Beer Forum

I brewed 2 lagers. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. Pilsner was brewed Saturday and pitched at 45° on SUNDAY with some 45° WLP800. Schwarzbier brewed Sunday. Pitched MONDAY at 45° with 45° WLP830. Pilsner was mashed at 147° and the Schwarz was mashed at 151°. Same thermometer measured both.

The Schwarzbier is crazy active. I had to switch to a blow off tube tonight.

The one day older Pilsner is still just chillin. They're both at 50°.

I've used 830 several times now and am getting used to its characteristics. This is my first time with 800. Does it stay slow? Does it produce Krausen? I do have airlock activity but it's very slow and has been since a couple hours after I pitched.

I've used 800 two or three times. I think it took a couple three to four days before I noticed any substantial activity.

Did you use a starter for either? What was the OG of both beers?

The Fool

Well, it's Wednesday (pitched Sunday morning) night and I'm starting to get "lager freckles." I don't know if there is a better word for it but I always see the little circles on the surface before a lager takes off.

I made a starter for both. Starters were made 2 days apart but the beers were brewed a day apart. The second starter (830) was the most active lager starter I've made so far. I can usually only gauge my lager starters by their yeasty smell when they're done. This time, it was nice and frothy.

Pilsner: 1.046
Schwarzbier: 1.051

The schwarzbier is still churning away. Blowoff tube is full of yeast. Crazy.

I've used that yeast in the past with good results. It makes very clean beers with a nice softness in the finish. Personally, I've found it to perform best at 50 degrees.

For a couple of years now, however, my house lager yeast has been WLP830. It's like Cal ale, only at colder temps. Very reliable and attenuative. It does kick off more sulfur that most lager yeasts, but much of that can be out gassed by warming things up towards the end of the fermentation cycle. I've also found that any residual sulfur cleans up during the lager period. I've found it to give a slightly sharper and crisper finish than other lager yeasts. I can consistently get 81% AA in my German pils with that yeast.

I've used the 830 for the last 3 lagers. I wanted to try the 800 this time. Looks good tonight. Nice 2" layer on top but it surprises me still that it's not a crazy fermentation. I mashed t at 147° for 90 minutes.

Oh, well. As long as it attenuates out, I'm good.

Been drinking my Vienna lager tonight (an 830 batch). It is so fucking good. The Munich malt shines through so much.....ahhhhhh.... and you're right. It's a crisp beer from that 830.