senfo
Well-Known Member
I'm planning a 1.056 OG Munich lager in the coming weeks and I'm trying to decide on which yeast to use. The WLP820 (Oktoberfest/Märzen lager yeast) sounds like a good choice for the style, but I've read a few posts on various forums with people that have had bad luck the strain.
Based on their complaints, I'm speculating they didn't follow White Labs suggestion, which recommends using a larger-than-normal starter. I'm expecting it to ferment slowly (also based on the information from the White Labs website), but this doesn't bother me as long as I'm careful with sanitation, which I always am.
Am I putting too much trust in White Labs marketing? What kind of results can I expect if I follow their suggestions and wait patiently?
I want to point out, I'm very new to lager yeast and lagering (this will be my second lager) and I haven't yet gotten the schedule planned out entirely. My thoughts are to ferment a 1.5L starter at room temperature about a week to 1.5 weeks beforehand, let it ferment for a couple of days, then store it at 38 degrees for 24 hours to let the yeast settle out. Afterwards, I'll decant the minibeer and do another 1.5L starter; again fermenting at room temperature. I'd do a single, larger starter, but I only have a 2 liter flask and my stir plate doesn't do well with a starter much larger than this.
On brew day, I plan on decanting the second minibeer, allowing the yeast to raise to about 47 degrees while simultaneously cooling the wort to the same temperature before pitching. I'll then raise the temperature on my freezer to about 52 degrees and let it come up on its own where I will let it ferment until the krausen settles and I perform a diacetyl rest at about 60-65 for 24-48 hours before lagering for about 3-4 weeks.
Does this sound reasonable? Again, I'm very new to lagering, so please feel free to critique or criticize the entire process if you think I'm off to a bad start.
Based on their complaints, I'm speculating they didn't follow White Labs suggestion, which recommends using a larger-than-normal starter. I'm expecting it to ferment slowly (also based on the information from the White Labs website), but this doesn't bother me as long as I'm careful with sanitation, which I always am.
Am I putting too much trust in White Labs marketing? What kind of results can I expect if I follow their suggestions and wait patiently?
I want to point out, I'm very new to lager yeast and lagering (this will be my second lager) and I haven't yet gotten the schedule planned out entirely. My thoughts are to ferment a 1.5L starter at room temperature about a week to 1.5 weeks beforehand, let it ferment for a couple of days, then store it at 38 degrees for 24 hours to let the yeast settle out. Afterwards, I'll decant the minibeer and do another 1.5L starter; again fermenting at room temperature. I'd do a single, larger starter, but I only have a 2 liter flask and my stir plate doesn't do well with a starter much larger than this.
On brew day, I plan on decanting the second minibeer, allowing the yeast to raise to about 47 degrees while simultaneously cooling the wort to the same temperature before pitching. I'll then raise the temperature on my freezer to about 52 degrees and let it come up on its own where I will let it ferment until the krausen settles and I perform a diacetyl rest at about 60-65 for 24-48 hours before lagering for about 3-4 weeks.
Does this sound reasonable? Again, I'm very new to lagering, so please feel free to critique or criticize the entire process if you think I'm off to a bad start.
