Lager fermentation advice

[timtoos]

Hi all,

I have a lager on at the moment, OG was 1052 and 25L, and was pitched with WLP800 yeast. Temperature is nice and steady at about 12.2C.

I made 2 xstarter's of 3L each with OG's of 1035 (keeping a little back for another beer) but the amount pitched was very adequate according to the yeast pitching calculators.

Anyway, the wort was brewed on 14/4 and now, after 12 days my gravity is still at 1.020. I have a tilt in my fermenter and I have cross checked this against a sample and its reading correct. The beer has been around this gravity for about 4 days now. Last night I gave it a gentle stir in the hope of encouraging some movement - but this morning there's no change.

When I lifted the lid there was still a good krausen head on the beer and the racking cane was still bubbling away, a bubble every 1 second.

Whats people opinions here? Should I be increasing the temperature to help fermentation and start the diacetyl rest early?

Lagers are new to me so any advice is greatly appreciated. It just seems to me that fermentation has stalled.

The sample tasted sweet as expected at this gravity.

TIA

[Haydnexport]

12 days is still fairly early imo for a lager fermentation , you can increase the temp to 16 for a couple of days then back to 12 for a week or keep it as it is for a week and then ramp it a bit. I'd go with the latter. It certainly doesn't sound to have stalled

[timtoos]

Thanks Haydnexport. I usually do ales so fermentations are completed in no time.

I will leave it a further week and see how things are then. I will then increase temperature.

Whats the general rule of diacetly rest temperatures? According to white labs, they recommend 18-20C. I was just going to go with this unless anyone knows better.

[Haydnexport]

I'd go with the instructions, I haven't used that yeast .

[Rookie]

Extract or all grain?

[timtoos]

All grain.
Mash schedule was stepped, but ultimately at 65C so should be a fermentable wort. Expecting FG @ 1.010

[j444fog]

I diacetyl rest at 20c with wlp 800. As above the initial fermentation can take longer than expected, but it's worth the wait.

[timtoos]

When doing a diacetyl rest, do you ramp up to the D.R. temperature slowly over a period of time or just ramp it up as fast as possible.

[timtoos]

When doing a diacetyl rest, do you ramp up to the D.R. temperature slowly over a period of time or just ramp it up as fast as possible.

[steviebobs83]

I could've sworn I replied earlier in this thread but it's gone now. I ramp mine up by 1 degree every 12 hours once fermentation is over 50% complete and get good results.

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[timtoos]

I could've sworn I replied earlier in this thread but it's gone now. I ramp mine up by 1 degree every 12 hours once fermentation is over 50% complete and get good results.

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Is this for Whitelabs WLP800 yeast or any lager yeast and fermentation in general?

[steviebobs83]

Ah, fair point. I use Mangrove Jacks bohemian lager and it's great but obviously not the same.

James Morton's book is my bible though and he's never done me wrong so far (Although I'm aware there are a few misprints). His lager section follows the exact same process for each style so I'd assume the same for most if not all lager yeasts (apart from a California Common).

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