FINALLY! I brewed again the weekend before last. This will be my first lager. I ordered the White Labs yeast from MoreBeer, along with the ice pack. I guess I should have ordered several, as the box was sitting in the sun when I got home and the yeast was quite warm. I put it in the fridge to cool it down, then made a starter Friday night. Not much was happening on Saturday…even after waiting all day. I figured it was no good, but I re-pitched a second time anyway. By Sunday morning there was maybe a little life and by noon the was action for sure. So I went ahead and brewed. Nothing out of the ordinary during the process…it went well. I ended up a little low on the OG, and a little light on the volume. But, by golly, after 2 weeks at 53F, the little lager yeasties are plodding along, doing their job.
Recipe Details
| Batch Size |
Boil Time |
IBU |
SRM |
Est. OG |
Est. FG |
ABV |
| 5.5 gal |
90 min |
41.5 IBUs |
36.3 SRM |
1.044 SG |
1.010 SG |
4.4 % |
Style Details
| Name |
Cat. |
OG Range |
FG Range |
IBU |
SRM |
Carb |
ABV |
| Dry Stout |
13 A |
1.036 - 1.05 |
1.007 - 1.011 |
30 - 45 |
25 - 40 |
1.8 - 2.5 |
4 - 5 % |
Fermentables
| Name |
Amount |
% |
| MCI Stout Malt |
7 lbs |
70 |
| Chocolate Malt |
1 lbs |
10 |
| Crystal 190 Patagonia |
1 lbs |
10 |
| Wheat Malt (Gambrinus) |
1 lbs |
10 |
Hops
| Name |
Amount |
Time |
Use |
Form |
Alpha % |
| Goldings, East Kent |
1 oz |
60 min |
Boil |
Pellet |
5 |
| Challenger |
0.5 oz |
60 min |
Boil |
Pellet |
7.5 |
| Hallertauer Hersbrucker |
0.5 oz |
60 min |
Boil |
Pellet |
4 |
| Challenger |
0.25 oz |
10 min |
Boil |
Pellet |
7.5 |
| Goldings, East Kent |
0.25 oz |
10 min |
Boil |
Pellet |
5 |
| Hallertauer Hersbrucker |
0.25 oz |
10 min |
Boil |
Pellet |
4 |
Miscs
| Name |
Amount |
Time |
Use |
Type |
| Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) |
10.00 g |
60 min |
Mash |
Water Agent |
| Whirlfloc Tablet |
1.20 Items |
15 min |
Boil |
Fining |
Yeast
| Name |
Lab |
Attenuation |
Temperature |
| Windsor Yeast (-) |
Lallemand |
75% |
62°F - 72°F |
This has been in primary fermentation at 53 deg F for 2 weeks now. Still showing signs of slow fermentation. I cranked up the temp to 53 deg F yesterday, following the advice in Brewing Classic Styles. The idea is to give the yeast a boost at the end of primary fermentation to allow them a chance to clean up diacetyl. I’ll see how it goes for a week or 2. I’ll probably want to take a gravity reading just to be sure it’s where I think it is.
Abject failure in fermentation. The White Labs yeast was hot when I got home from work, even though I ordered it with an ice pack. After a couple of pitches in the starter, it showed some life, so I thought I was OK. Wrong. Never attenuated and I also got my first case of diacetyl off-flavor…and it’s a doozey! Tastes just like cooked corn. And not in a good way. It was my first lager, but won’t be my last!