First Lager Freakout

[Somerville]

I'm postin' this in the Beginners section because it's my first lager.
I pitched one WL test tube of German Pilsener into ~60degree wort (used 1lb of ice to cool) and placed it in a controlled fridge at ~52 degrees. I did all of this on sunday and still no bubbles at all. No foam. nada. Theres a picture in the thread called "German Pilsener Recipe" in Recipes/Ingredients. I'm trying to "Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew", but you know how it goes, its my first!

 

[vtfan99]

You may want to bump the temp up to the mid 60s until things get started. What temp was the yeast when you pitched? If the yeast was significantly warmer than the wort (i.e. the yeast was room temp and the wort was 60), the "shock" combined with the drop in temp may have slowed the yeast down. If things dont start by Wednesday or Thursday, get yourself some dry lager yeast and pitch it on top. I had the same problem...my yeast didnt do a thing. 4 days later I picked up some dry lager yeast and pitched. The next morning things were rolling. It turned out to be one of the best batches I've made. Dont worry....it'll work out.

 

[Kaiser]

With the amount of yeas that you pitched, you may want to raise the temp to the mid 60s to acelerate the yeast growth. Once fermentation started, cool it down to the low 50s.

With lagers you want to pitch a much larger amount of yeast than with ales. This requires that you make a starter a few days earlier to grow more yeast.

Kai

 

[Somerville]

Yeah, I never looked into that part of brewing a lager...gotta learn the hard way.

The temperature is slowly on its way up since its nighttime. Its at about 58degrees now. I took it completely out of the fridge.

vtfan: I've never used dry yeast. Does it just come in a packet and I sprinkle it on top or do I need to add water or something?

 

[Kaiser]

Yeah, I never looked into that part of brewing a lager...gotta learn the hard way.

That's how I brewed my first lager and quickly learned that there is a lot more to this.

Kai

 

[Somerville]

That's how I brewed my first lager and quickly learned that there is a lot more to this.

Kai

Thats what I love about brewing

 

[vtfan99]

vtfan: I've never used dry yeast. Does it just come in a packet and I sprinkle it on top or do I need to add water or something?

Yeah....it comes in a small packet. I think you're supposed to rehydrate it in warm water for about 10 minutes....the package should have some instructions. Dry yeast is much easier to work with than liquid, but there are only a few strains available whereas with liquid, you have dozens. I always use dry as the "problem solver" if my liquid yeast has problems.

 

[Somerville]

Would it be fine to pitch another vial of the same WL liquid yeast?

 

[Kaiser]

Would it be fine to pitch another vial of the same WL liquid yeast?

Yes that should be fine. You can also make a 1qt starter, aerate it, pitch it with the vial and pitch this starter at high kraeusen.

Kai

 

[Somerville]

Looked at the lager. Its at ~66degrees and craps floatin' to the top. Witnessed a couple bubbles.

It's the ****ing KRAEUSEN!

Thanks for the advice guys! I hope this german pilsner makes all my dreams come true

 

[johnoswald]

Looked at the lager. Its at ~66degrees and craps floatin' to the top. Witnessed a couple bubbles.

It's the ****ing KRAEUSEN!

Thanks for the advice guys! I hope this german pilsner makes all my dreams come true

Are you sure?
Sorry to say, but if it doesn't get a real head - it may be infected

 

[andre the giant]

Chances are pretty good that your beer is just fine. I wouldn't worry about infections unless you see fuzz or black spots growing on the surface of the beer, or if the beer starts smelling like vinegar.

Hopefully, you'll see a 1 inch or thicker layer of foam develop on the surface of the beer. That's a pretty good sign that everything is going great.

Keep us informed.

 

[Somerville]

Are you sure?
Sorry to say, but if it doesn't get a real head - it may be infected

If it doesn't get a real head? Not sure what this means...
Its got quite a bit of foam at the top, no black spots, and clumpy grey/brown stuff that resembles trub...if I'm not mistaken..this sounds like lager krausen...right? This is my first time doing PF in a carboy...I always used a plastic bucket. Never really have seen krausen before. I don't think its infected...the first two days I smelled the top of the airlock and it smelled of hops/beer Now its kinda smelling different but I heard lagers get a strong sulfur smell which dies out over time.