Brewing this weekend (pre-prohibition)

I am doing my pre-prohibition this weekend. First time for this lager. Any last minute suggestions?

Controlled fermentation schedule, 52-56, for 5 day then a diacetyl rest at 65 for a couple of days then to crash. There are peeps that brew a lot of lagers, and they helped me through my first series of lagers last winter. I am thankful for the help this forum will provide. Sneezles61

I would do 50° for about 5 days of ACTIVE fermentation. Then start ramping it’s up 3° per day until you hit 65. Let it sit a couple days. You can either then cold crash (I would only do this if it finishes at/near my expected FG) or you can start dropping temps 5° per day until you reach lagering temps.

what is,“diacetyl rest”,

Diacetyl is a chemical compound butanedione that provides a buttery flavor to beer. In lagers it is a major flaw, especially in your Pre-Pro.

A diacetyl rest is where you increase your temps from lager fermentation temps (50°-55°) to 65°-68° for a couple days towards the end of fermentation. This will allow the yeast to reabsorbed the diacetyl and transform it into acetoin and butanediol. These compounds are pretty much flavorless.

In some ales such as ESB a Brewer might want a little diacetyl.

If you use my fermentation schedule, oxygenate enough, use a healthy population of yeast you won’t need to worry about Diacetyl. As you start ramping the yeast up they start reasorbing the diacetyl.

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thank you!!

an yeast question, I have a 2007 pils yeast with the kit, would it be a good idea to use a dry yeast also? I was going to put it in the first ferm.

Lagers require a much higher pitch rate. A typical Pre-pro runs 1.045 to 1.050. I would use a 2L starter with 2 yeast packs. I’m not aware of a dry 2007 yeast option.

Not sure what you mean here. You only need to add yeast once. Unless your talking about re-yeast infection after a LONG lagering time.

I thought if I increase the yeast that might help with the diacetyl rest. I usually do a yeast starter the day before. I use malt and a starter. I think the 2007 might be a date?(2007 Pilsen lager). Maybe I am putting too much thought in it?

That’s just the wyeast product number. The 2007 is their Pilsen Lager strain. It’s your typical American lager strain.

WHEW… I was gonna chatter up about gittin’ a kit with yeast from the year 2007… That wouldn’t be cool, even though its a dry yeast. Would Stihl be able to build up from a dry yeast? I use just under 3 OZ.DME per quart of water, boiled, cooled, then pitch yeast, let ferment refrigerate decant and repeat to build up the quantity…Sometimes 5 times. Sneezles61

It’s actually detrimental to make a starter from dry yeast. They are packaged with O2 and nutrients in reserve. Creating a starter depletes them of this.

And if your stepping up a dry yeast 5 times it would probably be cheaper and much much easier to buy a couple more packets of dry yeast.

Dry yeast are great but the choices are not. Especially with the lager strains.

If you only have one packet of 2007 you better plan on stepping it up before using it.

I haven’t done any dry for quite some time. My stepping up is with liquid and I do that to have more on hand and bring the cost down. I just assumed that dry COULD be built up… Wrong… :confused: Sneezles61

The dry yeast I was going to use is a saflager w-34/70. Actually ,the wyeast is wet

They aren’t the same and will give you very different results.

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