Lager Not Fermenting At 11 Deg

[bjl]

Hi all,
I got my first home brew kit for Xmas and am currently brewing my second beer. The problem I am having is I can't get it to ferment down to a og reading specified of about 1.008.
I am using a Muntons Bock Beer kit, Muntons Amber Malt, Hallertau hops and 11.5g of S23 yeast. I added the yeast at 25deg, placed it in the fridge and after 1 1/2 days the temp was reading 11deg and remained constant for 10 days, fermentation appeared to have stopped but the og reading was high at 1.020, and remained at such for 2 days. I spoke to my local shop and they said that I should take it out of the fridge and let it get to around 20deg to kick start the fermentation again. I did this and sure enough it started to ferment again but as soon as I put it back in the fridge fermentation stopped. I have since done this twice more with the same results. og readings are currently lower at 1.014. The brew has been going now for 16 days and I have taken it out of the fridge, wrapped it in a wet towel, temp is 22deg and it is fermenting again.

Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

Will the temp fluctuations ruin my brew?

Should I be racking the beer if fermenting at a lower temp?

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Adamt]

Fermentation is a lot slower at 11C and will take a while to finish. I'm not an expert in lagers, but it is usually standard to bring the brew up to 18-20C for a day or two at the end of fermentation for a "diacetyl rest" and to finish the beer off.

Is your fridge temperature controlled? What kind of thermometer are you using? Those stick-on ones are highly dubious at lower temperatures. You may find the brew was actually much colder than you think it was.

 

[T.D.]

I have found that sometimes it takes a while for a lager yeast to chew up the last 5-10 points. Of course, other times it fires all the way down to terminal gravity, so who knows! I think different yeasts act in different ways etc. Anyway, I would just let it sit at 11deg now for a week or so and then take another reading. It can't hurt, if the fermentation doesn't start up again, its not all bad because 1.014 is not a ridiculously high FG.

 

[Yeasty]

I know what u mean about it looking like its being slow. Put down my first chilled ferment lager 3 days ago and its slowed right down. I pitched @ 20deg, and you could hear it fizzing within 10mins, while the fridge was cooling to the 12 deg i set it at. Once there its almost as if its stopped.

I'll just keep taking readings to make sure...

You dont have to rack to a secondary, but some prefer the beer not to sit on the yeast cake for too long as it may change the taste? Ive read anywhere from 2-5 weeks is ok...trial and error i spose.

 

[DJR]

Sounds like you underpitched, for a fermentation at 11C you need to pitch 2 11.5g sachets, 11.5g of yeast alone won't be enough for a cold pitch & fermentation.

You won't develop much off flavour by leaving it out of the fridge to get the final points - most brewers do this as a diacetyl rest anyway.

And besides, 1.014 might just be the finishing gravity, with a kit and extra malt 1.014 would be about the mark of finished.

 

[bjl]

Thanks everyone for the prompt replies.
I am using one of those stick on thermometers, I may have to invest in a different one. I am just using the thermostat on the fridge set to its warmest setting.
By the sounds of it, it is not all bad. Being new to this I just wanted to make sure I wasn't ruining my beer.

Cheers.

 

[lonte]

Thanks everyone for the prompt replies.
I am using one of those stick on thermometers, I may have to invest in a different one. I am just using the thermostat on the fridge set to its warmest setting.
By the sounds of it, it is not all bad. Being new to this I just wanted to make sure I wasn't ruining my beer.

Cheers.

the hardest thing to learn in lager brewing is you have to give it TIME. i ferment up to 4 weeks @9*C, then laager a further 6-12 weeks depending on how good I want it.

 

[jdsaint]

my lager is at 20* now at day 3 primary fermentation bubbling has dropped to 3 bubbles per minute I want to rack to secondary but want to wait until bubbling or fermenting 1 stage has completed I was going to leave it for 1 week primary (at day 3 now) 1 week secondary then another week secondary in fridge at 4*-6* then bulk primm and bottle as its my first brew back in the game and i had to do a lager (time consuming) but if its gonna be a gooden its worth it any points to what a want to do ?
is it fine what I want do?

bulk primming with dextrose oh this is a can kit KK

 

[DJR]

Is it using a proper lager yeast or an ale yeast?

There is a button to add fullstops on the keyboard somewhere, it helps with reading it, stopsitallseeminglikeonehugesentenceyouknow?

If it was done with an ale yeast, don't lager it it won't do anything. If you've fermented with a lager yeast at 20C, don't bother, the beer will be a bit beyond repair with lagering. You should be fermenting with lager yeasts at about 10C not 20C.

 

[jdsaint]

I am using the yeast which come with the tin, which is a tooheys lager tin.

 

[phonos]

the yeast in that tin will be an ale yeast. just let it go till you get the same hydrometer reading for a few days in a row.

 

[jdsaint]

the yeast in that tin will be an ale yeast. just let it go till you get the same hydrometer reading for a few days in a row.

and when this happens can I still secondary ferment? If its no good lagering cause of ale yeast, I'd like to get it off the sediment....by racking

 

[DJR]

Yes, just rack it if that's what you want to do. The jury's out but it should give you a more sediment free beer (in my opinion anyway). You can chuck it in the fridge to help more settle out but only a couple of days - a "lagering" is putting it in there for 4 weeks+ and is only required when using lager or hybrid yeasts.

 

[jdsaint]

note to self......Dont make Lagers until you have 300+beers stored LOL
well I am gonna do that then rack it & Bulk prim then bottle so when it stops bubbling completley check the readings over say 3 days if they are the same, 'secondary ferment'?
Or can it be done say,.... 2 days time, into secondary, while it's still a little active?

 

[DJR]

Usually secondary happens when the ferment is still a bit active, i rack to secondary about 1020 as a rule of thumb. The sugar left over helps make a bit more CO2 to protect the beer. If the ferment has finished there's not much point racking it, just leave it a week to settle a bit and then bottle.

Read this

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-4.html

(That site is great for answering young padawan's questions)

 

[jdsaint]

well I will have a check on what my hydrometre reading is and post it on this thread.

 

[jdsaint]

well I will have a check on what my hydrometre reading is and post it on this thread.

Its at 1.012 sg was 1.042 its 3 days inprimary is it to late for racking?

 

[jdsaint]

IT also looks very milky like it was simmering had a nice head in test tube but of course waited for that to reside before final reading was taken.

 

[Yeasty]

My lager in the fridge @ 12deg was really slow in the first week, but now in the end of its second week its taken off. It took 5 days to drop around 9 points (1.036 to 1.027) then in the last 3 days its dropped down to 1.020..

I'll be leaving mine in the fermenter till primary is done, then do a diacetyl rest for 2 days (help bring out some of the C02) then bottle and cc @ 2 deg.

 

[jdsaint]

I have been told mine is actualy a ale because its ale yeast that came with the tin still need to know if I should do a secondary ferment (rack) my brew as it has reached 1.012 in just 3 days.