First Lager - No airlock activity

[BigLeeFromSC]

Brewed my first lager on Saturday afternoon, all went well, but after 48 hours I've yet to see the first air bubble. Used a Munich lager yeast, keezer set at 55 degrees with STC1000, pitched at 72 degrees and placed in keezer. I did not however make a starter because of time restraints, but this has never affected my beer before- unless it's because it's a lager. Any ideas ? Or is it just slow starting?


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[allensumner1]

Just learning about brewing lagers . It going to be my next ed all grain brew .With information given I'd say not enough yeast . Either a large start with liquid yeast or multiple packets of dry hydrated.Not sure what you pitched

 

[Omahawk]

Typical 1.05 SG lager without a starter would ideally have 4 liquid yeast packages. The target pitching rate for lagers is much higher than ales.

 

[BigLeeFromSC]

I think both you guys are right, I guess it pays to take your time! Lesson learned and money wasted

 

[castermmt]

You will probably need to shack it up after a few days to try and get more yeast in suspension. How big of batch is this? The nice thing about this hobby is, you get to drink your mistakes.

 

[progmac]

I think both you guys are right, I guess it pays to take your time! Lesson learned and money wasted

I wouldn't write it off. If you pitch just the smack pack, follow the instructions on the pack. Keep at 72 until you see signs of fermentation (a little bit of pressure on the airlock or bubbles on the surface of the wort) and then cool it down. This gives the yeast time to multiply.

Yes, a full blown starter or pitching 100 packs of yeast is probably better, but a lot of brewers get good results following the instructions on the package.

It sounds like you pitched at 72 and then immediately chilled.

 

[TopherM]

You definitely underpitched, and the lag time is to be expected. Even when the fermentation does get moving, don't expect much activity. The whole point of the low fermentation temps is a slow, clean fermentation.

Just be patient, and give this one 2-3 weeks before you start taking gravity readings. If you take a reading a couple weeks out, and find yourself still way off from 75% attenuation, you may need to pitch some more yeast. Otherwise, just let it do its thing.

DON'T FORGET THE DIACETYL REST!

 

[BigLeeFromSC]

You definitely underpitched, and the lag time is to be expected. Even when the fermentation does get moving, don't expect much activity. The whole point of the low fermentation temps is a slow, clean fermentation.

Just be patient, and give this one 2-3 weeks before you start taking gravity readings. If you take a reading a couple weeks out, and find yourself still way off from 75% attenuation, you may need to pitch some more yeast. Otherwise, just let it do its thing.

DON'T FORGET THE DIACETYL REST!

That sounds like a plan, especially since I'm leaving a vacation soon- what if the fermentation finishes sooner and I don't get the diacetyl rest ? What can my expected results be? A buttery tasting beer ?


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[BigLeeFromSC]

I wouldn't write it off. If you pitch just the smack pack, follow the instructions on the pack. Keep at 72 until you see signs of fermentation (a little bit of pressure on the airlock or bubbles on the surface of the wort) and then cool it down. This gives the yeast time to multiply.

Yes, a full blown starter or pitching 100 packs of yeast is probably better, but a lot of brewers get good results following the instructions on the package.

It sounds like you pitched at 72 and then immediately chilled.

This is exactly what I done!


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[TopherM]

Without the diacetyl rest, you might actually get some diacetyl, but more likely, you'll end up with a sweet, underattenuated beer that is also very difficult to get lager character from.

The diacetyl rest serves not only to complete the formation of diacetyl at a point where the yeast can eat it and eliminate it from the final beer, but it also serves to complete attenuation and prepare the beer for lagering by getting it to a low enough FG. Without it, you may not reach a suitable FG for the lagering to make a difference. An underattenuated lagered beer is not light and crisp like a lager should be. It's an important step!

 

[hunter_le five]

What happens without the diacetyl rest?