Pitch Temps

[daveooph131]

I'm getting ready to brew a lager. Two quick questions:

1)I am making a starter, do I leave the starter at room temp 65-70F until pitching into my batch?

2)I was told my the lhbs to let fermentation start at a warmer temp say 70F even for a lager, and then gradually bring it down to the 50F range....Is this correct?

 

[schweaty]

1.) You can do that, or you can refrigerate the starter for a few days so all the yeast settles to the bottom. Then decant the beer from the yeast slurry and warm to room temperature and pitch.

2.) Starting at a warmer temp will reduce the lag time you have in the beginning stage of fermentation. Once you see visible signs of fermentation bring it down to a much cooler temp. You don't necessailry have to start a lager at higher temps. The theory behind this is so that the yeast will be active and grow faster at higher temps. Unfortunately this is also the case with bacteria as well. If your sanitation practices are good and you pitch an appropriate amount of yeast I can't imagine that you would have any problem starting the lager at cooler temps. If you cool the wort to 70 degrees and put it in the fridge it's going to take some time to get down to the mid 50's anyhow.

Check the website of the yeast manufacturer for optimal temperature recommendations.

 

[daveooph131]

If you cool the wort to 70 degrees and put it in the fridge it's going to take some time to get down to the mid 50's anyhow.

Check the website of the yeast manufacturer for optimal temperature recommendations.

Thaks...That's kind of what I was thinking. I already have the starter done, it is at room temp around 70F. I let it sit until tomorrow when I'm ready to pitch. At which point, I'll junk it in when the wort drops to 75-70F.

Then I suppose I'll just put it right in the fridge with it set to 60F. Once, fermentation starts, I'll drop the control to 50F. Sound about right?

 

[Malticulous]

The higher temp at the beginning will give the yeast a more vigorous reproduction phase. It's a trick to use when you are under pitching. It could lead to some more esters and off flavors. A diacetyl rest is going to be a good idea.
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Kiaser goes over the pros and cons.

 

[Yooper]

I'm a fan of using a big starter (as recommended by mrmalty's pitching calculator) instead of pitching at a super high temperature and letting it drop. I wouldn't even pitch an ale at 75 degrees, let alone a lager.

If you pitch at 75 degrees, and it slowly drops to 50 degrees, almost all of the fermentation will be over before you even get to the desirable temperature. This will cause some off-flavors, particularly esters, and will not give you a "lager like" flavor. Five gallons of wort will take a very long time to come down in temperature, particularly if fermentation has already started.

With an ale, I don't pitch at 90 if my desired fermentation temperature is 65. I wouldn't pitch a lager at 75 if my desired fermentation temperature is 50.

I chill my starter, so I can decant off all of the nasty spent wort. Then I pour off the liquid, and bring the starter temperature up to 48 degrees (I take it out of the fridge about 45 minutes before I pitch). I get my wort to 50 degrees, and put the 48 degree yeast slurry into it. This gets fermentation going well, and makes great tasting lagers.