i just bought this yeast today. got it home and smacked it. within an hour it started to swell and 2.5 hours its quite swollen at room temp (at 18-21C - 64-69F) the manufacturing date is dec 27 and it is now january 7th. not sure if the age of the yeast is the cause of the fast start (considering most people that have noticed a slow start have had yeast over a month old and some quite older). plan to pitch it to a 3L starter. i will update on the how the starter and the batch takes once i pitch
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager - Slow Starter?
- Thread starter Roz762
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thewalkingboss
Member
I pitched the 2206 48 hours ago in a maibock, OG 1.064, did not use a starter. The package did not swell at all before I pitched it about 2 hours after I smacked it. I thought that was unusual since I am used to their American Ale yeast which will swell the pack in an hour and show bubbling in the airlock within 12 hours.
This is my first time using this yeast although not my first lager. I pitched it at 65 degrees, and it is currently sitting at about 65 while I wait to see any action in the airlock. So far I see no bubbling. After 48 hours of no visible activity I took another reading and the gravity is now 1.060, so it seems that something is happening but not much and not very fast.
So the question is, would you start cooling it down to 45-50 degrees now or wait for more visible signs of activity? I'm afraid if I start cooling it now, fermentation will stall. Or should I go get more yeast and make a starter and re-pitch?
This is my first time using this yeast although not my first lager. I pitched it at 65 degrees, and it is currently sitting at about 65 while I wait to see any action in the airlock. So far I see no bubbling. After 48 hours of no visible activity I took another reading and the gravity is now 1.060, so it seems that something is happening but not much and not very fast.
So the question is, would you start cooling it down to 45-50 degrees now or wait for more visible signs of activity? I'm afraid if I start cooling it now, fermentation will stall. Or should I go get more yeast and make a starter and re-pitch?
i like to pitch my starter a little warm then wait about 12 hours before i move it into my lagering fridge. other people will say to pitch cold. but i find pitching warm ensures a vigorous start and cuts down lag.
Just resurrecting this thread to see if anyone is using Wyeast 2206 and seeing the same behaviour as above? I am relaxing. I'm not worrying. Not drinking a home brew, a little early (liar - but I am working). Just curious. This is my second lager and the first one took off in a "normal" time. This one is almost in 3 days and I see nothing. I'm going to leave it though. I know I could open the bucket and check the gravity but it's not like I need the bucket so opening it now seems like an unnecessary risk. If I see nothing after another day or two, then I will think about it.
OG = 1050
Pitched at about 60 F
Sitting in trash can of water which is about 55 F (no fermometer on this bucket)
OG = 1050
Pitched at about 60 F
Sitting in trash can of water which is about 55 F (no fermometer on this bucket)
thewalkingboss
Member
Mine started after about 3 days. But I kept it at around 70 degrees until it did. If using this yeast you should probably use a starter and pitch at a higher temp. Also be sure and give it a good diacetyl rest before the yeast is completely done. I gave it 3 days at 60 degrees after the primary and still got diacetyl
Curiosity got the better of me and I checked the SG this morning. 1026 so down 24 points - fermentation is definitely underway. The wort temperature is also at 63 F compared with the 56 F water it's sitting in so I will add more ice to that later. I have a better idea for a swamp cooler but that will need to wait until my next lager.
I haven't seen any visible signs of fermentation so I suspect that I have a leaky bucket lid which is entirely possible since I drilled an extra hole in it for a thermowell. I didn't use the thermowell because I made it out of copper instead of SS. I thought I sealed up the hole good but I guess not good enough. I resealed it this morning and I am going to replace my blow off tube with an airlock. Perhaps that will give me the visual reassurance that I so desperately want. lol.
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When I racked a different brew to a secondary I freed up another bucket. I took the lid from that, cleaned it, sanitized it and put it on the other bucket. Now I have airlock activity. Of course I knew there was fermentation going on before that but it's nice to have those little reassuring bubbles AND now I know that I have either screwed up the other lid completely or I need to use a better method of blocking the extra hole until I get my SS tubing for my thermowell.
Mine took three days to start. I fermented in mid to high 40s 70% of the way. I am on week three of fermentation still with diacetyl and airlock activity after a week of rest in the high 60s. This yeast is slooooowwwww. A lesson in patience.
McboBrewer
Member
Hi, I just brew a Bavarian Dopplebock (O.G=1.080) I pitch 2 smackpacks of wyeast 2206 @ 68ºF 18 hours ago (no starter, just the 2 packs), still no activity.
One of the packs swell just a bit (almost nothing) and the other.. let say ½ way swell, the 2 of them were 2 month old and were smacked 10hours before pitching.
In the wort I threw several yeast nutrients: 1 capsule of “BrewVint Yeast Fuel”, 1/2tsp of “Wyeast Beer Nutrient” and about 2tsp of a yeast energizer based on Di-ammonium phosphate, Springcell yeast hulls, vitamins, and magnesium sulphate.
All that because I read this yeast was slow, but still nothing happening yet.
Any suggestion? Besides being XTREMELY patient.
One of the packs swell just a bit (almost nothing) and the other.. let say ½ way swell, the 2 of them were 2 month old and were smacked 10hours before pitching.
In the wort I threw several yeast nutrients: 1 capsule of “BrewVint Yeast Fuel”, 1/2tsp of “Wyeast Beer Nutrient” and about 2tsp of a yeast energizer based on Di-ammonium phosphate, Springcell yeast hulls, vitamins, and magnesium sulphate.
All that because I read this yeast was slow, but still nothing happening yet.
Any suggestion? Besides being XTREMELY patient.
McboBrewer
Member
Updating: This morning the dopplebock start to show bubbles. I just move the fermenter to my controlled temp environment at 53°F.
Do you think I should go lower?
Regards
Do you think I should go lower?
Regards
McboBrewer
Member
TimTrone said:
Thanks Tim.
thewalkingboss
Member
Put it in the upper 40s, but pull it out of the cold and bring up to about 65 about 3/4 of the way through the ferment. For a doppelbock, this might be around 1.025. Let it go up to another week at this temperature, or until the ferment is complete AND you can't taste diacetyl. I used this yeast and gave it a 3 day rest at the end of the ferment and that was not enough to get rid of it all. You need to start warming this up while the yeast is still active and give it a thorough diacetyl rest with this yeast. Then start your lagering.
McboBrewer
Member
thewalkingboss said:
Thanks a lot boss, I'm a newbie, this is my 3rd batch of all grain and all the information I get is very positive.
Fermentation today (4 days before pitching) looks very nice, about 2 bubbles per second @ 9°C, I suppose it will take at least 2 week to get to 1.025.
My actual concern is about the 3-4 inches of sediments that are in the bottom of the carboy.
regards
FF
McboBrewer
Member
Hi everyone, just giving an update about my dopplebock. 2 days ago (15 days before fermentation strated) I transfered to 2dary, the kreusen was all settle at the bottom in a very compact way, the beer was very clear, I got 1.022 FG. I will lager for at least 4 week @ 46°F.
What do you think???
Regards
What do you think???
Regards
Just thought I would throw this in the thread for anyone who might be interested.
Beer is a Double decocted Oktoberfest
OG = 1.064
Made a 2L yeast starter with 1.045 runnings from my mash tun. Let it go 24 hours at 65F before dumping it into my Wort.
Beer is a Double decocted Oktoberfest
OG = 1.064
Made a 2L yeast starter with 1.045 runnings from my mash tun. Let it go 24 hours at 65F before dumping it into my Wort.
McboBrewer
Member
Great man! Thanks a lot!
Gave this yeast another crack. I made a 3 liter starter and pitched at 55 degrees. It started bubbling the airlock in ~8hrs so I stuck it in the ferm chamber. 12 hours from pitch and this is how she looks-->
Not too shabby!!
Not too shabby!!
I tapped my Maibock last night. It is absolutely FANTASTIC!! Maybe my best to date. Thanks for weighing in all.
This is in reference to my first post in this thread. The one above me will not be done until Oktoberfest!!
Prost
This is in reference to my first post in this thread. The one above me will not be done until Oktoberfest!!
Prost
LOL....No, I posted this to the wrong thread. The beer you see a few posts back is a Trad Bock and it is actually still in PRIMARY
. That was my second round with 2206. The Maibock was my first time using 2206 and my first lager. I brewed it April 1st and it's been lagering for a couple of loooong months now. I started this thread when I was freaking out about it the first time and continued on with this thread later.
I must've had a couple too many Maibocks last night
Using this yeast for the first time this weekend in an Oktoberfest. Made about a 5 litre starter that seemed to ferment out very vigorously. Doing a split batch; the other half will use 2308 which has the biggest krausen I've ever seen on a starter. Guess it's probably just because it's near the top of my 6L flask. Still, really going hard!
McboBrewer
Member
GrizBrew said:LOL....No, I posted this to the wrong thread. The beer you see a few posts back is a Trad Bock and it is actually still in PRIMARY
The Maibock was my first time using 2206 and my first lager. I brewed it April 1st and it's been lagering for a couple of loooong months now. I started this thread when I was freaking out about it the first time and continued on with this thread later.
I must've had a couple too many Maibocks last night
Hi, I'm very very new in the world of brewing, I just made my 4th batch of beer last month. I wonder, where should I lager? In the 2ndary fermenter just dropping the temperature and let it sit for 2 month? Using a 3rd fermenter for this purpose? Or, can the lagering be done in the keg, pressurized, and very cold?
You can lager in either your secondary or a keg. I've heard of people doing it in the primary, but never tried it myself.
There's definitely different opinions about this. What I did was racked into a corney after primary was done. I then just let it sit for a couple of months and tapped it. The first half pint or so was mucky but it ran clear after that.
My corney has an airlock but I doubt that is necessary really, not too much CO2 is being produced in secondary. If it is produced, then you'll probably just get some free carbonation.
I have read that lagering under pressure is no problem either, but again, there are probably many opinions
McboBrewer
Member
Thanks a lot guys!!
The 2206 I used in my Oktoberfest got the beer down to about 1.016; repitched into a doppelbock on Monday and no sign of action as of this morning--mind you the wort is very cool; pitched at 47 or so. Half the doppelbock got S-189 slurry repitched from a Helles; it took off very quickly (both batches had 120 seconds pure O2 through 0.5 micron stone on day 1 and day 2) and is going absolutely gangbusters--huge krausen for a lager, especially at that temperature.
I hit the 2206 batch with another 90 seconds of O2. Given what's been posted earlier in this thread, I expect it to take off today anyway.
I hit the 2206 batch with another 90 seconds of O2. Given what's been posted earlier in this thread, I expect it to take off today anyway.
May be committing brewicide, but didn't realize the date on the Wyeast 2206 was over 6 months old when I bought it (my bad). It's a hassle to bring it back to the LHBS. I'll be making a 2L starter a few days before brew day and then will cold crash and decant before pitching. It will be interesting to see the results.
Do yourself a favor and get more yeast. A 2L starter of 6+ month old yeast is a pitifully low cell count for a lager (< 20% of the optimal pitch rate for a standard 1.048 beer).
Why take the time to create a recipe, buy the ingredients, brew the beer, clean everything up, then cross your fingers and hope for the best when you are clearly dangerously low on yeast? Doesn't make any sense.
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