I brewed a Marzen that I am deeming "Novemberfest" and I used some Saflager 34/70 yeast slurry (about 16 ounces) that I had saved in my fridge from a brew day in late May. So this yeast is kinda old and I'm fermenting it in the mid 50s. As of this morning it has been 48 hours since I pitched it and there's been no activity other than one teeny yeast raft that quickly sank. No bubbles on the surface, no airlock activity, nothing. I figured it would be a slow starter since the yeast was pretty old but I'm starting to worry some. Should I relax, don't worry, have a homebrew? Should I pick up some fresh 3470 to pitch tonight?
The Sober Boys and the case of the lagging lager yeast
- Thread starter Jim311
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In my experience it often takes 3-4 day before I see signs of fermentation with any lager yeast. You probably should have done a starter first with that old yeast, but I bet it will be fine.
If I was you I would have a beer and worry about it tomorrow.
If I was you I would have a beer and worry about it tomorrow.
That's the direction I was leaning. My girlfriend went home today at lunch and checked it out and said it was bubbling slowly so I'm thinking it finally kicked off. We'll see when I get home. Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking that I've seen pretty slow starts with lager yeasts I've used in the past also but obviously it's been a while since I brewed one! Solution... brew more lagers.
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