SF Lager on yeast cake for 2 months?

[DCUSA]

At the end of December 2018 I brewed a California Common with WLP SF Lager yeast.

1.052 OG, pitched at 60F and fermented a couple weeks around that temp. It has since stayed in my sister's basement in Ohio at a steady 53-54F. The bucket has not been opened since pitching.

Unfortunately I live 6 hours away and the intention was to drive back to keg it sooner. I am finally driving back this weekend, almost 9 weeks after pitching.

Assuming good sanitation, complete fermentation, and that I did not leave a hop bag inside, what should I expect with this type of beer on a SF lager yeast cake for this long at this temp? It's sealed in the standard 5 gallon bucket. I am cautiously optimistic.

 

[ba-brewer]

Never had beer in primary that long but I think cautiously optimistic is a good stance. I think you will be Ok if the airlock did not dry or you did not lose the seal on your bucket.

 

[DCUSA]

Never had beer in primary that long but I think cautiously optimistic is a good stance. I think you will be Ok if the airlock did not dry or you did not lose the seal on your bucket.

Thanks, yeah, the stakes are not high since it's a very simple recipe and I can re-brew cheaply.

I found a long thread/debate from 2006 but the subject is a conventional lager. My California Common with 12 ibs 2 row & 13 oz C-60 should have more wiggle room in the "yeasty" flavor dept.

 

[RM-MN]

I've left an ale in the fermenter that long at room temps. One of my best tasting beers.

 

[ehk089]

I regularly lager in primary for 4-6 weeks after a 4-6 week fermentation, I have had no problems yet

 

[catdaddy66]

Should be good to go. If the bucket remained sealed then I wouldn't anticipate anything negative occurring.

 

[mongoose33]

A california common is one of the beers in my rotation. The one thing you have going for you is the cold temps. I'd be surprised if it didn't turn out. Please report back.

 

[DCUSA]

A california common is one of the beers in my rotation. The one thing you have going for you is the cold temps. I'd be surprised if it didn't turn out. Please report back.

No infection and the taste of uncarbed sample seemed to match style. Very pleased.

However, I had to rack it to my catalyst and drive back 6 hours to DC with it sloshing around in the back. The original plan was to rack to a keg and pressurize with c02 for the trip, but have had absolutely no luck bottling black beer with the Last Straw filler; my 2 kegs are occupied with porter. The homebrew shop in Cleveland did not have any kegs for sale.

The experiment has now evolved to one on oxidation.

 

[friarsmith]

Grasping at straws here, but perhaps try making a 0.5 to 1L starter w/ about 4oz DME and just about any American Ale yeast. CBC-1 also might be a good option. Pitch into your beer. Bottle or keg immediately. Might scavenge oxygen, bottle condition and save the batch and make a drinkable beer. Just a thought...

Worse case scenario, drain the (maybe) bottled and oxidized beer to a stock pot and simmer a bunch of bratwurst for 30 mins. Then freeze. Voila! Quick and tasty lunches for the next month, said the man who "salvaged" an under-attenuated Festbier by cooking 30 lbs of wurst w/ it...

That was some incredible wurst, FWIW

 

[DCUSA]

Grasping at straws here, but perhaps try making a 0.5 to 1L starter w/ about 4oz DME and just about any American Ale yeast. CBC-1 also might be a good option. Pitch into your beer. Bottle or keg immediately. Might scavenge oxygen, bottle condition and save the batch and make a drinkable beer. Just a thought...

Worse case scenario, drain the (maybe) bottled and oxidized beer to a stock pot and simmer a bunch of bratwurst for 30 mins. Then freeze. Voila! Quick and tasty lunches for the next month, said the man who "salvaged" an under-attenuated Festbier by cooking 30 lbs of wurst w/ it...

That was some incredible wurst, FWIW

I transferred the common into a keg and force carbed it tonight. It's been sitting in the catalyst at 35-50 for the past week, and the potentially traumatic part was a 6 hour drive sloshing around in the catalyst from Cleveland to DC.

The flat 50-degree tasting did not bother me. It tasted like a pre-carbed amber ale; no overtly "oxidized" cardboard or otherwise strong off flavors. But I'm not experienced with the CA-Common style. It tastes plausibly like a flat lukewarm anchor steam.

Rather than sugar carb it and commit 50 bottles / two weeks of time to find out if it's good, I'm force carbing and hoping that I can figure out Last Straw this weekend.

The only reason I care enough to post on this is that this beer is for my wedding on 4.27. I have 20 gallons of other batches on secondary in line to bottle and more on the way. I need to figure out-- 1. if the Last Straw is reliable and 2. Which bottled beer makes the cut for the big day.