I’m in day 4 of my vienna lager fermentation. Holding steady at 51. I pitched a 3L starter with two smack packsn(wyeast 2308-Munich lager), so I’m sure I had at least close to enough yeast. I’ve never done a lager before and I’m not sure how to proceed with this fermentation.
It’s been chugging along steadily, but now I’m noticing it’s throwing some sulfur. The fact that it’s taken 4 days to do this is why I’m asking this question:
Should I warm the fermentation up to 60-ish for the diacetyl rest to clean up now?
I’d planned on 7 days at 51 degrees, warm to 60 to clean up for 3 days, then gradually lower to lagering temps. I’d prefer not to pull samples to check gravity in an effort to determine when to warm up the fermentation.
Am I correct in assuming that you’re pitching the appropriate amount of yeast?
Not criticizing, but I read somewhere that a big pitch of yeast might negate the need for a D-rest and that the beer could reach terminal gravity in 7-10 days.And that I needed to warm BEFORE the yeast dropped out. Hence, my plan to warm after 7 days.
But then again, I also read that lagers can take 1-3 weeks in primary so…
The point being, I’m not exactly sure how to approach this fermentation.
i do pitch a 1.5-2L starter on a stirplate. I have always had much better beer going a few days long on fermentation as opposed to finishing up close to what people say “can” be done. To be honest, I have not fermented an ale out in 7-10 days in … well, years. Not that it can’t be done… i just have better results giving yeast time.
I brew a lot of lagers and they all turn out quite good with this approach. But, there is more than one way to skin a cat as they say.
Does the fact that the sulphur smell is kicking in 5 days into fermentation indicate anything? Just seems weird that it’s happening now, I would’ve expected it to occur early in the fermentation.
