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Bock help

Yeast & Fermentation
#1

Hi guys, first time caller, long time listener…

Got a problem with my Bock. Bascially, after 3 weeks, gravity is down to 1.032. Here’s the details.

NB Bock extract kit.
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager yeast
No starter, just what was in the smack pack.
Primary fermentation temp was 54F for 3 weeks.

It took ~3 days to get going, then once it did it was reasonably vigorous for a couple of days, then really slowed down. After 2 weeks, it was still bubbling, so I left it another week. Took it out of the fridge 2 nights ago to do a diacetyl rest and I took a gravity reading before the transfer. Result was 1.032. I put an airlock back on and it is bubbling like crazy now at room temp (mid 60s F).

Is it possible Wyeast messed up and put an ale yeast in there or mislabled it?

Right now, I’m inclined to let it finish up at room temp and see what happens.

Color is good and the taste of the gravity sample was surprisingly good. No off flavors, just a bit sweet (duh…1.032 gravity…)

Thoughts?

#2

You need to pitch large volumes of yeast for lagers, especially high gravity versions like a bock beer. Vigorous aeration is also recommended. Add those techniques next time. For now just let it be and give it more time. You might want to give the beer a gentle swirl or two to bring up some yeast. Is it possible the wrong yeast was in the pack? Yeah, in the same way it’s possible for me to win the Powerball lottery. The odds are pretty long.

#3

pretty sure that any yeast is going to become more vigorous with warmer temps. As long as the majority of primary fermentation is done, you should be fine letting it finish warmer.

+1 on not pitching near enough yeast

#4

If it’s not done by Saturday, I’ll grab another pack of yeast at the local brew store and put it in…

#5

I would not waste your money. that is not going to help much - you’ll be pitching a relatively small amount of yeast into a nearly fully digested wort with no presence of oxygen and a good bit of alcohol in the mix - neither of which is going to be good for the new yeast, not to mention they will be dwarfed by the number of yeast already in the beer. If you had access to a large(1-2 quarts) of active slurry say from a brewpub, that might work, but otherwise, you’re throwing good money after bad - patience is paramount. The warmer temps will probably help.

#6

OK, I’ll just wait it out…

#7

You pitched around 5 million cells per ml. 15-20 would have been more appropriate for 1.068 lager. They had to bud 2-3 times more than if you pitched enough of them. They probably ran out of oxygen before they were done multiplying. That can lead to stalled fermentations.

Warm it up. Not only will it help motivate the yeast to finish it will also help them clean up after the poor start they had and minimize off flavors.

#8

You obviously weren’t really paying attention, though… :wink:

#9

Yeah yeah yeah :slight_smile:

First time ever doing a lager. I usually stick to ales. Never done anything higher than a Saison (1.050ish)

#10

Yeah, I did the same with my first lager. Pitched one vial. No good. Here’s something you might want to try that I did…

I made an Oktoberfest (only I think I made like a 3 or 4 L starter), and decided that after 2 weeks, I was going to brew a Vienna and use the yeast cake from the O-fest. So I brewed the Vienna. When it came time to pitch, I started transferring the O-fest to secondary, and I took a gravity sample (1.032). I thought, “Oh. That’s not done.” Having already asked on this very forum about how much cake I would need, about 3 people said “half”, so I figured I’d put half in the Vienna, then re-pitch the other half back onto the O-fest.

Obviously, you’ll need three vessels for this, and make sure they’re all sanitized. That worked out well. Both the lagers finished up at 1.016 (48*F). I DID make a starter with this yeast, but I think it’s worth a try with what you have.

#11

The best way to fix it would be to make another batch exactly like it (but with plenty of healthy yeast) and when the new batch is at high krausen blend the two batches together.

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