Otto Von Blotto Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Well brewed this one up today, I did the recipe noted in this post (added \xbd whirlfloc at 10 mins which isn't mentioned there.) It was mashed between 63 and 65 C for 90 mins, pre boil gravity 1044, post boil 1053/54, so I reckon this will be a pretty strong beer, perhaps stronger than I was intending.. though the Carapils and Carared may yield a higher FG. I have read about a diacetyl rest with lager fermentations. I understand it is simply raising the temp for a period of time. What is the period of time? Also, should this be done in primary or can I bottle the brew and store them at a raised temp during carbonation and get the same effect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I have read that the two weeks carbonating the beer in bottles is effectively a d-rest but if you have the ability you may as well do it in primary with a larger volume. I wait until I am about 5 points off expected FG and then increase the temp to 18-20 degrees. It will take a while to get there as it is a gradual increase. I rest it there for about 3 days and then drop my temp back down to my lager fermenting temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Thanks Hairy. I do have the ability to do it in primary now with having proper temp control. I am also thinking of making a starter for this batch so I don't have to use so many yeast packets. I just have to find some suitable things to make one in and step up. I would prefer to be able to just tip the yeast itself into the brew when I do it, rather than the whole starter volume. What sort of containers make good vessels for starters and where can they be obtained? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I don't have a flask so I use a glass V8 juice bottle and cover with foil. It is good for a 1 to 1.3 litre starter. I have a couple of big plastic juice bottles handy in case I need a bigger starter but haven't needed them yet. But a lager yeast starter will be pretty big so you may need to find yourself a 5 litre container. You don't need anything fancy, just something you can clean & sanitise. But an erlenmeyer flask would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 But a lager yeast starter will be pretty big so you may need to find yourself a 5 litre container. That's what I was thinking. I don't really have any glass jars like that at the moment, but there are erlenmeyer flasks on ebay reasonably cheap given the usage I'd get out of them. Might pick up a 1L and 2L one. Might have to do some hunting around for a suitable 5L container though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Hairy' date=' bigger is better mate![lol'] With my current burner (low pressure reg and all) I lose way too much to evap for my 30L kettle to push out anything but 16L, and even then I usually have to top up a bit. [crying] I've just built a 40L kettle, so hopefully I'll be a bit better off for 20-23L. My 30L was great for the stove, but when using a gutsy burner, a bigger pot is ideal. I would totez go for the 50L. Thread hijack no. 2 [innocent] I totez decided to get the 50 litre kettle and I have made the order. I spoke to a fair few people about this and pretty much everyone recommended the 50 litre. Once I get a few brews under my belt on the new system it will give me the opportunity to do one and a half batches. That is a 20 litre cube/jerry and perhaps another 10 litre cube/jerry. The small batch will be my experimental brew. Maybe try some different things like: Different cube & dry hops Different yeast Adding chocolate, vanilla, coffee, spices etc Racking onto fruit Etc etc etc It sounds good in theory, let's see how it works in practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 So I'm planning to ferment this brew next, after I bottle the porter that is currently taking up residence in the FV. My question is, how long before I plan to start fermentation should I make the yeast starter? I'm probably gonna have to do it in two steps, starting in a 1L flask and then moving to a 2L flask. Unfortunately I don't have anything bigger to increase it to 4 or 5 litres at the moment, but I figure a 2L starter is better than nothing. I might even be able to split the yeast from the 1L flask and do an extra 1L in that plus the 2L one. Anyway thinking out loud there.. the main question is how long before I plan on pitching to make it up? EDIT: Using W34/70 lager yeast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Using W34/70 lager yeast Is that the dry yeast? If so, I wouldn't bother with a starter. I would work out how much dry yeast to pitch from Mr Malty and just rehydrate it. You will probably find it will be 2 of the 11.5g packets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Yeah it is. I'd just rather make a starter than spend $16 on friggin yeast for one brew. [pinched] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Yeah it is. I'd just rather make a starter than spend $16 on friggin yeast for one brew. [pinched] I forgot how much dry lager yeast costs. It is almost double that of the ale yeast and you need to use twice as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Yeah, that's why I was asking about making the starter. I know it's not really necessary for dry yeast but I have the means, and I've also never done one before so I'm interested to try it out. I just don't know how long to make it before pitching to the brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Yeah' date=' that's why I was asking about making the starter. I know it's not really necessary for dry yeast but I have the means, and I've also never done one before so I'm interested to try it out. I just don't know how long to make it before pitching to the brew. [/quote'] Probably 3-4 days if you are going to step it up. But you no-chill in a cube don't you? So wouldn't you just pitch when it is ready rather than working it out the other way around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Yeah I no chill in the cube. I usually work out when I'm going to ferment them by when I have enough empties so I kinda work out a day to start it off and go from that. Given the amount of empties I have, once I bottle this porter on Friday I could probably put the lager brew on pretty well straight away. So I might even make up the first starter tonight when I get home from work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I made a Helles a while back and after lagering I thought I would try dropping a Euro kit + a kg of dme + nutrient on top of the cake that had formed in secondary then dry hopped 25g Saaz 4%. Well I kegged this lastnight after fermenting at 12\xb0 and lagering for a few weeks at 2\xb0, I was a little worried because there were still yeast particles on top, but I tell you what it tastes like the cleanest, crispest lawnmower style beer Ive ever made. A keg full of great beer for minimal effort [joyful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 Nice one Graham! I was a little disappointed with my last attempt at the Euro Lager kit, however I didn't have decent temp control or anything back then. I made up the starter last night in a 1L erlenmeyer flask, boiled it on the stove and rehydrated the yeast, pitched it when it had cooled down. It's started fermenting some time over night, now my question is how long do I wait before stepping it up to the 2 litre one? Also what benefit does giving it a bit of a swirl every time I walk past it have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 BUMP[lol] [innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 BUMP[lol] [innocent] You are so demanding Kelsey [biggrin] I assume you wait until it has pretty much fermented out before stepping it up. Swirling does two things; keeps the yeast in suspension and introduces some more oxygen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 [lol] It looks like it's pretty well fermented out now actually. I might make the larger volume up and re pitch it into it later tonight after it cools down. I'm thinking of splitting it and adding some extra wort to the 1L flask as well as the 2L one. Will this produce more yeast than pouring it all into the 2L one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticky Wicket Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Hey guys, When brewing AG lagers it it essential to step mash as per some of the recipes suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 I think it depends on the malts used. Some of them require it but others are heavily modified to be able to just do a single step mash at one temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 6, 2013 Author Share Posted April 6, 2013 I guess this was going to happen eventually. But it had to be on a brew that I was really looking forward to. I'm talking of course, about an infection. Well at least I think that's what it is. It smells pretty off. I noticed this weird looking thing floating on the brew about an hour after I pitched the yeast, but I had to go to work so I left it there until I got home, by which time it had grown to about double the size it was. I'm leaning towards something infecting the yeast starter, however I noticed nothing in it when I poured it into the wort, so it's a bit weird. Either that or something in the cube but I also noticed nothing when pouring from that into the FV, and it's been in there plenty long enough for something like that to form inside it if it was going to. Maybe it's just as simple as something infecting it during the transfer from cube to FV. Whatever it is, it means 24 litres down the bloody drain...[crying] [crying] [crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilboBaggins Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 [crying] [crying] [crying] It looks like a mouldy octopus. Did you taste the beer from your starter before you pitched it in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 6, 2013 Author Share Posted April 6, 2013 Yeah one of my friends said that when I posted it on Facebook. I didn't taste the beer from the starter. I decanted most of it off the yeast first but it did smell a bit weird. I figured it was just the muck left on the flask by the krausen but perhaps something got into it. It's weird that it only appeared like that after pitching it to the proper brew though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Have a taste and see how bad it is. It looks pretty disgusting though [sick] I meant have a taste of the beer, not that weird stuff on the mash paddle [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 6, 2013 Author Share Posted April 6, 2013 [lol] Yeah, that stuff was promptly thrown out in the garden somewhere not long after the photo was taken. I had a taste of the beer last night and it didn't taste completely off but I think it was beginning to. I'll have to try it again on Monday. It's still in the brew fridge at the moment as I haven't gotten around to dumping it yet but I think it's a lost cause anyway. I wasn't able to completely remove the offending weird stuff so it's probably infected the whole thing anyway. [crying] Oh well. I'll just have to either brew another lager recipe or wait a couple of weeks and put an ale on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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