Repitch to remove diacetyl from lager?

[OutsidersAl]

I've got a lager that is super buttery right now. What I think happened was, after initial fermentation of about 1 week, I racked off the yeast cake and put into a 35* fridge to lager for 6 weeks. I've since learned that you should leave it on the yeast cake for the lagering and you should also not bring your temp directly down to 35* from the fermentation temp as that will cause the yeast to go to sleep.

So my question is how to deal with this?

I'm thinking I have at least 3 options, but I don't know which is the best. here's what I'm thinking, I can:

1) Just keep letting it sit and hopefully after maybe 6 more weeks that diacetyl will subside.

2) bring it back to around 55* and agitate and hope to awaken whatever yeasts remain in there.

3) bring it back to around 55* and repitch some more yeast on there and hopefully those guys will digest the diacetyl.

Do I have any other options? Which of these is my best option?

Thanks!!

 

[drhookmec]

Age is your best option here.
Pitching more yeast will do nothing if fermentation was complete.

Diacetal removal is normally done when 75% of the fermentation is complete
then you raise temp. to around 65 for 2-3 days for the d-rest.
Then after the d-rest you can rack to a keg or secondary and lager.

It's not uncommon for lagers to be pulled off the yeast in 1 week some do some don't.
But you need to make sure fermentation is finished.

 

[Yooper]

....... I've since learned that you should leave it on the yeast cake for the lagering and you should also not bring your temp directly down to 35* from the fermentation temp as that will cause the yeast to go to sleep.


1) Just keep letting it sit and hopefully after maybe 6 more weeks that diacetyl will subside.

2) bring it back to around 55* and agitate and hope to awaken whatever yeasts remain in there.

3) bring it back to around 55* and repitch some more yeast on there and hopefully those guys will digest the diacetyl.

Do I have any other options? Which of these is my best option?

Thanks!!

Sounds "nitpicky" but you wouldn't want to lager on the yeast cake. You do want to do the diacetyl rest with the yeast still present, though, and you would do the diacetyl rest near the end of primary fermentation, while the yeast are still active. Then you can rack and lager.

I think only #3 has a potential of working. But not a repitch- instead a starter with actively fermenting wort should be added to the fermenter.