Rather than make a new thread I might post this here because it is for the XMAS swap.
What are people's experiences with wyeast 2278?
I brewed 25 litres of pilsner on Sunday with an unexpected OG of around 1065. The previous day I made a manticle cheaparse starter (no stir plate so basically just boil water, cool to 18, add yeast activator packet with 100g dme and whisk, cover and sit, whisking occasionally). The pack was dated may 2009 so going on previous advice from John at GG, I had already smacked it at a rate of half a day for each month since manufacture. The swelling was minimal and there was no krausen on the yeast when it came to pitching time. I have read somewhere that lager yeasts don't show like to show themselves as much so I wasn't overly concerned.
Neither was I overly concerned when a day or two after pitching, I saw no amazing krausen. However today I checked the gravity and it was sitting at 1065. Brew doesn't taste vinegary (tastes a bit like raw sugar) but that seems not so good to me. I had a pack of saflager that I pitched in because I don't want to lose this brew (even if it doesn't make it to the swap). Temp has varied between 10 and 12 over the last few days.
Was I wrong to add the dried?