I taste-tested my first lager and got just a hint of butterscotch. It’s been lagering @46F for 17 days after 10 days @56F. I just raised the temp back to 56F and plan to leave it that way for a few days then chill again.
Is this the right approach to clean up diacetyl?
That’s a fairly warm primary. What yeast did you use? I’d rouse it and let it rise up to about 65 df over a week and then crash it and keg it. This approach has been producing very clean, tasty lagers for me.
I agree. I’d get it over 62°F for about a week. Then, taste it before moving back to the cold.
if you still have a butterscotch taste after the d-rest you can pitch a small amount of active kruasen, even a clean fermenting ale yeast, and that will clean up the diacetyl likedy-split (usually). You can even pitch a little starter of dry yeast like US-05 and it should work.
I agree with major.
Thanks guys. Will raise it further to 62F. If that doesn’t work then I will pitch some more active yeast.
All I can tell you that sometimes fermenting too cold stress the yeast.
All you need to keep your yeast cold is thru the growth period. then you can raise it up.
I start at 50F and each day I increase temp 1F. I do not go over 60F.
You should be done fermenting your lager beer within 10-12 days from pitching.
I have had the most remarkable luck with my lagers by pitching yeast at 44 degrees and letting it ramp up for a couple of days to between 50 and 52 degrees. It then sits in the primary at that temp for 28 days. I then rack to a keg, carbonate and lager at 33 or so degrees for at least a couple of months or until I am read to drink it. Each week in the primary a different odor occurs, sulphur etc. It cleans up nicely by the end of four weeks. One thing I have experienced is a slightly bitter finish on the most light lagers. It is not alcohol but more like bittering hops. Anyone know what that might be?
Do you blow off the Kraeusen? If not, maybe you should.
(Should the Kraeusen fall back into the beer? | Braukaiser)
Kai
Kai
Thanks, that was an interesting article. I guess I will try it by racking to a secondary before it completely falls and let it sit for the remainder of the four weeks.
Or you can use a smaller fermenter and blow of the Kraeusen. Either way, let me know if this fixes the problem.
Kai
i usually ferment for four weeks at 50 then let warm up a day or two before packaging. then lager at about 34-36 for 2-3 months
Euge,
Is the beer cleaning up?
Dave
I’m going to crash it today and check tomorrow. Will report back.
What I do know is the 4 liter “sample” drank well besides the slight buttery hint. There’s no haze and the beer was bright out of the fermenter. Think I got real close to the economy lagers that I drink. ;D
sounds like a fun night! ;D
Are you racking to a smaller secondary/keg without enough room for the full batch, or what?
I do 6+ gallon batches. I’ll usually rack to a keg and the excess goes into 2L PET bottles which the Carbonator-cap will have nice and bubbly within a few seconds. Usually get about 4.5L to drink for “quality control”… ;D