First lager attempt

[snowcapt]

Brewing my first lager in a few days. I just finished making a a big ol starter.
Making an Ofest with wlp 820.
Any tips or tricks?
I have temp control and Im using a stirplate for the starter.

[BDawg]

Get the wort cold before pitching, and let it warm up to temp, not the other way around.
Use a good solid healthy pitch of yeast. Use some nutrient.
Aerate well but not too much. 90 seconds of pure 02 out of one of those mini-O2 containers is plenty.
Lagers fucking stink. I mean they REALLY, REALLY, REALLY reek. They smell like rip-farting ass. It's normal. This gas will pass.

Test for diacetyl near the end of fermentation and just do an obvious diacetyl rest when you are 75% of the way to your FG.
By obvious, let it warm up to ale temps and leave it that way for a few days. IMO, the warmer the better. It won't add esters, it will remove them. Let it work.

A good lager is a joy to behold. Good luck-

[EL TIZZO]

what bdawg said in addition to just be patient...the damn things are slow...give each step along the way time to finish including a good lagering phase...the longer you can wait the better it will get...i swear on every lager i've made the last few pints of the keg were the best

cheers and good luck

keep those yeasts happy

[snowcapt]

Thanks guys.
They stink that bad, huh? Cant be any worse than the damn dog, I reckon.
Head space. Does it krausen like an ale?
Also, I am one of the lucky folks who can patiently wait for things to get done. Some folks call it being lazy.
I say Im just pragmatic. Yeah, that's the ticket- pragmatic.

Happy Holidizzles, all!

[brewinhard]

You will most likely not see as big of a krausen using a lager yeast strain as you would with your typical ale yeast. They are bottom fermenting and while you will see a bit of a krausen there will be slow activity going on within your wort as well.

more tips -

Don't be alarmed when your lager doesn't take off full steam right away. Be patient and you should some activity within 24-30 hours after pitching. (yeast rising up in the wort is a good indicator).

Be sure to crash cool your starter after it has fully fermented out. Decant before pitching, and keep it cooler than your wort so you do not shock your yeasties.

As stated above, be patient with your primary fermentation. At 50F, your o-fest should take at least 14 days of primary, but have no fears letting it go 3 wks total time too (providing you did a diacetyl rest if necessary).

A good long lagering period (4-6 wks) will really help it to clean up and get crystal clear. All good things for a lager. Reuse your yeast to make a stronger bock now that you have it really built up.

Good luck and have fun! Lagers are great when done right.

[Steelers&Beer]

the only thing i have to add to all the great advice is to try and put as clean, sediment free wort as possible in the carboy. Really, really let it settle out in the kettle before transferring. And if you can, make a 10 gallon batch. The last beers out of the keg are always the best, this way you have another keg that is properly aged and conditioned Good luck, Drew

[dmtaylor]

+1 to pretty much everything that was said above. One more thing to consider: WLP820 is a shit yeast. I mean, I have been saying for years that it is the worst yeast strain known to mankind and should no longer be sold at all, it is so poor. And many others have agreed. What is wrong with it? Well, it is very slow to start fermenting, first of all. Secondly, it throws more stinky sulfur than any other yeast. Lastly, it is a poor attenuator -- your final gravity might not go below 1.022. As such, a word of advice: pitch a huge starter, and substitute at least a pound if not 1.5 lbs of your base malt with simple sugar, like I would use table sugar or candi sugar or something in those lines. This will at least ensure your final gravity is minimized.

Do let us know how this beer turns out for you. I am most curious so that I perhaps might learn a thing or two, and I sincerely do hope I am very wrong about everything I just warned you about. However my experience is what necessitated these warnings. So I guess don't be surprised if this beer has a ton of sulfur, in particular. I just couldn't NOT say something....

[BeaverBarber]

Maybe he can mix the WLP 0820 with a really clean yeast like the Mexican Cerveza strain, and it'll still taste like the 0820 but it'll have all of the good characteristics of the cerveza strain.