I don't have a ton of lager experience-- this is my 4th lager and 2nd dunkel. My first dunkel definitely stalled out at .019, but as my very first lager with the mistake of a small 1L starter or none at all, I can't remember.
This time I made a 3L starter on a stirplate and it was very active for 48 hours before crashing and decanting for pitch.
82% Weyermann 7L munich
9% Melanoidin
4.5% Weyermann Caramunich 51L
1.5% Carafa
WLP 838 Souther German Lager
148 mash for 80 minutes, but I only hit .042 OG because my efficiency can be crappy. Depressed about that fact, I boiled 9 oz light DME and boiled it / pitched it into the fermenter just after high krausen to add about 5 points.
Per White Labs lager instructions, I pitched the decanted starter at 65F and waited for activity to ramp up. Then I dropped the temp to about 57 on day 1, and then to 50 on day 2 and let it rip, which it did for a couple days. On day 4, with gravity at .020 and krausen dropping out I pulled the fermenter from the keezer and let it rise naturally to the ambient temp of 63-65.
Now I'm at end of day 5, and it's still at .020. Plenty of co2 bubbles are visible rising from the bottom, but not enough to show very much on the airlock. Still at 65F. At this point I'm wondering what is a realistic FG target to achieve in the next week's rest at 65? .014? 0.018? I imagine there's a couple points left, but being so inexperienced with lagers, I don't know what to expect.
This time I made a 3L starter on a stirplate and it was very active for 48 hours before crashing and decanting for pitch.
82% Weyermann 7L munich
9% Melanoidin
4.5% Weyermann Caramunich 51L
1.5% Carafa
WLP 838 Souther German Lager
148 mash for 80 minutes, but I only hit .042 OG because my efficiency can be crappy. Depressed about that fact, I boiled 9 oz light DME and boiled it / pitched it into the fermenter just after high krausen to add about 5 points.
Per White Labs lager instructions, I pitched the decanted starter at 65F and waited for activity to ramp up. Then I dropped the temp to about 57 on day 1, and then to 50 on day 2 and let it rip, which it did for a couple days. On day 4, with gravity at .020 and krausen dropping out I pulled the fermenter from the keezer and let it rise naturally to the ambient temp of 63-65.
Now I'm at end of day 5, and it's still at .020. Plenty of co2 bubbles are visible rising from the bottom, but not enough to show very much on the airlock. Still at 65F. At this point I'm wondering what is a realistic FG target to achieve in the next week's rest at 65? .014? 0.018? I imagine there's a couple points left, but being so inexperienced with lagers, I don't know what to expect.