Slow Ferment?

[stew.w]

last weekend i did my first extract brew. it is a lager and i have used s-23 yeast. the fermenter is in a fridge with a temp controller on it set to 11 degrees C. it has been fermenting but very slowly there is condensation on the lid, a small scum ring around the top and the airlock did bubble a few times but i think the lid leaks anyway. the OG was 1046 and in a week it has only dropped to 1030.
does lager yeast ferment slower than ale yeast?
what should i do? is this a problem?

Thanks,
Stewart

 

[bozzy]

i wouldnt worry. slower temps = longer ferment. and im 99.9% sure larger yeast is much slower than ale yeast.

of course having said that im totally new to brewing beer.

 

[theMISSIONARY]

11c is a little on the cold side!?

 

[razE]

The main reason for the slow ferment is the temperature. Being a lager yeast 11 degrees is fine. I believe that yeast ferments between 8 degrees and 11 degrees. The last lager i brewed took at least 3 weeks to ferment. Just leave it go at 11 mate and in a few weeks after fermentation if bottling or a few days if keging you will be enjoying your lager.

 

[Goofinder]

11c is a little on the cold side!?

11C is about right for S-23 (Fermentis quote 12C as the ideal temperature for this yeast).

Whenever I have done lagers they have taken a lot longer to ferment, sometimes up to three weeks to finish at those temperatures. I don't have the patience to brew lagers very often though!

 

[theMISSIONARY]

WOW thats a cold slow one i will have to use that in Winter here

 

[Bribie G]

From my senior chemistry I remember that for every ten degrees rise in temperature most chemical and biological reactions proceed twice as quickly. Some of my ales at 20 degrees still plug away after ten days depending on the yeasts so if you do the math it's going to take a few weeks to really attenuate most lagers at your temperatures. Wouldn't worry.

 

[QIK86]

I've currently got a Coopers Lager with 500g LDME and 500g Dex fermenting with US-05 @ 18 to 20ish degrees. Has been as low as 17. After 14 days in primary it still has a good half inch to inch of krausen. What's going on there? Can it possibly be finished while the krausen is still present? I haven't taken SG readings for a week or so as I thought there's not much point while it still has a krausen, as it's obviously (or so I thought) still going. But for how long? I even brought it up to 23 degrees for couple of days to see if it would finish, but it's still the same..

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

[brettprevans]

4 weeks is not uncommon for a lager ferment.

all fermenting should be slower as a general rule top prevent the chance of fusil alc being produced. lager yeasts are designed to work at lower temps. the owrd lager comes from german word. plenty of posts on AHB about lagering and making lagers.

if ever in doubt about your brewing temps check your yeast packs or a retailers page about their yeasts.

my lagers are usually fermenrted for at least 4 weeks.

Qwik86 - for one your making an ale not a lager. your using ale yeast at ale temps. so a diff kettle of fish. You sure its kraussen? it is on the surfae of the beer and not just the sides of the fermentor. if its the sides of the fermentor then its probably just left over residue. if there is still kraussen then it should still be fermenting. you could have a wild yeast infection. SG readings will let you know definitely. I would have expected yours to femented out by now. but then again I ferment my ales for at least 2 weeks. Id suggest you check you SG.

 

[mwd]

Qwik

I do K&K with US-05 at a controlled 18C and average is 10-14 days so not that unusual.

The krausen foam sits there and then one day just disappears. I then check the gravity with the hydrometer.

When I am sure it is done I leave for one week to allow the yeast to clean itself up before bottling. US-05 likes a good few days cleanup before racking off or bottling.

 

[QIK86]

citymorgue - I know it's not technically a lager, I was just using the name on the can to explain whats in the fermenter. It's definitely a krausen on the surface of the beer, not just residue up the sides of the fermenter. Hopefully it's not a wild yeast infection. It still smells and tastes fine and I gave everything the usual good dose of starsan.

Tropical brews - Whats the longest US-05 ferment you've had? I may be going for the record.. haha. I'll check the gravity tonight to see where it's up to anyway. I was planning on doing what you mentioned, wait for the krausen to drop, then check for consistent SG over a few days and give it a chance to clean up (have read on here of US-05 throwing a bit of diacetyl at the lower end of the temp range) and then bottle. But it just hasn't dropped. Hopefully it will soon. I'm starting to get impatient..

 

[QIK86]

Checked the SG while I was on lunch and I don't think it will go a whole lot lower with the fermentables used.. It's currently sitting at 1.009. Time will tell I suppose.

 

[buttersd70]

qik, a lot of ale yeasts will have the yeast on top for ages after fermentation has actually finished, unless it gets chilled.....it will eventually drop down, but it's not unusual for it to take quite some time to do so. 1469 has to be beaten down with a bloody stick.... :lol:

 

[thunderchild]

The first time you do a lager, it scares the s*&! out of you that something is amiss.

They are slow, do the opposite to an ale yeast and because you have read the scary stories about the risks in lagers you start to doubt yourself.

Let it do it's thing. It will take at least three weeks in primary. And if you want to drnk a good beer in summer make a heap now so by summer you have a great collection of well lagered beers.

Lagers are not for the impatient. But maybe a sneaky taste along the way wouldn;t hurt..... :icon_cheers:

 

[Jonez]

...And if you want to drnk a good beer in summer make a heap now so by summer you have a great collection of well lagered beers.

What do you mean by summer?.. summer is almost over.. isn't it?

 

[buttersd70]

What do you mean by summer?.. summer is almost over.. isn't it?

Apparently summer was so popular, it will be doing an encore next year ... :lol:

 

[Jonez]

Apparently summer was so popular, it will be doing an encore next year ... :lol:

yeah..... but making beer now to drink it next summer?.. and what to drink from now until then?

 

[buttersd70]

yeah..... but making beer now to drink it next summer?.. and what to drink from now until then?

I'll be starting my Pilsners for next summer probably in april or may....My winter Ales will be starting in a few weeks...regular session ales to drink throughout.

 

[stew.w]

Thanks for the help.
i checked my lager today and it was SG 1022 and estimated FG is 1008-1009. so it seems to be going down at a reasonably constant rate.
at this rate the full fermentation will take about 2.5-3 weeks which is about right from what you guys have said.
it stinks, but i read that is from the sulphur produced by the yeast and is not a problem.
the plan is to rack it about SG 1017 (3/4 through fermentation)
do a diacetyl rest at about 16C when the fermentation is complete.
lager for 4 weeks in the fermentor and then bottle.
am i on the right track? i have read a few different ways of doing this, like lagering in the bottle and am not sure which way to go?
also when i bottle what temp do i store them at? the yeast ferment temp?

Cheers,
Stew

 

[buttersd70]

As you say, there are a few differant ways of doing the same thing, but what you say is fairly sound...although, I think your first rack might be a tad early. If expecting 1008-1010, I would be racking at about 1014 ish.
Ferment temp for the bottles would be good. Slower to carb, but cleaner imo.