Is 16 hours enough for a lager starter?

[Thumbs71]

Last night I cooked up a 2L starter for a 1.067 Midwest Oktoberfest lager. The yeast is Wyeast Oktoberfest Lager 2633 manufactured on 4/5/2013. It's been about 12 hours and it's chugging along real nice on a stir plate.

I'd like to brew today in a few hours, but will that be enough time? Can I get away with just pitching it and letting it be?

 

[LakesideBrewing]

I typically get my starter going at 7AM for a 5PM pitch time. So, I think you're fine. However, I don't brew lagers, so I could be missing something.

-Mike

 

[Hex23]

Often starters for lagers should be decanted before pitching. The yeast book advises not to pitch a whole starter where the volume is greater than 5% of the batch, because of the off flavors in the starter. At 2 liters you're at about 10%. I would never pitch an undecanted 2 liter starter into a light lager, however, you're talking about a darker and pretty hefty gravity o-fest. You're probably fine pitching the whole thing. The proponents of pitching the whole starter would point out that a healthy fermentation should clean up those off flavors.

 

[Thumbs71]

Thanks guys. I'll let it go for a few more hours and pitch it as is.

 

[Denny]

A 2L starter seems awfully small for a lager with an OG like yours.

 

[BigFloyd]

A 2L starter seems awfully small for a lager with an OG like yours.

That would be very true if the thread starter weren't using a stir plate. With a plate, Mr. Malty puts his starter size at 2.12L.

Problem is that MM also says to use 4 vials to make that starter. You mostly can get around that by making a 1L starter, crash/decant it and then step it up to 2L.

 

[Thumbs71]

Well, it came out at 1.067 and I pitched the entire started. It was rolling real nice 4 hours later. 8 hours later I had to switch my blowoff container from a 1qt mason jar to a growler. I woke up to this...

 

[whoaru99]

A 2L starter for that beer, even from a stir plate, is about 1/2 the recommeded pitch rate.

Likely it's fermenting as well as it is because it looks like the fermenation temp might be warmer than the typical range for lager.

I used a 7L starter for my last lager of around that same OG, using the intermittent shaking method.

 

[Thumbs71]

That room in my basement stays right below 60.

 

[Denny]

That room in my basement stays right below 60.

So with the exothermic reactions it could well be into the mid 60s for beer temp.

 

[BigFloyd]

So with the exothermic reactions it could well be into the mid 60s for beer temp.

Which, unfortunately, is about 8-10*F higher than the range for that lager yeast.

Your basement temp is perfect for fermenting ales. Lagers, not so much.

 

[Thumbs71]

Well that sucks. I took liquid temp measurements by having a glass of water in sit over night then checking the temp everyday. It's already going so I guess I'll just wait and seen how it turns out. What's the worse thing that could happen?

 

[SpeedYellow]

Well that sucks. I took liquid temp measurements by having a glass of water in sit over night then checking the temp everyday. It's already going so I guess I'll just wait and seen how it turns out. What's the worse thing that could happen?

Well, you pitched a starter that was roughly half what you needed, you pitched a starter 10% of the beer size, and you're fermenting far above proper temps. So the worst that could happen is a dumper, the best that could happen is mediocrity.

 

[Denny]

Well, you pitched a starter that was roughly half what you needed, you pitched a starter 10% of the beer size, and you're fermenting far above proper temps. So the worst that could happen is a dumper, the best that could happen is mediocrity.

While this sounds dire, I'm afraid it's all too possible.

 

[02fx4dude]

I've pitched entire 2L starters in light lagers, Helles and Pilsner, and never noticed any off flavors. But... maybe I will discontinue that practice after reading some of the comments here.

 

[Hex23]

Well that sucks. I took liquid temp measurements by having a glass of water in sit over night then checking the temp everyday. It's already going so I guess I'll just wait and seen how it turns out. What's the worse thing that could happen?

I'll offer a more optimistic possibility. Under pitching and high temps would both lead to higher fruity esters. In a high gravity o-fest, that might not be too bad.

None of these are ideal practices, but I think you'll probably still end up with a decent beer. It might take more time to clear off flavors. You just won't have an optimal perfect to style example.

 

[Thumbs71]

So, I took a temp reading and it wasn't as bad as I thought....

 

[BigFloyd]

That's a perfect temperature.....................at which to ferment an ale.

 

[GuldTuborg]

In all likelihood, it won't be a dumper, but it may taste more like a malty amber ale than an octoberfest lager. Hope it turns out well. I've got no problem with malty ambers.

That should also be a good temp for a steam beer, if you like lagers but don't have a fridge for them. It might be as close as you're going to get right now.