WLP860 Lager Fermentation Schedule?

[Culln5]

I will be brewing a Vienna Lager tonight and was unable to secure the preferred Omega Augustiner Lager yeast so I will be using WLP860. Below is the fermentation schedule for the Augstiner. As you can see, the temperatures are out of the 860's range (48-52F). So, I need to adapt it to the 860.

• 7 Days @ 54F
• 3 Day Rise To 57F
• 2 Day D-rest @ 57F
• Transfer To Secondary & Cool To 42F Over 7.5 Days
• Crash To 34F
• Lager For A Minimum Of 30 Days

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

"The process is simply to raise the fermentation temperature from
lager temperatures (50-55F) to 65-68F for a two day period near the close of the fermentation."

http://www.whitelabs.com/sites/default/files/Diacetyl_Time_Line.pdf

I think your not going high enough on your temp for the D-Rest and 4 days is a tad to long.

Not sure if I am reading the rest correctly, but I also don't take 15 days to go from 57-42...also not sure if you are keeping it at 42 and for how long? Typically when people say cold crash that means they are clearing it before bottling and you have that step before lager.

So I would go from D-Rest to lager temps around 34-36..so there really is no need to cold crash if want and think the beer needs it add gelatin to make it more clear.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Also the yeast works best at 48-52 so maybe do 7 days around 50.

https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp860-munich-helles-yeast

 

[Culln5]

"The process is simply to raise the fermentation temperature from
lager temperatures (50-55F) to 65-68F for a two day period near the close of the fermentation."

http://www.whitelabs.com/sites/default/files/Diacetyl_Time_Line.pdf

I think your not going high enough on your temp for the D-Rest and 4 days is a tad to long.

Not sure if I am reading the rest correctly, but I also don't take 15 days to go from 57-42...also not sure if you are keeping it at 42 and for how long? Typically when people say cold crash that means they are clearing it before bottling and you have that step before lager.

So I would go from D-Rest to lager temps around 34-36..so there really is no need to cold crash if want and think the beer needs it add gelatin to make it more clear.

I agree that it's an odd fermentation schedule and that the D-rest temp is low. The 4 days was a typo and should read 2 days. However, this schedule came directly from the brewer for the Augustiner Lager yeast.

He says to go from 57F to 42F by dropping 2F per day..... And after double checking my math (57-42=15) I have forgotten to divide by 2! Hence the change to 42 should be 7.5 days. After that the temperature will be lowered to 34 immediately (however long it will take my chamber to get there).

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I agree that it's an odd fermentation schedule and that the D-rest temp is low. The 4 days was a typo and should read 2 days. However, this schedule came directly from the brewer for the Augustiner Lager yeast.

He says to go from 57F to 42F by dropping 2F per day..... And after double checking my math (57-42=15) I have forgotten to divide by 2! Hence the change to 42 should be 7.5 days. After that the temperature will be lowered to 34 immediately (however long it will take my chamber to get there).

Ok, it is starting to look better! but i would agree a bit of a weird lager schedule...

 

[MrPowers]

I've used 860 on several batches this year. I'm drinking a helles I made with it right now.

I usually pitch at 50F and ferment for 5 days or until visible fermentation begins to slow, then take it out of my fermentation freezer and allow it to free rise to room temperature (mid 60's) for at least 2 more days or until fermentation is finished. Then I either let it sit at room temp until my freezer frees up from the next batch or immediately crash cool to 32F for lagering.

I generally leave it on the primary yeast cake for around 3 weeks. Then keg and finish lagering as it carbonates. It is a very clean fermenter and I have experienced no off flavors from this method.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I've used 860 on several batches this year. I'm drinking a helles I made with it right now.

I usually pitch at 50F and ferment for 5 days or until visible fermentation begins to slow, then take it out of my fermentation freezer and allow it to free rise to room temperature (mid 60's) for at least 2 more days or until fermentation is finished. Then I either let it sit at room temp until my freezer frees up from the next batch or immediately crash cool to 32F for lagering.

I generally leave it on the primary yeast cake for around 3 weeks. Then keg and finish lagering as it carbonates. It is a very clean fermenter and I have experienced no off flavors from this method.

This is a lot closer to the method I would take also.

 

[bierdude]

I a little late to this party, but just a few thoughts.
My two "go-to" sources for German brewing info are Nico @ Quest for Edelstoff and Kai Troester @Braukaiser. Anyway, per Nico, the Augustiner yeast is unique in that it requires a "warm" lager fermentation schedule - warm being relative (it means to ferment at 10.5 ⁰C vs. 9⁰C - and is pretty much unique to the Augustiner strain. Here's the schedule I got based on Nico's research on the Augustiner strain (WLP860 and the Omega Bayern) and Kai's standard lager schedules (sorry I work in Celsius):

Chill to 9⁰C (48⁰F)
Pitch @ 9⁰C (48⁰F)
Ferm @ 10.5 ⁰C (51⁰F) 7-9 days
DA rest @ 19⁰C (66⁰F) 2 days
Lower 2⁰C/day (1⁰C am/pm) - that's about 4⁰F per day
to 4⁰C
Rest @ 4⁰C - 2 Day
Rack Beer, then:
Lower 2⁰C/day (1⁰C am/pm)
to 1⁰C

One other thing, in German lager fermentations, never crash the beer, it will stall the yeast. There is still yeast in suspension that you want to maturate the beer at lager temps. I always (and Kai's research supports) ramp 2⁰C per day vs. crash. Crash your ales, not your lagers (if you're following traditional German fermentations).

One other interesting item - per Nico's research, Augustiner ferments under pressure, so unless you can do that on a homebrew level, directly following their fermentation schedule wouldn't be ideal, even for the same yeast.

Prost.