First Pilsener

[bowie in space]

Hey all, thought i'd try a fresh wort kit form my LHBS the other day. I asked the guy behind the counter what he could recommend. He said do a lager or pilsener. I said I've got no temperature control. He said no matter, if you've got a shed it's cool enough at the moment (Melbourne). I took his word for it and also grabbed the WYEAST he recommened.

I've only ever used one other WYEAST for an ale and when i smacked it, the pack really expanded to a seemingly near bursting point after about 3 hours. I smacked this one and went out for the day and came back about 8 hours later. The pack had expanded but not to the extent of the one mentioned above. Anyay, I boiled some hops, transferred the wort to the fermenter which aerated the wort really well. Then added 6 litres of water and pitched the yeast around 16-18C. (too high)?

It's been 72 hours and no sign of fermentation. No airlock action (which i know is not the only sign), but no drop in gravity either and it tastes like sweet wort. I know lager/pilseners are bottom fermenting which i am guessing is why there is no krausen build up on top. There is some build up of matter (possibly krausen) on the bottom of the fermenter. I am panicking a little and don't really know what to do. The garage temperature has been around 12-17C. Is this too high? Should i have not tried a bottom fermenting yeast? Will it start to ferment anytime soon?

Cheers in advance to all of your responses.
Bowie

 

[chappo1970]

Which Wyeast Bowie?

True lager yeasts aren't like your normal ale yeasts they can appear to be some what lazy. Can be slower to kick in my experience.

Your upper temp is a worry so maybe rug up the fermenter in the morning and undress it at night so your closer to the ideal 10-12C range. Diacetyl is your enemy here and it will be thrown in spades at the upper 17C range. Your pitching temp shouldn't be too much of a worry.

Cheers

Chappo

 

[bowie in space]

I'm sure it was the Czech Pils 2278 because I asked for Saaz hops and the guy recommended a durable pilsener yeast to go with the recipe. I threw the empty pack out and made no notes h34r: .

So all is not lost? It's mostly around the 14C mark overall but i'll wrap the fementer up in the morning. Thanks Chappo

Cheers
Bowie

 

[roverfj1200]

Lager yeast slow little duckers they are.. Had a 34-70 with no action after 48 hours and I paniced too. Tossed a s-23 in on top and things are looking better now...

 

[parrja]

I'm in the same boat. First wyeast lager (Bohemian Lager 2124). 48 Hours later there's yeast cake but not much else to see. So used to S-04 that would fire after 4 hours and be 2/3 done by now... Last lager used S23 which took about 48 hours to get going.

It's currently at 14 degrees and I'm going to drop it to about 10 once it looks like its active. Like you, I'm a bit nervous at 48 hours but will definitely worry at 72...

 

[chappo1970]

Patience is a virtue
In brewing you need plenty of it.

No worries Bowie let us know how it gets along.

Cheers

Chappo

 

[roverfj1200]

Patience is a virtue
In brewing you need plenty of it.


Chappo

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I WANT TO DRINK IT NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. :huh:

 

[buttersd70]

from wyeasts faq....

15. What temperature should I pitch lagers?

More yeast (double- two packages or make a 2L starter) is required for cold fermentations. To compensate for this, pitch one package into 60-68F wort, allow fermentation to begin, and cool to desired fermentation temperature.


16. Im brewing a lager, do I need to cool my wort to fermentation temperature before adding the yeast?

There are different views on this topic. The individual brewer ultimately has to weigh the pros and cons. If a brewer is to pitch the lager yeast at fermentation temperature (55F and below) then the pitch rate needs to be increased and a slower start to fermentation should be expected. The other option is to pitch the yeast into wort (60 to 70F) and maintain temperature for 24 hours or until signs of active fermentation are evident and then cool to desired fermentation temperature.

 

[chappo1970]

Your right Butters... prolly under pitched as well. Forgot that one, usually pitch 2 packets 11.5grs these days.


Cheers

Chappo

 

[bowie in space]

So used to S-04 that would fire after 4 hours and be 2/3 done by now

True. I did an ale on Sunday (did the pilsener on Saturday). Ale has been bubbling for nearly 48 hours! That's why I'm concerned.

So Chappo, how much longer do I wait until I take further action (ie, throw in some S-23)?

Either way I'll let you know

Cheers
Bowie

 

[chappo1970]

At least 24hrs. It was a smack pack so you haven't under pitched but it did swell a little so it must have had some viable yeasties in there. Certainly hav old faithful s23 at the ready.



Cheers



Chappo

 

[Bribie G]

Hi Major Tom, I'm now doing my own first pilsener, soulmate, using Wyeast Urquell 2001. I was well aware of the pitching quantity issue so, being a cheap *******, I smacked the pack on Thursday, it swelled up a bit but not full blown like a Pom yeast such as Ringwood, and poured it into some LDME wort in a sanitised Schott lab bottle so I could breed some up for free before pitching. For 3 days I swirled it every time I walked past (bottle top released just a crack) and from day 2 it would fizz up alarmingly with CO2 hissing through the top, then settle down flat as if nothing was going on. Soon the yeast layer at the bottom was getting thicker and thicker and on Sunday morning I shook it all up and pitched. Now only two days later the airlock is kittening every eight seconds, there's a dainty little white layer of krausen and it stinks like a good lager should. From now on I'll breed up all my lager Wyeasts ... a bit cheaper than pitching two packs.

 

[yoey]

Hi Major Tom, I'm now doing my own first pilsener, soulmate, using Wyeast Urquell 2001. I was well aware of the pitching quantity issue so, being a cheap *******, I smacked the pack on Thursday, it swelled up a bit but not full blown like a Pom yeast such as Ringwood, and poured it into some LDME wort in a sanitised Schott lab bottle so I could breed some up for free before pitching. For 3 days I swirled it every time I walked past (bottle top released just a crack) and from day 2 it would fizz up alarmingly with CO2 hissing through the top, then settle down flat as if nothing was going on. Soon the yeast layer at the bottom was getting thicker and thicker and on Sunday morning I shook it all up and pitched. Now only two days later the airlock is kittening every eight seconds, there's a dainty little white layer of krausen and it stinks like a good lager should. From now on I'll breed up all my lager Wyeasts ... a bit cheaper than pitching two packs.

Hi BribieG,

What were the temps when you added the yeast to the LDME starter wort and up till the pitching on Sunday?

Cheers,
yoey

 

[Bribie G]

Hi BribieG,

What were the temps when you added the yeast to the LDME starter wort and up till the pitching on Sunday?

Cheers,
yoey

I did the starter at around 18 degrees and kept it there but pitched into wort at around 14 and took it down to 12 where it's sitting now. I did notice that on pitching the yeast was already producing stinky sulphur fumes so it was obviously quite happy

 

[bowie in space]

Thanks Bribie,

I'll look into the schott lab bottle technique. Good to hear yours is bubbling along nicely. :icon_cheers:

Bowie

 

[yoey]

I did the starter at around 18 degrees and kept it there but pitched into wort at around 14 and took it down to 12 where it's sitting now. I did notice that on pitching the yeast was already producing stinky sulphur fumes so it was obviously quite happy

Thanks for the info BribieG! :beer:

 

[manticle]

48 Hours later there's yeast cake

Someone might correct me if I'm wrong but I'm fairly certain that's a good indication of fermentation. The yeast is eating the sugars in the wort which is basically what fermentation is.

 

[bowie in space]

Still no action dammit . The hydrometer reading suggests it's dropped about 3 points down to 1042, but just doesn't seem as though it is fermenting at all. Don't know if gravity has actually dropped because it's about 13C in my garage right now. Cooler temperatures generally create a slightly lower gravity than if you measured the same wort at, say, 18C right?

Either way, I'm going down to the LHBS to grab some S-23 and make a starter. Any extra comments?

Still smells like sweet wort, but i don't want to risk an infection by leaving it.

Bowie

 

[bowie in space]

I went out and bought a pack of S-23 dry yeast today, got home and boiled up some LDME and water, put the liquid into a pyrex jug in a sink full of ice, just about to pitch the yeast when SWMBO enters from the garage and tells me the fermenter is blooping.

Talk about lazy yeast :blink: . 5 days after pitching it starts bubbling! Home brewing never ceases to amaze. Well lesson learned, hopefully it ferments out properly. At least I now have a spare pack o' yeast .

Cheers
Bowie

 

[Thunderlips]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I WANT TO DRINK IT NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. :huh:

This is the main reason I hardly ever brew lagers.
They just take too damn long!

If I Wasn't so busy and could get ahead of myself with stock I'd be right.
I've had a couple of Ezybrew 5 litre jobs (Cascade Premium Lager and James Squire Pilsener) in the fridge for around 3 months now because
I've had enough trouble trying to keep up with ales.

I hope they don't go off