Let down after tasting my lager before bottling..

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by JUNCK, May 1, 2013.

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  1. mattbk

    mattbk Savant (1,111) Dec 12, 2011 New York

    This. ESPECIALLY for a lager. Cold temps and carbonation enhance the crispness you expect from a lager.
     
    #21 mattbk, May 1, 2013
  2. JUNCK

    JUNCK Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2011 Washington

    Wow great memory! I stepped up a starter 3 times by shaking a growler since I didn't have a starter at this time.

    Which brings up another related question. I stepped up my starter for my second beer just like you suggested but after cold crashing I didn't brew so now I have a huge cold starter from last week. On brew day can I just pitch this starter this weekend or should I step up one more time or just throw in another vial to be safe?
     
    #22 JUNCK, May 1, 2013
  3. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “On brew day can I just pitch this starter this weekend or should I step up one more time or just throw in another vial to be safe?”

    I don’t think you need to step up your starter (or pitch another vial) but I would recommend that you ‘wake up’ the yeast prior to pitching it. Add some wort to the starter a few hours prior to pitch time to ‘awaken’ the yeast. The best yeast for pitching is lots of healthy, active yeast to get fermentation started quickly.

    Cheers!
     
    #23 JackHorzempa, May 1, 2013
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  4. JUNCK

    JUNCK Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2011 Washington

    I don't, this was what I got straight from the hose water. This was the wall I hit. I am thinking for this next one I am going to cool it as cold as I can get and then put it in the chest freezer until I hit the right temp and then pitch since I don't have a pre immersion chiller or a plate chiller. I will soon but not right now.

    Temps are going to be getting in the low 70s soon which sucks for me. Everyone is happy but not this home brewer!
     
    #24 JUNCK, May 1, 2013
  5. JUNCK

    JUNCK Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2011 Washington

    Will do!
     
    #25 JUNCK, May 1, 2013
  6. rundownhouse

    rundownhouse Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2005 Tennessee

    For brewing lagers, the most important equipment for me was a stir plate, a temp-controlled chamber, and a pond pump. Recirculating ice water through my IC with the pond pump enabled me to chill down to 45F in a reasonable time, rather than using gallons and gallons of water or waiting overnight for the fermentor in the chamber to come to temp.
     
    #26 rundownhouse, May 1, 2013
  7. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Here in TX it's about time for the pre-chiller we've been working on. Even for ales, there's no way the hose water would get the beer to pitching temps, because the ground water is too warm. So we're building a pre-chiller to start that will be submerged in ice. It will convert to a recirculating chiller easily enough, but for this week's brew it's going to have to be a pre-chiller with a bucket of ice.
     
    #27 AlCaponeJunior, May 1, 2013
  8. rundownhouse

    rundownhouse Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2005 Tennessee

    Al,

    I used a 25' IC as a pre-chiller for a while and it didn't do a ton for me, especially compared to a pump. Then again, I'm sure my city water doesn't get as hot as yours.
     
    #28 rundownhouse, May 2, 2013
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