I bought a kit from Austin Homebrew Supply and it wasn't very clear what temperature to ferment at. It did say after I pick the yeast and it starts to ferment to slowly take it down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but what temperature do I started it at??
What temp to ferment Red Stripe Lager clone...?
- Thread starter MrJames
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That would depend on the yeast. What is the preferred temperature range of the yeast that you chose? I would recommend, as a general rule, to ferment in the lower end of the band on any yeast you use.
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The yeast is Wyeast American Lager...says to ferment at 65-72 F...
Wyeast American Lager is best ferment at 48-58. I think you were looking at American Ale yeast.
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I went and looked...see attached pics...2035 American LGR... It says " shake well, open and pour the activator in 25 gallons of well aerated or oxygenated wort up to 1.060 OG at 65 to 70 to Fahrenheit maintain temperature in till fermentation is evident"....
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My OG was 1.045....
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Yet I go on Wyeast website and for the 2035 American Lager it says temperature range: 48 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit..so us that ferment temps??
Yeah ferment it 48-58!! Keep it around 50 and your good. I don't know why the smack pack says to ferment it at ale temps. Stick to lager temps and you'll be fine
No, those instructions are generic. They put whatever yeast in the pouch, then label it with the yeast type. As a lager, use the 48-58 range and I would recommend as close to 48 as possible. Because it ferments at a lower temperature, it takes longer so it's highly recommended that you use a starter to pitch more yeast. I don't know if you under pitched this or not, but let us know how it turns out.
Ahh ok. I am not much of a smack pack person. I bought a wyeast 2124 awhile back and didn't really remember reading the back of the pack. And that's the only smack pack I have ever used!! " btw 2124 is a great yeast!!!".
Step 6 says to adjust to desired fermentation temp. I think the 65-72 was the proper pitching temp.
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Ok, I will take it down to 48...Has been at 50. But how do I know if I "under pitched"? I smacked the pack and waited for 3 hours before pitching. It never bloated, but the packet inside did break. Then I poured the yeast in. Did I do it wrong? I don't have the know how to do a yeast starter yet.
Yeast starters are recommended for lagers. To me they are a must when brewing a lager. You must ensure a good yeast population for the proper lager fermentation. As for knowing how big to make your starter that depends on your O.G. and you can get a estimate by using the mrmalty or yeastcal calculators. Also I think you underpitched by a good amount. I would leave it @ 50 and if you don't see any action I would go up to 55.
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Eureka!! We have fermentation!! It started, slowly, but it's going now. Next time though, when I do another lager, I will do a starter.
So how long at this temp (49 F)...??
So how long at this temp (49 F)...??
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I have this recipe running at 49F...any tell me their opinion for how long I run it at this temp? And then what?
Let it ferment a week and take a gravity reading. At 75% done you want to let it warm up to 60 F for a couple day "diacetyl rest". Then rack to secondary while saving the yeast at the bottom for your next lager. Then lager.
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Lagering us lowering the temp 1-2 degrees each day (or every hour...?!?) down to 35F...??
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Oh I found my link....
Its now time to lager. Slowly lower your temperature about 5ْF a day until you hit 35ْF. You can go colder, but watch your temperatures closely. Lagering has begun! Lager for a minumum of six weeks and don’t be shy. It is not uncommon to lager a doppel bock for up to a year!
Its now time to lager. Slowly lower your temperature about 5ْF a day until you hit 35ْF. You can go colder, but watch your temperatures closely. Lagering has begun! Lager for a minumum of six weeks and don’t be shy. It is not uncommon to lager a doppel bock for up to a year!
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Fermentatuon is complete....Diacytal (spelled from memory) rest is complete @ 62F for 3 days... Now it's Lagering... I have some yeast left over...can I make another batch using this yeast??
You sure can and the beauty of it is that you don't need to make a starter if you brew with in the next month sometime. Try to brew with in the next week or two that's what I do. After that I make a starter just to be on the safe side. But check out the Mrmalty to know how much slurry to repitch.
