Pitching Rates for a 1.048 lager, fast turn.
Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 9:56 pm
Hey guys,
Planning to reboot my failed A/B Bav Helles-like experiment. Since I lost a week (overdosed the SMB and the beer is not good), I plan to proceed with a slightly revised recipe (there were some really nice honey like notes despite the compounding sulfur problems and lack of attenuation). That said - 11 gallon recipes @ 1.048. Going to skip the sparge and top up the boil with DO liquor to get to my preboil volume/gravity.
So, to the question. I plan to purchase fresh yeast, and get them into a 5L starter (using a very slow spin on stir plate for 12 hours + a hit of pure O2). Most calcs put me at 743 billion cells for 11 gallons @ 48 points. I understand that a few of you pitch nearly double.
In this case, I am planning primary pitch at 48F, free rise to 52F to hold (the rise is slow in a freezer, about 24 hours). 4-5 days till it hits about 1.025, then free rise till 60F for a 3 day D-rest. Then a 24 hour crash to 34F and lager as long as possible (14 days or until FG). Might take longer, but I have turned mediocre (by old measures) lagers this way. I would like to gather some A/B data at a home-brew club meeting early June.
So - comments on pitching rates, O2 saturations after pitching and recommendations on ferment schedule for a quick turn.
CAVEAT - this is for an experiment and not for an optimally cold fermented, long lager helles. This should NOT be construed as good advice for any authentic German lager. I don't want folks thinking this is the PROPER way.
Planning to reboot my failed A/B Bav Helles-like experiment. Since I lost a week (overdosed the SMB and the beer is not good), I plan to proceed with a slightly revised recipe (there were some really nice honey like notes despite the compounding sulfur problems and lack of attenuation). That said - 11 gallon recipes @ 1.048. Going to skip the sparge and top up the boil with DO liquor to get to my preboil volume/gravity.
So, to the question. I plan to purchase fresh yeast, and get them into a 5L starter (using a very slow spin on stir plate for 12 hours + a hit of pure O2). Most calcs put me at 743 billion cells for 11 gallons @ 48 points. I understand that a few of you pitch nearly double.
In this case, I am planning primary pitch at 48F, free rise to 52F to hold (the rise is slow in a freezer, about 24 hours). 4-5 days till it hits about 1.025, then free rise till 60F for a 3 day D-rest. Then a 24 hour crash to 34F and lager as long as possible (14 days or until FG). Might take longer, but I have turned mediocre (by old measures) lagers this way. I would like to gather some A/B data at a home-brew club meeting early June.
So - comments on pitching rates, O2 saturations after pitching and recommendations on ferment schedule for a quick turn.
CAVEAT - this is for an experiment and not for an optimally cold fermented, long lager helles. This should NOT be construed as good advice for any authentic German lager. I don't want folks thinking this is the PROPER way.