When Do You Pitch Lager Or Pilsner Yeast ?

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Pumpy

Pumpy's Brewery.
Joined
8/11/04
Messages
4,014
Reaction score
7
which is the best way , I know it has been discussed but I cant find a topic on it !


1)Pitch yeast at 18-20C allow to krausen then chill down to 10-12C.


2) cool wort and yeast to 10-12C pitch at this temperature .


I dont do many lagers or pilsners what do you do ?


Pumpy :)
 
Hi Pumpy

Method 1 is what I use but it does have the disadvantage that you can cause bad flavours to develop, diacetyl etc, but this can also be eliminated by various methods. ( I just pitch then put in fridge , don't wait for Krausen.
Method 2 is the prefered way but for that you do need a good 1-2L starter.
You could even use method 3 , chill to about 8C pitch starter then raise slowly to fermentation temp.

Lagers
 
Hi Pumpy, I would recommned the method that palmer goes by.

That is:

Pitch a big healthy starter into chilled wort. Also when you create the starter, ferment it cold as well.(8-10 degrees)

With good sanitation and procedures you can easily repitch 3-4 times here, and should expect better attenuation as you have a lager population of healthy yeasties.
 
Some people even recommend pitching at 4-5 degrees then raising the temperature. This could seem extreme but it's what Urquell apparently do.

MFS
 
Yes AGraham

a big starter now planning that now

Pumpy :)
 
Pitch a big healthy starter into chilled wort.

When you're pitching a large starter e.g. 2L, do you actually pitch the whole starter, or do you ferment it out, let it settle, pour off the liquid, and use the yeast 'cake' mixed with your wort?

Cheers,

Jon
 
My method is slightly different to 1

I make a starter at about 16C.
I chill the wort until its about 3 degrees warmer than the desired fermenting temp. I use a fridgemate.
Pitch at about 13C (if desired ferment temp is 10C)
This 3 degrees seems to get it started pretty quickly (I'm scared of leaving it too long b4 fermentation starts) but not warm enough for off flavours.
No problems so far.... :p
 
You can pitch the whole contents or just the slurry, might be interesting to test side by side.
 
Hi Pumpy,

I mainly do lagers these days since I adopted Jamil's method of pitching (assuming you are using a liquid yeast):

1) I make a big starter, about 4L. Try to ferment the starter at 25C. Remember we are growing yeast, not making beer. Yeast are happiest when warm and cosy.
2) When this has finished I chill the starter in the fridge for a couple of days to drop the yeast out of suspension
3) I cool the wort to about 6-7C.
4) Pour off as much of the starter liquid as possible without pouring out the yeast sludge. Leave a little bit of liquid to resuspend the yeast. The liquid will smell pretty funky, but should not smell off.
5) Pour the yeast into the well aerated wort.
6) Set your temperature control to let the temperature slowly warm up to about 9-10C over 24 hours.

You show have good fermentation within 8 - 24 hours depending on which lager yeast you are using.

Always get super clean lagers via this method, and still ferments out within 2 weeks.

Cheers,
Tim
 
I like to pitch Lagers warmer, at about 18 then cool to 10 or 12 deg C in the first 12 hours. I just like fermentation action to be happening ASAP. I have never noticed any off flavours doing it this way but I normally use 1 or 2 packs of S-189 with my lagers.

Steve
 
I like to pitch Lagers warmer, at about 18 then cool to 10 or 12 deg C in the first 12 hours. I just like fermentation action to be happening ASAP. I have never noticed any off flavours doing it this way but I normally use 1 or 2 packs of S-189 with my lagers.

Steve

+1 but pitch at 16c and 2 packs [twice the amount when buying in bulk] never 1 for me with S-189. B)
 
I always use dried yeast (not rehydrated) and add to wort at 25C or thereabouts, then bung it in the fermenting fridge set at 10-12C.

I do a diacetyl rest at 15-16C for about 3 days at the end. Works for me.

Cheers, Andrew.
 
I asked this same question to Chris White from White Labs when he was here in Brisbane. His recommendation was either:

1. Pitch at ale temps and slowly chill to lager temps. Apparently the odd flavours don't develop that early because the yeast is multiplying rahter than fermenting. By the time it starts fermenting, it's at the right temp. He said to bring it down over around 8 - 12 hours.

2. Pitch at ferment temp by increasing the pitch rate.

Chris recommended option 1.
 
I always use dried yeast (not rehydrated) and add to wort at 25C or thereabouts, then bung it in the fermenting fridge set at 10-12C.

I do a diacetyl rest at 15-16C for about 3 days at the end. Works for me.

Cheers, Andrew.


Nice one. Like Bonj said you won't get off flavours if you bring it down to the 12 deg C mark within the first 12 hours or so. I must say that I have started to re-hydrate my dry yeast prior to pitching and it has been better. I just like to wake those little guys up gently prior to putting them to work. :D

Steve
 
Thanks Mortz ,SJW , Bindi Bonj M&M

There seems a number of different scenarios

I going to study this

Pumpy :)
 
In the past I have normally pitched a 1-2 litre starter into wort at around 18C and cooled it down to 10C within 12 hours. This has always worked fine for me and have produced some nice clean pilsners.

My last batch was 25 litres of 1067 wort that was thrown onto the yeast cake of the first 15 litres. It went of like a gun and had a krausen within about 4 hours. My old freezer then struggled a bit to get the temp down to 10C with the ferment already going.

I am interested in trying the pitch could method though just to see if there is a difference. I also increase the temp to about 18C when the ferment is 75% done to finish it off.

Kabooby :icon_cheers:
 
I will no doubt cop some flack over this but i tend to pitch cold and keep it cold for 14 days and then rack and lager without a diacetyl rest. I do use wyeast 2000 which doesnt produce much in the way off diacetyl to my taste. I made a 5L starter (20L batch) and then crash chilled it and poured off the beer and pitched only the yeast slurry.
 
Yep, pitch cold and keep it cold. The warmest mine gets is the primary ferment then lowered for secondary/dropping for a few days to clear.
 
Pitch cold,brew cold and use slurry.

I use to pitch the whole starter,but now decant.Basically due to fermentation volumes.Not enough room in there.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top