Just made my first lager and chose the Wyeast 2124. I pitched the slurry from a 2.3L starter (fridged for 2 days) into my highly oxygenated wort at 45F. The plan was to raise the temp to 50F once fermentation starts.
I’ve never made a lager before–any ideas on what I can expect for a lag time?
Should I wait until I get airlock activity to do a slow raise on the temperature or should I begin to raise the temperature today (I pitched this morning)?
Thanks in advance to any and all for the advice!
I would allow it to start warming. It will take awhile to get to 50* with the thermal mass of the wort.
Lag times with lagers are usually more substantial. If you don’t have any activity after 72 hours then you should worry. One thing you should expect is a much more tame ferment which also makes you think it is “lagging.”
Be patient with a lager and you’ll be rewarded. Remember it is better to be one day late with a lager than one day early.
[quote=“Loopie Beer”]I would allow it to start warming. It will take awhile to get to 50* with the thermal mass of the wort.
Lag times with lagers are usually more substantial. If you don’t have any activity after 72 hours then you should worry. One thing you should expect is a much more tame ferment which also makes you think it is “lagging.”
Be patient with a lager and you’ll be rewarded. Remember it is better to be one day late with a lager than one day early.[/quote]
Agreed. I love brewing lagers. I’ve seen as little as 8 hours lag when I repitched (likely over pitched by a lot). But I usually see around 24-36 hours. I start to worry, though, if I don’t see any krausen building at the 24 hour mark. But it’s usually for nothing as I make sure to aerate with pure O2 and pitch a healthy amount of yeast.
I agree.
