First lager

[lowell401]

Brewed a Anchor Steam clone on Sunday no activity in airlock for 2 days which i know is not a big deal so this morning tuesday i popped the lid and i have no activity or kurisen OG was 1.052 just took second reading its the same, temp strip on the fermenter says 58 degrees i used WLP820 oktoberfest yeast pitched temp was 52 degrees just wondering what my next step would be to correct my issue if there is one one other thing after i pitched the yeast i realized i didnt mix in the wort with the water in fermenter so i swirled around the fermenter with a big spoon did that mess anything up?

Thanks

 

[Clonefarmer]

Brewed a Anchor Steam clone on Sunday no activity in airlock for 2 days which i know is not a big deal so this morning tuesday i popped the lid and i have no activity or kurisen OG was 1.052 just took second reading its the same, temp strip on the fermenter says 58 degrees i used WLP820 oktoberfest yeast pitched temp was 52 degrees just wondering what my next step would be to correct my issue if there is one

Thanks

Did you make a starter? How old is the yeast pack?

 

[CoolHandLuke]

Did you create a starter? If not, how long between breaking the nutrient baloon and pitching the yeast?

 

[lowell401]

i did not make starter, it came in a vial type tube so there was no breaking a baloon which i have done in the past, the homebrew store employee said to just shake the vial and dump it in fermenter the best before date is 28 dec 2010

 

[foyboy]

I m doing a Celebrator clone that I brewed Sunday and I used Oktoberfest 820 and I have the same HUMMM. What do I do now ? I did make a starter on a stirplte but only for about a day and a half.OG was 1.082 I poured the whole 2L in @ 54f and it went down to 52f monday so I brought it back up to 54f to see if I see anything.This is my first lager and I am used to vigorous ale bubbles after a few hours for about 4 days so I am getting nervous.

 

[dcp27]

you always need a starter or multiple vials with lagers: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

whys a steam clone not using steam yeast? that should be 810 not 820

 

[foyboy]

The yeast 820 came into my local HBS Friday and I think it said 4/2011

 

[Clonefarmer]

i did not make starter, it came in a vial type tube so there was no breaking a baloon which i have done in the past, the homebrew store employee said to just shake the vial and dump it in fermenter the best before date is 28 dec 2010

You should always make a starter if possible, especially with a lager yeast. Lager should be pitched at a higher rate than Ale.

 

[foyboy]

Got a bubble!!!! just 1!

 

[lowell401]

so basically i need to get another yeast make a starter and re pitch it? also how long is the wort able to just sit in fermenter before anything bad happens to it if anything?

 

[dcp27]

as long as everything was sanitized well and the lid is kept on, it should be able to sit awhile without catching any infections. the yeast in there will propagate enough eventually and take off, there will just be more lag time since it was under-pitched. at this point it may be too late to switch yeasts, by the time you have a starter big enough the existing strain should be already started. it'll still be a good brew, it just won't be a direct steam clone

 

[lowell401]

everything was sanitized very good, how long do u figure the whole fermenting process will take if i just leave it alone? current temp is steady at 58 degrees

 

[dcp27]

usually like 10-14 days at 45-55F for lagers, then a 24-72 hour diacetyl rest in the 60s, then weeks lagering at <45F. once you start to get activity, I would drop your temp down a little if you can. a steam yeast would be fine at the higher temps, but a lager yeast will produce some esters and make it more ale like