Oktoberfest

I brewed NB Oktoberfest yesterday.(going to be more like Novemberfest) It is my first logger. I pitched at 55* and I have it in a chest freezer with a control set at 52*. Anyone brewed this before? Wondering how long before I should see activity.

What was your starter size? or did you use dry? if so, how many packets?

I agree with muddywater_grant’s line of questioning. Cold fermentations need a ton of yeast. If you made a yeast starter of at least ~3 quarts for 5 gallons, you should be fine. However, if you only used one pack of yeast, and/or you did not make a starter, then it may take a long time indeed to see activity, especially if it was liquid yeast, since dry yeast keeps much better and you don’t know how well the various shippers and shops handle the yeast.

In any case… If you see no activity after about 36 hours of pitching then my suggestion would be to add two packs of W-34/70 dry lager yeast – it is good and reliable and will start up quickly. And it’s also relatively cheap.

I used 2 packs of safloger 34

Also not that a lager generally won’t be as vigorous of a fermentation given the lower temps.

Oh…and don’t worry if you smell sulfur or rotten eggs coming out of the airlock. That is perfectly normal for a lager.

Your Oktoberfest will be fine. You should see activity within 36 hours if not quicker.

Thanks for advice. Starting to see some activity now.

34/70 is a fine lager yeast - you will like your results - give it a month in the primary, just to be sure its done, because the final bit can be slow at that temperature. Otherwise a D rest can be used after the yeast nears completion - but I have found it to be unnecessary. YMMV.