IS MY FERMENTATION STUCK?

[HoundboundCo]

Making a pre pro lager. Planned for the OG to be 1.051. Ended up around 1.057. Made a 2L starter with WLP840 and pitched into the 5.5 gallon batch at 50F. Been 1.5 days with no activity or decrease in gravity. This one is also being fermented under pressure with 10psi. I’ve ramped the temp up from 50 to 53 now to see if it’ll budge. Am I thinking too soon or should I start getting a 1L starter ready as a backup?

 

[tracer bullet]

Did the starter see fine? Do you know for sure it went and had activity? If yes, I can't see any reason whatsoever why you wouldn't get the beer going with it.

I've had a few beers go off to a really slow start and end up fine. It's nerve wracking when you've also had beers show signs within a few hours.

 

[HoundboundCo]

Did the starter see fine? Do you know for sure it went and had activity? If yes, I can't see any reason whatsoever why you wouldn't get the beer going with it.

I've had a few beers go off to a really slow start and end up fine. It's nerve wracking when you've also had beers show signs within a few hours.

So I didn’t see the krausen like I normally would in my starter but when I swirled it before pitching the foam formed ridiculously and almost spewed out so I know it was active

 

[dmtaylor]

Take it off the pressure. Yeast hates pressure. And you underpitched which just made things harder.

 

[tracer bullet]

Take it off the pressure. Yeast hates pressure. And you underpitched which just made things harder.

I wondered about that but haven't ever pressure fermented. I thought folks pressurized right away? Or do they let it get started and then do it? Seems to be a big thing in general (pressure fermenting) so I didn't want to suggest against it. Someone who uses the method would have to say (perhaps you of course, I don't know).

 

[dmtaylor]

I wondered about that but haven't ever pressure fermented. I thought folks pressurized right away? Or do they let it get started and then do it? Seems to be a big thing in general (pressure fermenting) so I didn't want to suggest against it. Someone who uses the method would have to say (perhaps you of course, I don't know).

I don't pressure ferment, don't think I ever will. But as I understand it, pressure fermentation is used to inhibit esters when fermenting WARM. The OP's beer, on the other hand, is being fermented cold which will inhibit esters through the traditional methods. Adding pressure on top of it is just... not a great idea IMO.

 

[jdauria]

It's not your first lager is it? Lagers can take longer to get going due to the cooler temps and don't throw thick krausen like ales do. I have had Czech yeasts that even with a starter have taken 3-5 days to finally show signs of activity.

Also depending on the age of the yeast, a 2 liter starter for a 1.057 5.5 gallon lager batch could be an under pitch. Using Brewers Friend Yeast Calculator, a 1.057 5.5g lager, at the minimum pitch rate for lagers, you need 438 billion cells out of that 150 billion cell pack of yeast. If the yeast was packaged a month ago (4/7), a 2 liter 1.040 og starter would bump you up to 417 billion cells... so if under like that, the yeast needs to go through a growth stage before they start going after the sugars.

I say give it more time, maybe even bump temp to 52F and if no activity by Friday, then consider more yeast.