lager question

So i have a lager fermenting, i was able to keep the temps pretty solid for the last 7 days now i see the activity is really slowing down and as a result the temps dropped further then i wanted them to to 49F from a solid 52-53F, the fermentation is not putting off anymore heat, the recipe i am following does not have a D rest in the ferm schedule, just a month at 52F, im curious if i should abandon the original plan and raise the temps now to 58-60 just to insure i get rid of diacetyl and all the other unwanted byproducts or if i should i just stay on coarse and let it go, what do you all think?

Out of curiosity, what yeast did you use? I don’t think a D rest is ever going to hurt it, but neither will leaving it alone! Lager yeast should be fine at the temp yours dropped to

im using M84 bohemian,  during the first 5 days i had zero sulfur or any common stinks you can get with lager ferments but it started slowing visibly yesterday and thats when the sulfur/rotten egg started to stink up my chest freezer,  thats odd to me, you would think all these funky compounds would be prevalent during active fermentation not when its slowing but i guess that aint the case lol

What style did you make? Recipe?

Sulphur and rotten eggs?!?!

Yup, you’re definitely making a lager!
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Looks tasty, might have to make that very soon! Have you used M84 before? Not something my LHBS carries but I love dry yeast! 34/70 has been my go to but I’d like to try something different

Nope its my first run with M84, looking foward to see what i got

If it were me I would take a gravity reading to see how far along fermentation was, nudge up the temp over the next couple days to 15-16C and test again after a few days at the higher temp.  Once you’re confident you’ve reached your FG then lower it back to 10C and lager away

+1 to that!

“It is important to provide sufficient maturation time for diacetyl reduction, commonly known as a “diacetyl rest”. Diacetyl reduction is slower at colder temperatures, so it is essential to incorporate the diacetyl rest when making cold fermented lagers. The process is simply to raise the fermentation temperature from lager temperatures (50-55F) [I use 55F normally] to 65-68F [I use 70F] for a two day period near the close of the fermentation. Usually the diacetyl rest is begun when the beer is 2 to 5 specific gravity points away from the target terminal gravity. The temperature is then lowered to conditioning temperature following diacetyl reduction.”

I taste the beer before removing from the yeast cake. If there is no butter flavor (diacetyl) and I think had a good pitch and good temperature control  I feel good about kegging. There is a diacetyl test where you warm the beer. I don’t bother.

Personally, I leave most beers in the primary about 10 days.  I usually warm up to 60-65 the last few days, though, I have skipped that step multiple times without a problem. I “lager” in the keg while I wait for carbonation.  I can’t resist tasting an ounce or two along the way every few days. When the beer tastes good, I drink it.

My method may not be perfect. Once or twice I have had to krausen my beer. But those were my early days of making lagers and I think I wasn’t pitching enough yeast.

S-189, if you can find it.

I love M76 Bavarian. M84 is very solid as well but doesn’t attenuate as much as I would like.

That looks like a tasty recipe. I’d check gravity and if it’s about 2/3 done, I’d raise it to 65F until it finishes, then keg it and cold storage for a few weeks.