Problematic Lager Questions

[ArrogantDusty]

I've been brewing for 5 years and just made my first lager...

A quick rundown. I'm making an American Lager. I decided on a whim to extend my brew day. I grabbed some extra grain and made a standard recipe. I did a bunch of research on how the lagering process should go, but little on anything else. Thus, I pitched one activated pack of Wyeast 2035 (even their instructions say to pitch two packs if you don't use a starter for a 5 gallon batch).

5G Batch, 1.046 OG, cooled to 70 and pitched Wyeast 2035. After the initial 24 hours, I put it in the keezer at 50F. Fast forward two weeks and I took a hydrometer reading...

The first thing I noticed is the liquid is basically syrup. When I pull my hydrometer out, it slowly comes off the hydrometer like syrup or KY jelly would. This may be normal but I was freaked out. Hydrometer reading was 1.020. So now for my questions.

1. My first thought/fear is that fermentation never really happened and that a lot of the sugar in the liquid has dropped towards the bottom at this temperature. If this is the case, I'm thinking about just cooling to room temp and tossing it onto a yeast cake from one of my sours. Is there any way this is the case with that hydrometer reading?

2. If it is simply stuck fermentation due to a terribly low pitch, can I just pitch another pack or two? Or should I just warm it up and see if it starts back up?

3. Seriously, whats up with the syrup consistency? It's kind of grossing me out, lol.

 

[helterscelter]

I have no idea, but pics would be nice..

 

[TheMadKing]

A syrup consistency is very very strange.

There's a few issues with your process but none of them should result in increased viscosity.

You generally want to chill your wort to fermentation temps BEFORE pitching your yeast, not 24 hours after.

Did you warm the beer to room temp to take your hydrometer reading? That will greatly affect the reading.

I suspect that your gravity reading is due to very poor yeast health and that your batch already has developed some very off flavors. You can try re-pitching a healthy amount of lager yeast, but chances are that the damage is already done.

As for the viscosity, the only things I can think of that would cause that are very excessive proteins in your wort that separated, or an exotic infection. The sugar in active wort should never stratify due to yeast activity, but if your yeast was never active it may have. But then your gravity would not have dropped, so you have a very odd problem indeed.

Can you post the recipe and pictures?

 

[LLBeanJ]

I've been brewing for 5 years and just made my first lager...

A quick rundown. I'm making an American Lager. I decided on a whim to extend my brew day. I grabbed some extra grain and made a standard recipe. I did a bunch of research on how the lagering process should go, but little on anything else. Thus, I pitched one activated pack of Wyeast 2035 (even their instructions say to pitch two packs if you don't use a starter for a 5 gallon batch).

5G Batch, 1.046 OG, cooled to 70 and pitched Wyeast 2035. After the initial 24 hours, I put it in the keezer at 50F. Fast forward two weeks and I took a hydrometer reading...

The first thing I noticed is the liquid is basically syrup. When I pull my hydrometer out, it slowly comes off the hydrometer like syrup or KY jelly would. This may be normal but I was freaked out. Hydrometer reading was 1.020. So now for my questions.

1. My first thought/fear is that fermentation never really happened and that a lot of the sugar in the liquid has dropped towards the bottom at this temperature. If this is the case, I'm thinking about just cooling to room temp and tossing it onto a yeast cake from one of my sours. Is there any way this is the case with that hydrometer reading?

2. If it is simply stuck fermentation due to a terribly low pitch, can I just pitch another pack or two? Or should I just warm it up and see if it starts back up?

3. Seriously, whats up with the syrup consistency? It's kind of grossing me out, lol.

1) In my five years of brewing, I've never seen the sugar drop to the bottom, though I've never had fermentation not take off, so I suppose it might be possible. Are there any other signs that fermentation occurred, such as a krausen ring? Lagers don't make as much krausen as ales do, but there should be a krausen ring present.

2) Definitely warm it up. If for no other reason than to perform a D-rest, which may or may not be needed, but certainly can't hurt. Did you taste any diacetyl in the gravity sample? If warming it up doesn't get it to finish, then I guess adding more yeast or racking it onto another cake would be the next move. At this point, even racking on top of an ale yeast cake would be okay.

3) I have no idea. Any rye in the grain bill? If I saw this and it wasn't a roggenbier, I'd be concerned. Diacetyl bomb, maybe?

 

[ArrogantDusty]

Here is the recipe: (I'll try to go home for lunch to grab a few pictures)

7 lbs Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 73.7 %
2 lbs Rice, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 21.1 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.3 %
0.55 oz Hallertau [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 10.2 IBUs
0.75 oz Hallertau [4.50 %] - Boil 2.0 min Hop 5 1.2 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Lager (Wyeast Labs #2035) [124.21 ml] Yeast

Est Original Gravity: 1.047 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Bitterness: 11.3 IBUs
Est Color: 3.5 SRM

Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG


The words "exotic infection" make me want to bring the whole fermenter out to the dumpster, lol.

 

[ArrogantDusty]

The plot thickens. Here are some photos. When I took it out, I noticed that the syrup-y layer is only that, a layer. I must have moved it yesterday but looking at it today, you can see that the layer is all to one side and that the rest of the wort is regular. I'm less freaked out, but the gravity while not touching that layer read 1.025....

 

[LLBeanJ]

I don't know what that slime is, but it can't be good. How does the beer taste, other than (presumably) sweet? Does it smell okay?

 

[TheMadKing]

The plot thickens. Here are some photos. When I took it out, I noticed that the syrup-y layer is only that, a layer. I must have moved it yesterday but looking at it today, you can see that the layer is all to one side and that the rest of the wort is regular. I'm less freaked out, but the gravity while not touching that layer read 1.025....

I'm still sticking with either protein or an infection, now leaning more toward infection. Does it smell sour or like vomit?

 

[ArrogantDusty]

I just took a ph reading and it was normal, so it has not soured and it doesn't have a bad smell... But honestly, I don't want to try it. I might give it a day, take some more readings and possibly get the nerve up to try it but more likely, this one is going down the drain.

 

[TheMadKing]

I just took a ph reading and it was normal, so it has not soured and it doesn't have a bad smell... But honestly, I don't want to try it. I might give it a day, take some more readings and possibly get the nerve up to try it but more likely, this one is going down the drain.

Question, how did you treat your flaked rice in the recipe? Did you mash it with the grain? Boil it? Cereal mash?

That looks very similar to the protein/starch skin that develops over cooked rice as it cools. I'd just taste it and see how it goes!

 

[tgolanos]

That looks very similar to the protein/starch skin that develops over cooked rice as it cools. I'd just taste it and see how it goes!

This. That's definiately a starch layer.

I cook a lot of barley (it makes a great mushroom risotto) and the first step is to rinse the barley. You get that same viscous run-off after the rinse.

You had or are still having fermentation. Rouse the yeast, I bet the gravity will drop more.

 

[ArrogantDusty]

Thanks guys! That makes me feel a little better. Though all I did was mash the flaked rice along with everything else. Should I try to get that stuff out of the fermenter or would it be better to just wait and just not siphon it out? I will taste it tonight to ensure no actual contamination.

 

[ArrogantDusty]

I've never worked with Flaked Rice before. Honestly, this beer is suppose to be a "Bud clone." Or close enough to it. It was/is meant for my Finance's grandpa (who only drinks bud) to have something to drink at our rehearsal dinner since I won't have any bud on hand.