My lager is irritating me

I brewed a Vienna a few weeks ago that is starting to get on my nerves. I overshot my O.G. and ended up at 1.060. I made a one gallon starter with Wyeast Munich Lager. I don't have a stir plate, but I shook it occassionally. I pitched at 50F. Lag time was less than 16 hours.

It has now been four weeks at 50-52F and it's still generating co2 at a regular rate. I'm not all that concerned yet, but at some point autolysis will begin to worry me.

Anyone else had a lager take this long in the primary.

 

You have a long way to go before autolysis becomes a problem. Have you taken a gravity reading or tasted the beer? Is it actually fermenting or just out-gassing? If you are truly worried about autolysis rack the beer into a secondary fermenter.

 

It's been my experience that the larger OG lager take a while. Once it get's close to the FG, the time required moves slowly... but does move. I usually let 'em warm up for 48 hours, and then return to cool temps.

I have had a 4 week long primary. Relax.. let 'er go.

 

I almost never think about autolysis, and I don't believe it will start to concern me for at least another two weeks or so.

I haven't bothered to to take a reading yet, because it is obviously still doing its thing. I'm pretty sure it's not off-gassing. It's kicking out some co2 every 20-30 seconds. Perhaps I'll taste it soon.

 

Thanks for the reassurance. I don't usually brew beers over 1.060. At most it's one in four. I just like smaller beers. I've never brewed a lager over 1.055.

 

Go ahead and take a gravity reading & taste it. By the time my beers hit 20-30 seconds, they are pretty much done in terms of FG. You can let it warm up, which will give you a diacetyl rest and speed up the process.

 

Autolysis may not be a problem, but decaying yeast cells from primary fermentation can result in off-flavors in lagers. As others have said, take a gravity reading. If it's at target gravity (give or take), rack to secondary.

 

I lager in kegs. Can you figure any problem in doing so if it is still producing some co2?

Well it's at 1.014, or so, down from 1.060 for an apparent attenuation of about 77% That certainly seems about done. I can't see it going lower than 1.012 even considering that it has no crystal and I mashed at 152F.

My other option is to rack it to a five gallon and keep it at 50F for awhile. I'd prefer not to tie it up for the moment, though. Thoughts?

 

I just took my oyster stout off the yeast cake. That beer was brewed Feb. 15th. 8 weeks ago. admittedly that is a bit long, but I was feeling lazy.

It has no off flavors.

 

Would you notice off flavors with the presence of oyster? </sarcasm>

 

Naaaaa. The oysters only impart a slight brineyness to the initial taste of the beer. then it is a delicious dry stout.