German Lager First One

[fergi]

hi guys,well this is my first german lager that i have tried.it has been in primary for 7 days in the fridge and although i am finding it difficult to keep a rock steady temp i think it is hovering around the 10 deg to 12 deg mark.i did my first gravity test on it and it seems to be about 1018 ,the original was 1044 so i presume that it is fermenting out ok,had a taste out of the test jar and although it is a bit muddy looking it seems to have quite a nice flavor considering all the sediment still in it.so i am wondering because i used only 11 g pack of w 34/70 yeast is this enough yeast in there to finnish this lager off properly.i got the kit from grumpys and they sold me the 34/70 yeast so i would imagine that they would be thinking that there was enough yeast in that pack,just that on a few of the forums here i have noticed that a few people state that you need a bigger yeast starter for lagers,my airlock which is sealed well seems to bubble once every minute or so ,do you think this is still fermenting enough or should i shake the fermenter up to get it going again,by the look of it i should imagine that it will be another week in primary before i stick it in secondry
cheers
fergi

 

[sluggerdog]

I have just done very similar to you except it was a pilsner but using the same yeast and 11 grams of it. Same temps too.

I left it in there for 15 days and took it out this morning to rest as the gravity had levelled off at 1.012.

So sounds like everything is going well for you, wait another week and you should be right to move on from primary.

 

[fergi]

thanks slugger how long are you going to rest it for and at what temp.are you going to cc in fridge before bottling and at what temp and how long.when you bottle i should imagine that after it has gassed up for a week then it should be ok to test the occasional bottle
cheers fergi

 

[Asher]

With a gravity reading of 1018 its nearly there.... If your worried about the yeast not finishing it off, warm to ~ 18deg for 3 days(diacetyl rest). Since the yeast has already done most of the hard work the higher fermentation temp will not affect flavour.
Then back in the fridge, cooling slowly over a week or so should drop most of the yeast before bottling.

Sounds like it will be a nice lager....
German lager is one of my favourite styles.

Asher for now

 

[sluggerdog]

Fergi - as asher said, I will rest it for 3 days then rack it into my cube and stick it in the fridge for as long as I can.

Would love to keep it there a month but I think it will be closer to 2 weeks before I need to drink it

 

[Ray_Mills]

Sluggerdog
Why are why making a lager around 4%. Might as well purchase a some beer at your local. Make some great lagers at 5% or more.
Cheers
Ray

 

[sluggerdog]

Ray - What makes you say that my brew is going to be 4%?

I just used an ESB Czech Pilsner Pack 3kg with added hops for aroma.

Shouldn't this come out at about 5%.. I am guessing here of course..

Cheers