Hmmm...nothing's going on

[FedoraDave]

I brewed a batch of Pearly Pils Sunday morning (3/14). I made a yeast starter Thursday evening, and it was very robust; I was sure it was nice and healthy.

I chilled my wort down to about 54/55, aerated like crazy, and pitched the yeast, then put it into the lager fridge, which I'd preset to 50 degrees. That was around 1:00 Sunday afternoon.

I checked it when I got home from work today, and the temp strip reads 53/54 or so. No krausen. No activity in the blow-off. I know lagers take longer, but I kind of expected something a good 30 hours in. Or maybe not; I'm not that experienced with lagers, I'll be honest.

I really should RDWHAHB, and let things take their course.

[Brewbirds]

I just had that experience myself, though not with a lager, 4 fermenters going at the same time but one wasn't doing a thing while the rest were spewing like crazy.

It is a very antsy feeling waiting to see if you managed to please your yeast and sometimes you think they are telling you that you didn't.

The bright side is that most of the time all that worry is for naught and those swell little guys still decide to still give you beer.

[Beerlabelman]

Probably a little too cold Dave. Bring up the temp, let it get started, then mid 50's is fine. I'm doing a Pils now using 22 grams of Mangrove Jack Dry Bohemian Lager yeast. Got it going at 60 degrees. holding at around 58-55 for 2 weeks. I'm racking to a secondary tonight, then keeping it as cold as possible in my garage for 4 weeks before kegging/ bottling.

[Kealia]

Count me in the camp of "let it be" Dave. I don't like to pitch warm and then drop so I do what you did: drop to fermenting temps and pitch there. I find it may take a little longer to SHOW activity, but I also find I don't produce any diacytel this way. Remember, nobody likes to be micro-managed, especially yeast.

I'm betting 24 hours from now you'll be wondering why you were concerned at all.

[haerbob3]

I would let it go. I have a pils going right now very little activity. I check the gravity on a regular basis

[FedoraDave]

Thanks. I'm tending toward the "patience is a virtue" side of the coin, rather than the "start warm and ramp it down" side.

This is the recipe I submitted to Homebrew Alley VIII, and was told there was diacetyl, even though not I nor anyone else could detect it. I believe I started that batch warm until things started taking off, then brought it down, so I want to avoid doing that. I think the rest of my process was okay (D-rest, extended cold lagering, etc.), so it may have been the start that caused it. I also know my Johnson Controller is set to 50, and the temp strip reads around 54, so something may be happening, just slowly. Since this yeast has an optimum range of 50-55, I don't want to raise it any more than it already is.

It's okay; I can wait.

[duff]

I've always followed the Narziss fermentation method where you pitch at 44f and then bring it up to 50f over the next 48 hours. I usually had some signs about 24 to 36 hours in but on one of the batches it was closer to 72 hours before it showed any signs. I had actually made the decision to buy more yeast on my way home from work that day to pitch and when I got home the fermentation was going full blast. Everything tasted fine.

And if you are concerned about diacytel I might recommend trying the Narziss fermentation method for your next batch. I read about it in Brewing Classic Styles and they recommended it because it produces much less diacetyl and doesn't require a diacytel rest.

[T8rSalad]

For The Hat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0714IbwC3HA

Salud my friend Salud!!!

[FedoraDave]

Well, I checked it this morning, and there seems to be the beginning of krausen. Now that I think of it, I had the same misgivings about the starter. I made it Thursday evening, and before I went to bowling Friday, there wasn't much of anything. Then, when I got back from bowling, there was a little krausen formation, and by the next morning, it was going insane. And that was at room temperature. Maybe this yeast is just a slow starter.

[Crazy Climber]

FD, what yeast are you using? Just curious; I likely have no insights. Unless I missed it, I don't think the strain has been mentioned yet in this thread.

[FedoraDave]

Sorry, my mistake. It's White Labs WLP830, German Lager Yeast.

I just checked it when I got home from work, and there's a slight krausen, and it looks as if some trub is forming along the indentations on the side of the carboy. The temperature is around 54, too, which is slightly higher than I set the thermostat, so I guess all is well, and I should just be patient. I'm used to ales, mostly, and a lot of the time I use WLP001, which takes off like a rocket and goes absolutely bonkers.

Live and learn, I s'pose.

[FedoraDave]

Okay, it's fine. Jeez, I'm such a worry-wart.

I'm also less familiar with lagers in general, and this yeast. It's churning away, and has a full krausen, and all is right with the world.

[zorak1066]

it's refreshing to see that even the pros have moments of needless worry. makes noobs like me feel a little less silly for running amok in a panic everytime something new crops up like OMG THERES FOAM ALL OVER INSIDE MY FERMENTER!!! ITS RUINED!!!

[FedoraDave]

Yeah, every batch of beer is different. Even using the same recipe, you're not using the same ingredients, and there will be variables. Even more so for homebrewers, who may not have as much control over their beer's environment as a commercial brewery has.

I hardly think I'm a "pro", as you put it, but yeah, I'm more experienced than some, less experienced than others. I also tend to put undue importance on certain batches. This is a re-creation of a recipe I entered in a competition, and I'm working to resolve some of the issues that resulted in the score and comments. So this particular batch is my current "baby", and I want things to be as optimal as possible throughout the process.

[ScrewyBrewer]

What size starter did you pitch Dave? For a 5 gallon batch of an under 6% ABV lager I make and pitch two 2 liter starters, add yeast nutrient to the boil and then oxygenate the wort. The wort is in the 60-65F range as are the starters when I pitch the yeast and then move the fermentor to a 54F lager chamber. I expect to see a healthy layer of krausen develop within the first 12-18 hours though.


As with any fermentation start out with plenty of healthy yeast cells and it'll take off quickly and with lagers doubling the normal ale pitching rate is especially important. These are the rules that guide me and I haven't had any problems with stalled or stuck fermentations for many years.