Marty_G Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 where i live the temp is prime to do some brewing .... I pitched an 86 days Pilsner at 22 degree 2 days ago it colled over night and the temp has been around low to mid teens since then (2days) ... I notice that the activity is slow to non existent .... I have a brew of Australian Pale ale next to it which is bubbling away which i pitched yesterday .... they are both exposed to same environment ... the Question: am I right in assuming Pilsner yeast is a very slow ferment and the lack of activity is perfectly normal ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Hello MartyG. Your method for pitching & fermenting appears to closely follow the desired method outlined by Coopers with this kit. To give you a more accurate idea of what & why the ferment is appearing to ferment slower more information is needed. From my standpoint most notably the full recipe you put down, how much yeast was pitched, & what the current ferment temperature is & is it constant. With that information I (personally) can give you a better idea of what is potentially going on with your ferment. As a general rule though, the lower the ferment temp, the slower everything seems to roll along, & ferments are generally longer as a consequence. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Used 1kg LDM and the kit yeast and 86 Days can ... temp has not been constand as exposed to outside temps ... the air temp has been slowly rising and falling between 10 and 18 over the day night cycle ... so brew temp would be reasonably stable in mid teens ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elLachlano Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Hey Marty, I put one of these down on Monday. I've just exposed it to natural temp changes down here in Melbourne and the airlock has certainly slowed down. I'm running between 12 - 15°C. I wouldn't worry too much, just give it some time and keep checking the hydrometer reading. If it's not moved much from OG then you may have to repitch. Once it's stable for a few days you'll be golden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Thanks for that Ellachlano ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elLachlano Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Oh I forgot to mention that I've got a ski jacket over mine... It can keep itself a little warmer this way. Temps are pretty cold down here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 57 minutes ago, MartyG1525230263 said: Used 1kg LDM and the kit yeast and 86 Days can ... temp has not been constand as exposed to outside temps ... the air temp has been slowly rising and falling between 10 and 18 over the day night cycle ... so brew temp would be reasonably stable in mid teens ... The air temp matters for little. What is important is the temperature of your brew wort. When yeast are actively fermenting they create heat (exothermic), so what you perceive as being reasonably stable is not actually the case unless you have a means of accurately measuring, monitoring, & controlling wort temperature. As a general rule, yeast don't like huge fluctuations in temperature when fermenting sugars. "Between 10 and 18..." is what I would categorise as a HUGE fluctuation (albeit we are talking about air temperature in this case). I'm not suggesting this is the cause for your current situation, but it certainly isn't helping. There is plenty of info out there about how to assist regulating your ferment temperature, & I can only suggest you have a read & look into it. As a first step to producing better quality home brewed beer, this particular aspect is arguably the most important of being able to control. Best of luck with the brew, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tja1980 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I here you Marty enjoying great temps in perth at the moment all under 20 for the next 10 days, finished up an Ale using CBW malt extracts but brewing with the 86 has brought out a really good pilsner I did a few months back, keen to see how the 86 yeast can work, I accidentally tossed the 86 and went with W-34/70 between 15 and 18-19 degrees with 2x 2L ice blocks every 12-16 hours. Was on a tight schedule but knocked it out in just under a fortnight, I didn't have time to fine it and actually crashed it on the night at me mates place for the long weekend, it got the nickname "Breakfast juice" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Thanks lusty .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 What does the brew actually look like? Is there foam on top? I brew a lot of pilsners and other styles of lager and they all have pretty low visible activity. There is a krausen (the foam) but it's pretty small compared to ales, probably about 10-15mm high. If you're talking about an airlock not doing much, don't worry about it, testing the SG is much more accurate for monitoring fermentation activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 11 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said: What does the brew actually look like? Is there foam on top? I brew a lot of pilsners and other styles of lager and they all have pretty low visible activity. There is a krausen (the foam) but it's pretty small compared to ales, probably about 10-15mm high. If you're talking about an airlock not doing much, don't worry about it, testing the SG is much more accurate for monitoring fermentation activity. The appearance has improved since early this afternoon ... it had no krausen then but it definitely looks as though one is forming now .... I just did an SG and the sample has loads of bubbles but tasted very sweet and worty which is to be expected... this ferment vat is one of the newer Coopers one with no airlock which is a bit of a pain as I much prefer the visual and audible signs of activity ... right now i have 92 litres in 3 brews going .... and the ones with the airlocks 23L of real ale and 46 L of Australian Pale Ale keep me informed on how they are going through sight and sound ... thanks for the input Otto ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Sometimes lager yeast can take a while to show visible signs of fermentation. Mine usually take between 36 and 48 hours or so after pitching before I see a krausen forming. Sounds like it's going now though, just let it do its thing and you'll be fine. I have an airlock style fermenter too. I don't use the airlock anymore, just put gaffer tape over the hole and back the lid off slightly, but when I did use it it never bubbled. Probably a leaky seal somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 30 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Sometimes lager yeast can take a while to show visible signs of fermentation. Mine usually take between 36 and 48 hours or so after pitching before I see a krausen forming. Sounds like it's going now though, just let it do its thing and you'll be fine. I have an airlock style fermenter too. I don't use the airlock anymore, just put gaffer tape over the hole and back the lid off slightly, but when I did use it it never bubbled. Probably a leaky seal somewhere. Thanks for the info on the take times of the lager yeasts .... I was a bit concerned or rather wanted some reassurance that it is fine as the 1st time I did a Pilsner it was done and dusted in a few days ... the wort was way to hot and the ferment was over too fast ( I have already done a thread on that) anyway i thought "bugger don't tell me i have done the opposite" .... now I know all is good ... I realise low and slow is the mantra for great beer .... and I have learned a great deal in a reasonably short time ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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