Lager temps

My experience with lagers is DON'T pitch until you get the wort to fermentation temps. Every lager I've pitched cold has been better than any lager I've pitched warm. Make a LARGE starter...it's not uncommon for me to make a 2 gal. starter for a lager. Aerate REALLY well. Ferment at 45-55 for 2-3 weeks, or until you're witin a point or 2 of your FG. DSon't worry about how long ot takes or be in a rush to get to secondary. After primary is nearly done, you can raise the temp to the mid 60s for a couple days to do a diacetyl rest if needed. I usually go to secondary at arounf 45F for a couple weeks after that, but you can go staright to lagering. Lager at around 35F for at least 2 months, or as long as you can stand it!

------------>Denny

I just made my first lager and done much as you said. Like a lot of home brewers, I have so much trouble removing break material from the wort, I've just given up. When I cooled the wort overnight in the fridge, prior to pitching, I noticed that the top half of the wort was clear and the bottom half had a lot of suspended material in it. For the next batch, I think I will leave the wort until the majority of the solids has fallen to the bottom and then rack before pitching. I suspect this will be 48 hours after refrigerating the wort. The addition of Irish Moss and the chilling cause the solids to drop quite quickly. Some say break material makes no difference to the beer and some say it makes a lot of difference. I really dont know the answer. Steve W.

I start with Wyeast tubes. I pitch the tube into 3 qts. of 1.040 wort and let it ferment out. For ales, that's as far as I go. For lagers, I decant the spent wort and pitch the slurry into 2 gal. of 1.040 wort. I let that fernebt out, decant the spent wort again, and pitch the slurry. I generally start this process about 5 days to a week before brewing ales and a week and ahalf to 2 weeks before brewing lagers.

------------>Denny

Do you ferment lager starters at the preferred fermentation temp for the wort/yeast? Then I guess cool the wort to fermentation temp and pitch.

Thanks,

Dewdad

Nope, I make my alger starters at room temps. After all, I'm growing yeast, not making beer! Since I decant the spent wort anyway, I'm not concerned about esters formed from the warm starter temps.

----------->Denny

Hmm interesting. I read somewhere (may have been How to Brew thinking about it) that you should frement the starter at the brew temp to promote reproduction of yeast that will be "used" to fermenting at that temp.

In truth, the yeast don't acclimate like that. With a starter, you're growing yeast, not making beer and yeast grow better at warmer temps. The caveat is that you need to decant the spent wort before pitching the yeast.

-------->Denny

Fair nuff. Remember thinking it sounded a bit unlikely, but I guessed it might have to do with the way the yeast reproduces. I'm a newbie, still contemplating my first brew, so I had no experience to relate it to.

Arguments can be made for growing lager yeast at warm or cold temps. If you pitch enough yeast to conduct the fermentation, then you might have to worry about the temp at which they were grown. However, most people pitch at a rate that requires the yeast to multiply several generations before the maximal cell density is achieved, thus the "warm" yeast will be "diluted" by the "cold"-grown daughter cells which will perform the majority of the fermentation. Here's and oldie but goodie summary on it:

"Influence of Growth Temperature on the Fatty Acid Composition of the Cytoplasmic Membrane of a Lager Yeast. P. C. Patel and M. J. Lewis, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis

The purified cytoplasmic membrane of a lager brewing yeast contained more phospholipid but less magnesium and calcium when the cells were grown at

I do like Denny does (and am using yeast he gave me, thanks Denny) and grow my yeast at 80*F, store for a short period at 40*F and pitch into