the yeast or something.

It seems to be off and running now. I'll let everyone know how it turns out as the last time I made this beer it turned out great.

That strain likes to ferment at 50 degrees, so unless you added icicles to the wort, you were probably still way over the optimum temperature. It's really not possible to pitch a lager yeast too cold, unless it was under 42 degrees or so.

You said you made this beer before, but it's unusual to use lager yeast at warm temperatures for most beers. That's why we're all commenting on the too-warm temperature of the pitching. A too-warm temperature and grossly underpitching with only one vial tends to make some odd flavors with lager yeast.

 

[MalFet]

When I pitched my yeast it was around 70, but afterwards I topped off my carboy with cold water and I'm wondering it that shock the yeast or something.

It seems to be off and running now. I'll let everyone know how it turns out as the last time I made this beer it turned out great.

If you shocked the yeast, it was because you pitched too hot and because you quite dramatically underpitched this brew. The cold water probably ended up coagulating your break material, which is the weird shape you're seeing. The sluggish yeast, though, is just because you didn't pitch the right amounts into the right temperatures. You might have a funky lager on your hands. I hope it'll be funky like Parliament, but I suspect it'll be funky like the homeless guy next to you on the bus.