first lager help

raef · May 28, 2011

hi, i'm quite new here, and was hoping for some imput. i have a stout lagering on wlp830 at 55 degrees. pitched 4 pints to wort, started at 1.082, final should be somewhere between 1.018-1.024. today was my first gravity reading. it is sitting at 1.038 at the moment, and has been fermenting 11 days. it is showing very little action as of today. what would be the next step? continue taking gravities until i know it's going no further? also, will it continue after i rack to secondary and lager at 45 degrees for 6 more weeks? how low do you think it will get? do i need to bring it up to 60 degrees and let it rest before dropping to 45 degrees??????????????

raef · May 29, 2011

help!

avidhomebrewer · May 29, 2011

It is a colder environment and the yeast will work slower, especially with a bigger brew like yours. I hope you pitched enough yeast - twice as much as you would for an ale. 11 days for a lager isn't that long - let it go for a while yet and take a gravity reading every few days, at most. Every time you open it up for a reading, you risk infection. How do you know it is showing little action as of today if today was your first gravity reading? If you are relying on airlock activity, that can be misleading. It is definitely not an accurate way to measure fermentation.

Before you rack it (once it is finished fermenting, of course), let it warm up to room temperature for about 3-4 days for a diacetyl rest. Then rack and start lagering down to about 35 degrees at about 1-2 degrees/day. Hold there for as long as you can. The longer you wait, the smoother it will be.

raef · May 30, 2011

thanks, yes i was going by airlock activity, it's almost nonexistent. i only have time, i can be patient. again, thanks for the reply. oh, and i pitched 4 pints

osagedr · May 30, 2011

raef said:
hi, i'm quite new here, and was hoping for some imput. i have a stout lagering on wlp830 at 55 degrees. pitched 4 pints to wort, started at 1.082, final should be somewhere between 1.018-1.024. today was my first gravity reading. it is sitting at 1.038 at the moment, and has been fermenting 11 days. it is showing very little action as of today. what would be the next step? continue taking gravities until i know it's going no further? also, will it continue after i rack to secondary and lager at 45 degrees for 6 more weeks? how low do you think it will get? do i need to bring it up to 60 degrees and let it rest before dropping to 45 degrees??????????????

Your beer is not lagering yet, it's fermenting. Interesting that you chose to use a lager yeast with an ale, what is the reason for this when you could have done one of several choices of dark lagers and had a beer that was on-style?

Anyway, on to your question, your starter was none too large given your temperature and OG but you should be okay so I see no reason to panic at this point. You have evidence that fermentation is continuing so just wait and let your hydrometer tell you when fermentation is complete. When you get to 3/4 or the way to your expected FG you can raise your temperature for a diacetyl rest. Some do this in the low 60s but I always just take my fermenter to room temperature.

Good luck!