Wyeast 2112

[Coppinburgh]

I'm brewing a California common kit this Saturday. If I make a 150ml starter should I keep the starter at the low end of the ale scale? 60 degrees?


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[Bassaholic]

You should make a bigger starter for a California common. I would say at least a 2L starter, but you don't need to worry about the temp. It might be better if you could cold crash and decant before pitching. Otherwise it may give you slightly fruitier flavors, but I doubt the starter wort would affect the overall flavor that much.

 

[Nate_D]

I just brewed a California Common (AG version of John Palmer's "No. 4 Shay Steam" from How To Brew) with 2112 a week and a half ago. Here's what I did:

Made a 1.6L starter that fermented at 70 degrees for 18 hours before I pitched the whole thing. Wort (OG 1.052) was around 61 when I pitched, and I had vigorous fermentation about 12 hours later. Kept things at 62 for the past 10 days. Fermentation appears to have gradually slowed down, but I'm still getting airlock activity and can see occasional gas bubbles floating up from the trub/yeast at the bottom. I haven't taken any gravity readings beyond my OG since I planned to keep it in primary for at least two weeks anyways, but everything seems to have gone fine so far.

Hope that helps!

 

[Coppinburgh]

Thanks!

I've recently starter to harvest and reuse my yeast. Any difference in harvesting and storing Lager yeast?


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[Nico93]

i write here in order to avoid to open another thread

i made a blonde ale (100% pils mashed at 149F) and i pitched a big starter (lager pitching rate)
fermentation start strong but slow down after one week
now is a month into fermentation (moved to secondary after two weeks) and is still fermenting very slow, now i'm down to 1009 (80%AA) but i think is going down another point or so.
fermentation tempererature was 55F the first week and after slow ramp to 655F.
now beer is pretty clear and taste good, no off flours


i'd like to know if someone had a similar behaviour from this yeast, is that normal?

 

[kh54s10]

I doubt that you are really having any further fermentation. To me 1 point is easily withing the range of just reading the gravity.

55 will have made the fermentation slow, but should have finished by the time you racked to secondary. You really should have been sure you had final gravity before you transferred to secondary.

I hope you didn't really ramp up to 655 degrees!

If you were fermenting as a lager you should have done the 55 degrees, warmed up for 2 days at 65 for a diacetyl rest, then lowered the temperature over 2 weeks or more to just above freezing.

It is fine if you don't have any off flours. Better to bake with....

 

[Nico93]

I doubt that you are really having any further fermentation. To me 1 point is easily withing the range of just reading the gravity.

55 will have made the fermentation slow, but should have finished by the time you racked to secondary. You really should have been sure you had final gravity before you transferred to secondary.

I hope you didn't really ramp up to 655 degrees!

If you were fermenting as a lager you should have done the 55 degrees, warmed up for 2 days at 65 for a diacetyl rest, then lowered the temperature over 2 weeks or more to just above freezing.

It is fine if you don't have any off flours. Better to bake with....

i'm pretty sure it's still fermenting, one week ago was 1010/1011 and now is 1008/1009
i haven't done a diacetyl rest because sampling it i wasn't able to detect none and i read on this forum (and maybe also on byo) that this strain dosen't produce a big ammount of diacetyl

sure, i ramped to 65

i'm waiting to lower the temperature because i haven't reached the final gravity, and this is a lot strange!

 

[kh54s10]

i'm pretty sure it's still fermenting, one week ago was 1010/1011 and now is 1008/1009
i haven't done a diacetyl rest because sampling it i wasn't able to detect none and i read on this forum (and maybe also on byo) that this strain dosen't produce a big ammount of diacetyl

sure, i ramped to 65

i'm waiting to lower the temperature because i haven't reached the final gravity, and this is a lot strange!

I am not sure what is going on here?? I have never had one ferment longer than 10 days. (visible activity) Though I never measure before 2 weeks. The few lagers I have done were measured after raising the temperature to 60 or 65 for 2 days then 2 week ramp down to 34 degrees.

I never have tasted for diacetyl, I am not sure I would know it if I tasted it anyway.

 

[Nico93]

I am not sure what is going on here?? I have never had one ferment longer than 10 days. (visible activity) Though I never measure before 2 weeks. The few lagers I have done were measured after raising the temperature to 60 or 65 for 2 days then 2 week ramp down to 34 degrees.

I never have tasted for diacetyl, I am not sure I would know it if I tasted it anyway.

that's exactly my problem i never had fermentation as long as this! (only using strange yeast like wlp 099 in very high gravity beers) but it's only my third (or fourth, i don't remember well) lager, so i'm not so confident with this fermentation.

 

[kh54s10]

The concern, if it continues to drop it that something else is eating the sugars. (an infection) It may make a sour.

Also make sure it is really still fermenting. I cannot tell for sure the difference in reading the scale on my hydrometer between 1.010 and 1.009.

The scale on the hydrometer is just not fine enough for me to confidently look at readings that close and be really sure they are different.

 

[Nico93]

i don't think to an infection, the beer taste already good and there is not sign of infection...

so i'm leaving it in the fermenter another couple of weeks and we will see!