Wine taste in Lager

[Yeado]

Hi All,

After a bit of advice. I have been brewing a few FWKs lately and all have turned out well except my first crack at a lager. I have the All Inn Consequences Pale Lager kit fermenting atm the moment but it has a distinct wine taste and smell to it. The process I have used to ferment is as follows:

1. Cleaned and sanatized the fermenter, spoon/paddle, blow off tube and jar and yeast starter bottle.
2. used 5l of filtered water to make up to 20l
3. used Morgan's Premium Lager yeast (came with the kit from LHBS) to make a starter.
4. 36hrs after making starter I pitched into the fermenter (the wort was already at temp 12 degrees)
5. temp controlled fridge at 12 degrees for approx 5 days (after approx 60% fermentation)
6. after approx 60% fermentation raised temp gradually to 18 degrees for a diacetyl rest
7. checked gravity again last night 1.011-12 this is after about 4 days at 18 degrees

So this is using the method used here to ferment: brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

The samples I have taken are very cloudy, slightly carbonated and smell and taste a bit like wine. I am just wondering what could be the issue?

Other than trying a lager kit, this is my first attempt with a starter (the method I used from the How to Brew book)

Does anyone have experience with the above that could shed some light on whether this batch is a write off or just needs more time?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[MHB]

Unless its an infection (wild yeast can taste winey, a lot of them around my place are) it may well be maturity.
Lager takes time at very low temperatures to really mature, best is to cool slowly (try2-3oC/day from ferment temp) to about -1-0oC, this is where the beer is lagered.

I would avoid any advice given by Brulosophy - a lot of it is crap
The yeast you used is notorious for tasting very green and often quite sulphury when its young, it does clean up well with lagering.
A diacetyl rest is only necessary if you have excess diacetyl to get rid of, tho a rest around where you have one is helpful in getting the yeast to finish off before lagering.
Lager brewing is an exercise in patience, to make really good lager you really need to be thinking of 6 weeks to 3 months for them to be at their best. Even very big breweries working under optimised conditions take 4-6 weeks, that to make mega swill.
Mark

 

[Yeado]

Cheers Mark,

will get it down as low as I can go and see what happens. will report back.

 

[MHB]

Just remember to move the temperature down slowly - do it too fast and the yeast will go dormant and wont do the cleaning up that is part of lagering.
M

 

[Drewgong]

I'm drinking consequences lager as we speak same yeast but fermented at 18c as I had a amber ale fermenting as well and mine turned out pretty good should of dry hopped it though as it's a little plain but definitely no wine taste