WLP800 Lag time - Worth worrying?

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timtoos
Piss Artist
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Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:49 am

WLP800 Lag time - Worth worrying?

Post by timtoos » Sun Apr 15, 2018 7:08 pm

Hi all,

I brewed a lager yesterday (for the wife) and all in all it wasn't bad a bad brew day. I expected an OG of 1.048 but it came in at 1.052 at the same planned volume of 25L. Very pleased.

I built up a WLP800 Pils yeast (Mfg date was 2/1/18) with 2 x 3L starters. I spilt the starter across 3 jars and kept the smaller sample back for a next brew starter. The projected yeast count was 800+ bill cells and I required 580 (approx) from memory so thought the 2 jars would be adequate.

The yeast starter to be honest was completed the week before my brew day, with family and work commitments, but was stored in the fridge. The larger 2 jars I used were removed at the start of the brew day to warm up.

Anyway, I pitched into the lager wort yesterday (14/4/18) @ 18:00. Wort temperature was about 12.6C and I started temperature control cooling to 11.5C set point. At the moment, 25 hours on, theres no activity. I had a few slight bubbles this morning and I thought great, but when I disconnected the chiller box and plumbed in a maxi cooler for better cooling theres been no real fermentation tell tales.

The lager is in a SS chronical and is well sealed up, limiting leaks.

A few hours ago I upped my fermenter temperature set-point to 13.3C (high end of the WLP800 range. I have in the fermenter a tilt hydrometer and that gravity is showing no change and cross checking my fermenter controller set point.

How long should I leave this? Ales (my normal) are usually in full swing by now. Ive read about and many people say not to expect much from 24 - 36 hours but i feel that something should be happening. Patience springs to mind!

Anyway, should I be worrying or should I just leave it or thinking of pitching more yeast? (I have no more lager yeast) but I do have the other jar I was keeping back for another starter.

TIA

McMullan

Re: WLP800 Lag time - Worth worrying?

Post by McMullan » Sun Apr 15, 2018 8:17 pm

OMFG! That's terrible, isn't it? Leave it for a few weeks, FFS :lol:

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