Pilsner Fermentation...HELP!

Does the wort still taste and smell okay?
If so, warm it up to about 50F and see what happens. My guess is that this batch can be salvaged. It may have picked up some oxidation (if the yeast were not actively using the oxygen), but who knows...if it's bad, you'll be able to taste it.

ETA: What yeast strain are you using? I assumed a lager strain, since you said it's a Pilsner. If it's not, you'll probably want to warm it up into the low to mid 60s, depending.

 

That's good. 50F would be about right.

 

Yeah, warm it up a bit, perhaps closer to the middle or upper range of your suggested temp, and see if it takes off or starts doing something.

If it does, I'd slowly at this point back the temp down a bit on it to the lower end, and let it ride out. Like Vikeman says, if you have a problem, in a week or two, you should be able to taste it.

 

Can you adjust your fridge to a warmer temp?

I wouldn't leave it out to free ride to ambient, but you could do so until you see some activity. I just wouldn't want to let it go wild, and then end up chilling it back down too quickly.

 

Yeah, he made a good temp suggestion. 50-55 would be your temp range for that yeast. You could bump it warmer if you wanted, maybe 52* at best, and see what happens.

Taste the wort/beer though and see what you have first.

 

You could ferment at that temp if you'd like.. You are within the range of the yeast's temp, so 50-55, I would keep it under 52* myself.

Keep in mind, once fermentation starts up, your temp will rise, so don't trust the 50* ambient to be the beer temp. You'd be closer to 55-58* with it at 50*.

 

Until it's done. Do you have a hydrometer?

 

Yes. And if you take two readings, 2-3 days apart, and they are unchanged and in the area you expected, attenuation is finished. It seems odd to me that you are brewing a pilsner (a relatively advanced style) but don't know what a hydrometer is. You might want to read this...

www.howtobrew.com

 

Just a reminder that your yeast was at that temperature before you pitched it in the beer, and it was supposed to come back from that storage temp. A lot of people who make yeast starters will put them in the fridge to crash the yeast out and decant the spent starter wort before pitching the yeast. This also brings the yeast from 42*F back to work in the 50s or even 60s, 70s, 80s depending on style and strain. You will be fine raising the temps back up into its specific range. Getting the yeast awake after keeping it cold is only an issue after fermentation, ie, ferment it and then cool, then you taste diacetyl or acetaldehyde, or it didn't attenuate fully, and then you try to turn it back up and get them to finish the job (typically won't work).

 

You should always be taking gravity readings pre ferment and post ferment, even when using an extract kit. Gives vital information for ABV, how much sugar is left, whether it is actually done fermenting (steady FG readings across a couple days), etc. If you ever have issues with a batch and want help, one of the first questions we all ask in the forums is what the OG and FG were.

 

How much did you pitch, and batch size. You need about 2x the yeast for a lager. Some breweries ferment quite cold, but 50F is typical.

One rule of thumb is that the yeast will do better if cold going into warm wort, than warm yeast going into cold wort.