Brewing multiple lagers over a few days

[DWBoca]

I'm planning on brewing a few lagers, I've done two now. I know how long they can take. I have the space in my layering fermenter to do 3-4 at once. I'm currently limited to doing 5 gallons at a time. So my plan is to brew 4 batches through out a week long period. Make yeast starters for every batch. But not pitch till I'm done making all batches of wort. Put them all in the layering tank, get them to temp, pitch the yeasties and let them rip. Am I going in the right direction????

 

[broadbill]

So your Monday wort is going to wait until your fourth batch is done on Thursday/Friday before it gets yeast?....yeah, I don't think this is great idea....that is plenty of time for bacteria to get a foothold in the first batches....ask me how I know....

Also, I don't get how this helps your situation in term of timing....is this so they are all synchronized to start the warm up/diactyl rest phase? If so, I think it would be better to have the earlier batches wait on the post-initial fermentation side, than waiting on the pre-pitch side.

 

[broadbill]

Oh yeah, and check out this blog for a faster lagering method:

http://brulosophy.com/lager-method/

 

[KIAKillerXJ]

So your Monday wort is going to wait until your fourth batch is done on Thursday/Friday before it gets yeast?....yeah, I don't think this is great idea....that is plenty of time for bacteria to get a foothold in the first batches....ask me how I know....

Also, I don't get how this helps your situation in term of timing....is this so they are all synchronized to start the warm up/diactyl rest phase? If so, I think it would be better to have the earlier batches wait on the post-initial fermentation side, than waiting on the pre-pitch side.

Agreed. Just asking for trouble here.

 

[DWBoca]

Okay, I've read a lot about no chill and storing it for periods of time before pitching. But I've never done it.

 

[DWBoca]

Thanks, broadbill. I'll take a look at the link

 

[Braufessor]

+1 on pitching yeast as soon as possible. Waiting "days" to pitch is not a good idea IMO, and I would think an even worse idea with lagers because:
1.) The fermentation can be a little more sluggish to get going in the first place, especially if you are not using quite large starters (use Mr. Malty Calculator for an idea on starter sizes you need for lagers).
and
2.) If you are doing lighter lagers, any flaws are going to be easily detectable.

 

[broadbill]

Okay, I've read a lot about no chill and storing it for periods of time before pitching. But I've never done it.

The devil in the details with no-chill.

No-chill is done through sterilization of the container/fermenter with boiling hot wort. This is much different that transferring cooled wort into a sanitized container.

Your idea will work if you were doing no chill...not if you are going the conventional process.

 

[solbes]

My first pilsner had an inactive starter that I didn't know about prior to the pitch. Set the fermentation controller to 49F. I went away to the lake for a long labor day weekend. Came back and it hadn't started. I quickly went out and pitched 2 packets of dry yeast. That was the worst batch of beer I have made to date. If I didn't have such a strong standpoint on dumping beer, down the drain it would have gone.

As to making individual yeast starters for every batch, why not just make a batch of pilsner or vienna. Then divide up the cake and pitch yeast from that. You'd need a lot of DME to make four 4 quart yeast starters, not to mention the cost of yeasties. For a lot less cost you could have 5 gallons of BEER

 

[broadbill]

My first pilsner had an inactive starter that I didn't know about prior to the pitch. Set the fermentation controller to 49F. I went away to the lake for a long labor day weekend. Came back and it hadn't started. I quickly went out and pitched 2 packets of dry yeast. That was the worst batch of beer I have made to date. If I didn't have such a strong standpoint on dumping beer, down the drain it would have gone.

As to making individual yeast starters for every batch, why not just make a batch of pilsner or vienna. Then divide up the cake and pitch yeast from that. You'd need a lot of DME to make four 4 quart yeast starters, not to mention the cost of yeasties. For a lot less cost you could have 5 gallons of BEER

What you describe also happened to me recently. I had bought a sack of crushed grain a few months back and never got around to brew....finally got sick of looking at it and decided to brew spur of the moment, not taking the proper care to get my yeast starter going (I had some washed yeast sitting around in the fridge and I said good enough).

Brewed the beer, pitched whatever I had of 1056...+48 hours no activity. Dumped in some sort of English Ale Yeast and that took off after another 48 hours. Fermented out but the hydrometer sample was band-aid city. Decided to say F-it, chill just to see what would happen...after cold crashing the band-aid taste was still there, and it was starting to get that white, bubbly skim on the top....

I wasn't going to gut through 5 gallons on that crap, so I watered the poison ivy patch with it...I hope the poison ivy choked on it at least.

Moral of the story....plan your brew day, have healthy yeast.

 

[IslandLizard]

+1 on all the above.

To the OP. Why don't you just brew the 4 batches back to back on the same day. You can start mashing while the previous batch boils.