DougF Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Hi all. I've put a black pils down that has been fermeting for about 8 days - I've never done a brew that needs to be kept at such a low temp before and to be honest, I'm struggling to get it any lower than 18C due to the fact that I'm in WA and brewing in my shed. My question is - the brew hasn't done any bubbling at all... is that normal when you brew at such a low temp or does it sound like I have an issue? Also what reading should I be looking for on the hydrometer? On average how many days has it taken other brewers to get the reading consistant or the two days that the recipe recommends before bottling? Cheers! - Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 What do you mean by bubbling? Did you use the kit yeast? If this is the recipe in the How to Brew section the Pilsener kit has a lager yeast. These behave differently to ale yeasts in that they are "bottom fermenting" rather than "top fermenting" so you probably won't find the big krausen on top of the brew like an ale yeast. Can't tell you an expected FG though as I've not brewed with a lager yeast yet, I'm waiting until full on winter when the temps will be low enough to keep it around 13\xb0-15\xb0C without too much trouble. I'd probably leave it for 2 weeks then take a reading, lager yeast take a bit longer to ferment than ale yeast. Cheers, Kelsey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NathanP Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 When brewing up lagers I tend to ballpark mine at 2 weeks in the drum. As for bubbling, I would suggest that if the lid isn't completely airtight you wouldn't be getting much air through the water trap - thus no bubbling. That, and again you're brewing a lager, which don't seem to brew quite as vigorously as ales. If in doubt - bottle it anyway and find out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 If in doubt - bottle it anyway and find out! This is BS advice which I do not recommend whatsoever!!.. fancy advising something that could potentially be harmful to the brewer or loved ones!! [devil] I usually leave Lagers for about 3 weeks in the fementer. Bottle after you have 2 consecutive days with the same hydrometer reading. Don't rely on the airlock. All they do is allow gas to escape and nothing else a part from confuse new brewers. I suggest using the cling/glad wrap method. 18C is too high for most lagers. Even though it will still ferment it will not be as clean a beer if the temps were lower. I would stick to Ales if you are having troubles getting temps any lower. 18-20C for Ales are best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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