Helles Lager pitching temp.

[QuadConPana]

I'm brewing only my second lager in a couple of days, and my first was a disaster. (I boiled with the lid on and had so much DMS, it tasted like a bowl of corn flakes.)

So, since I ruined it even before it went into the fermenter, I have no idea if I fermented appropriately.

I have a counterflow chiller, but I live in FL, and my ground water is pretty warm, so it is a challenge to get my wort down to fermentation temps even with an ale. I intend to put an immersion chiller in a bucket of ice to cool my water in, but I still think it's a stretch to think I'll be able to get down to the 50ish I need to pitch.

I have made a stepped starter with Saflager 34/70, so I'll be pitching lots of cells. And, I read somewhere on this forum that this yeast is a bit more forgiving of temps that are out of range.

So, here's the question. I have always had the idea that the faster you get active fermentation started, the less likely some other airborn critter might take up a home in your wort. If I can only get down to say, 65 am I better off pitching while the fermenter continues to cool in the fridge, or should I wait to pitch until it is chilled?

 

[alestateyall]

I'm brewing only my second lager in a couple of days, and my first was a disaster. (I boiled with the lid on and had so much DMS, it tasted like a bowl of corn flakes.)

So, since I ruined it even before it went into the fermenter, I have no idea if I fermented appropriately.

I have a counterflow chiller, but I live in FL, and my ground water is pretty warm, so it is a challenge to get my wort down to fermentation temps even with an ale. I intend to put an immersion chiller in a bucket of ice to cool my water in, but I still think it's a stretch to think I'll be able to get down to the 50ish I need to pitch.

I have made a stepped starter with Saflager 34/70, so I'll be pitching lots of cells. And, I read somewhere on this forum that this yeast is a bit more forgiving of temps that are out of range.

So, here's the question. I have always had the idea that the faster you get active fermentation started, the less likely some other airborn critter might take up a home in your wort. If I can only get down to say, 65 am I better off pitching while the fermenter continues to cool in the fridge, or should I wait to pitch until it is chilled?

I would wait until chilled. 65F is pretty warm. 34/70 is capable of a fairly clean ferment in the mid to low 60’s but I wouldn’t go higher. Also, 65F is plenty warm for fermentation to take off quickly.

 

[cactusgarrett]

There's been quite a bit of work done to show that a delayed pitch (24-48hrs) is okay and doesn't turn out a beer any different than that of an immediate-pitch one. Don't be afraid to drop your wort temp overnight in your chamber, then pitch in the morning (as an example).

 

[RPh_Guy]

Chill your wort first with ground water and then chill with the ice.
Recirculating ice water through the CFC with a cheap submersible pump you should be able to get it in the 50s rather quickly.

 

[Conehead]

I wait for my WLP833 to get down to 50 F from 64 F. Usually takes until midnight, ( 13 gallons ). I pitch my yeast the next morning. The delay gives me time to clean all of my equipment.

 

[mongoose33]

Here's what I do with lagers:

I pitch about 70 degrees or so. I hold the temp there for 6 or so hours, then start dropping down to 50 degrees.

Yeast, early in the fermentation cycle, are going through the lag phase. They aren't producing off flavors. That only happens later if you're at the wrong temps.

Now, in fairness, I do a weird lager process. I don't overbuild starters. I make a standard 1-liter starter and try to pitch it at about 17 hours after beginning it. So if it goes on the stir plate at 10pm, I'm looking to pitch at 3pm the next day. Not an issue if it's 15 hours or 19 hours. I'm just trying to pitch when it's really going.

And I just pitch the whole starter into the fermenter, no crashing, no decanting. The idea is that the time delay before chilling to 50 degrees allows the yeast to really get going, to essentially effectively double the yeast, which an overbuilt starter would do.

So--if I'm breaking all these rules and my lagers are turning out great--which they are, not just my opinion--I wonder if you're overthinking this a bit.

Get your wort down to the low 70s; pitch. Let it sit there for a few hours, then start dropping to your desired ferm temp.

****

I also use the brulosophy fast lager ferment process: when fermentation is halfway done, I begin ramping the temp up from 50 to 66, 4 degrees every 12 hours, hold it at 66 for 48 hours, then start dropping back down 6 degrees every 12 hours.

It's fast, and it's good.

See? I'm breaking the rules all over the place here. You're nowhere near to being as big a troublemaking brewer as I am, so I would think you'd have few difficulties, if any.