Typical Lager Timeline?

[gr8shandini]

I'm messing around with lagers for the first time, and I was wondering what kind of fermentation times you guys normally see. I'm using Saflager W-34/70 pitched into about 64 deg wort and then immediately placed into a fermentation fridge that gets it down to 52 in about three or four hours. I was expecting a much longer fermentation time than I get for my ales, but it seems to be going at nearly the same rate.

For example, the first beer was a 1.052 Schwarzbier that I didn't even check for 7 days, but then turned out to be nearly done at 1.016 (FG=1.011 after a 3 day D-rest). Now I'm fermenting a 1.048 Pils and I'm down to 1.024 after just two days. Is this too fast? For what it's worth, I tasted a bit of the Schwarz and didn't notice any sulfur or diacetyl.

And that brings me to question #2: How long should I lager for? I've read 1 week for every 10 points of OG, but that seems a little excessive for a beer that tasted just fine coming out of the fermenter. Is this another holdover from "the bad old days" that could be revised, or does the cold storage really help? I'll probably give it a taste after the normal carbonation time just to see how it's going, but I figured I'd also see what other folks have experienced.

 

[1Mainebrew]

I'm sure it tasted great out of the fermenter, but lagers really do benefit from extended cold storage. Sometimes after lagering you will then notice diacetyl formation when you didnt earlier. That tells you you need to either krausen or lager longer. The adage to let it lager (rest, lay down, sleep) didn't become tried and true for the last 1000 yrs of German brewing for nothing. Lager it and you will be amazed at how much creamier it becomes - especially the schwarz.

 

[944play]

I don't touch my (normal gravity) lagers until they've spent at least a month in the fridge. By the end of the second month, the hops are starting to fade a bit, so Pilsners have peaked but malty beers continue to improve.

 

[gr8shandini]

Thanks guys. For the record, I gave the Schwarz a little taste last night and there was definitely some subtle sulfury things going on in the background. It was oddly drinkable, but certainly not quite there yet. So, yeah, I guess lagering really is necessary.

 

[Sebas83]

I just ran into the exact same thing. I thought lagering was done, I carbed it, then came the dreaded DMS. It really came through and had too much creamed corn. I tried to revive it by degassing, it sat longer, hop aroma went away, tasted okay.

I went away for two days and the output of the key sprung a leak. Now there is about 4 gallons of beer between my floor boards and my downstairs neighbors concrete ceiling!!

1 week/degree Plato is a good standard to start with.

 

[gr8shandini]

I'm confused. I thought lagering was just extended cold storage. Can it not be done when carbonated?

 

[Sebas83]

Apologies, didn't clarify. Since I was fighting DMS and still requiring enzymatic and yeast activity to do so, I had to degas. Since yeast behave differently with CO2, you see a ph change with co2 (carbonic acid is produced), I needed to "reverse" that. Didn't work all that well. Traded one problem for another.

edit: after further review, i realize that my lager problem was more extensive than i thought. my cold-storage time was shorter than anticipated because i tried to use taste to determine it. wrong. i had higher DMS levels than i wanted, plus it clouded up, but i never got the chance to see it through (re: into the floor boards).

 

[osagedr]

I'm messing around with lagers for the first time, and I was wondering what kind of fermentation times you guys normally see. I'm using Saflager W-34/70 pitched into about 64 deg wort and then immediately placed into a fermentation fridge that gets it down to 52 in about three or four hours. I was expecting a much longer fermentation time than I get for my ales, but it seems to be going at nearly the same rate.

For example, the first beer was a 1.052 Schwarzbier that I didn't even check for 7 days, but then turned out to be nearly done at 1.016 (FG=1.011 after a 3 day D-rest). Now I'm fermenting a 1.048 Pils and I'm down to 1.024 after just two days. Is this too fast? For what it's worth, I tasted a bit of the Schwarz and didn't notice any sulfur or diacetyl.

And that brings me to question #2: How long should I lager for? I've read 1 week for every 10 points of OG, but that seems a little excessive for a beer that tasted just fine coming out of the fermenter. Is this another holdover from "the bad old days" that could be revised, or does the cold storage really help? I'll probably give it a taste after the normal carbonation time just to see how it's going, but I figured I'd also see what other folks have experienced.

34/70 does seem to work faster than the other dry lager yeasts I've used. I've had my first batch with S-189 going for 10 days at 50 degrees and still have strong fermentation. 34/70 at that temp or even several degrees lower would be done. S-23 took awhile too.

When I was at Weihenstephan just over a years ago, they said they fermented their lagers for 2 weeks then lagered 3-4 weeks. Some people have the patience to go a lot longer. If I don't use gelatin or another clearing agent, I typically lager for very long periods to get clear beer.