Bad Bugs vs Lager Yeast

[Bravo11]

I made 5 gallons of extract pilsner lager last Wednesday night. The Wyeast activator pack I had didn't swell right away so I put a solid stopper on the carboy thinking the smack pack would swell by the next day, it didn't. Three days later the yeast was ready but in the mean time the stopper had popped off and the wort was exposed to open air. Exposure may have been up to 12 hours. No way to be sure. I pitched the lager yeast and put on an air lock (which I should have done to start with). What issues will I see? Should I moved to cold stage and will colder fermentation stop the bad yeast or should I leave at first stage and let the lager yeast try to overpower the bad yeast? What are my options?

 

[theredben]

You need to perform the first stage of fermentation at the regular temps for your yeast (usually around 10-12C) just like you would normally do. I highly doubt you would have noticeable "bad bugs" living in your wort with that small of an exposure time.

Let us know how it turns out.