Oktoberfest fermentation

[G2sat2576]

I brewed an Oktoberfest almost 48 hours ago and have not seen any airlock activity since I initially pitched the yeast. After a few too many homebrews on brew day, i pitched my Wyeast Oktoberfest Lager Blend mistakenly at 87 degrees instead of the optimum temperature of 48-58 degrees. I did notice there was some activity a few minutes after I pitched but nothing since. I have a grainfather fermenter which i regulate temp with a glycol chiller so the temp has been sitting at about 53 degrees since brew day. The OG was initially 1.058. Upon reading on different forums that heating up the fermenter might reactivate the yeast, i raised the temp to 58 degrees. I have seen the SG go from 1.058 to 1.050 since raising the temp this morning. Should i be concerned that there is no airlock activity? Should i pitch a dry yeast for good measure?

 

[TheMadKing]

I brewed an Oktoberfest almost 48 hours ago and have not seen any airlock activity since I initially pitched the yeast. After a few too many homebrews on brew day, i pitched my Wyeast Oktoberfest Lager Blend mistakenly at 87 degrees instead of the optimum temperature of 48-58 degrees. I did notice there was some activity a few minutes after I pitched but nothing since. I have a grainfather fermenter which i regulate temp with a glycol chiller so the temp has been sitting at about 53 degrees since brew day. The OG was initially 1.058. Upon reading on different forums that heating up the fermenter might reactivate the yeast, i raised the temp to 58 degrees. I have seen the SG go from 1.058 to 1.050 since raising the temp this morning. Should i be concerned that there is no airlock activity? Should i pitch a dry yeast for good measure?

No, if your gravity is dropping then you have yeast activity and its probably best to lower your temperature back to 50-52 and let it ride for a few days. Lager fermentations can take 10 days to 3 weeks depending on how you manage your temperatures. Its hard to tell from your post, how much yeast did you pitch?

Another thing to note on temperatures. All yeast (ale and lager yeast) both reproduce and grow at 75-85F without any issue. The 48-58 degree "optimal" temperature you have listed is actually not optimal for yeast happiness, it is optimal for flavor of your beer. Lager yeast is traditionally fermented cool to slow the rate of growth and suppress ester production, but that doesn't mean that it is unhappy at warmer temps. Just the opposite.

Esters are primarily produced early in fermentation when yeast are reproducing rapidly. So by raising the temps you may have already caused some ester formation but you won't know until you taste the beer. If you get any fruity notes like banana your fermentation temp might be the reason.

 

[tracer bullet]

Just have to keep checking gravity. Might be an opportunity for one of those Tilt devices?

I'm old school, I can see inside my fermenter, I can confirm there's fermentation and if there's no airlock activity during it (which has happened once) I can find my leak and fix it to prevent any oxygen entering. Something like a Tilt would help if you can't actually see what is going on.

 

[Spundit]

Patience is the hardest brewing skill to master. 48 hours is a little long for a lager fermentation to show activity but certainly not unheard of. I dont think any intervention was needed.

If your gravity is now dropping you will likely see airlock activity soon. I would give another 36 hours before considering further action. Personally I would leave the temp where it is at 58. I like to maintain a constant temperature and I never lower the temp in the middle of fermentation for fear of stalling it. That's just my bias.

Good luck. My bet is you will have tasty beer in a few short weeks.

 

[G2sat2576]

I guess patience is a virtue.The fermentation has really taken off. I have a Tilt in the fermenter and the gravity has started to lower gradually. Thank you to all for the suggestions.

 

[G2sat2576]

Update: guess there was a small leak where my Plaato valve connects to the rubber stopper. Sprayed some starsan around it and found exactly where it was coming from. Once i put a new stopper, bubbled right away.

 

[Bobby_M]

What was the "best by" date on that pack of yeast? Regardless of the date, one pack is not nearly enough for a 5 gallon batch of lager. If the pack had a best by date of Feb 2021, meaning it was packaged about a month ago, you would need 6 packs or a 2.5 liter starter.

 

[WesBrew]

For comparison, I pitched WLP830 into .047 Helles @ 13C. It took 45 hours to register something on the spunding valve.