Kolsch fermented Oktoberfest - starter

[nathanm]

I'm going to brew an Oktoberfest this weekend (yes, I know it is too late, but since I live in So Cal. I can still enjoy an Oktoberfest in Nov/Dec.)

I'm also going to ferment it with a Kolsch yeast at 60F. My question is of making a starter.

Let's say the OG is around 1055 and I have one smack pack and a stir plate for a 5 gallon batch.
My plan it so make a 2 Liter starter, let it ferment out, chill, decant, and then pitch that into another 2 Liter starter about 24 hours before I pitch.

I think this is the right plan and that it will get me ball park right pitching rate.
Any thoughts are welcome, never done a kolsch, or oktoberfest, or both at the same time.

One more question. When do i turn the stir plate off? Do I turn the stir plate off?

[Quin]

I think if you are trying to do a psuedo lager at ale temps, you would be better off using a lager yeast. I've been playing around with this this summer cranking out "blond ales" using Bohemian lager at 60° and 62.°

[nathanm]

I decided on the Kolsch after doing a lot of reading and talking to a brewer friend of mine. He also said to try the German Ale yeast fermented at cold(er) temps. From what I read, the Kolsch yeast produces a pretty good pseudo-lager as it is a pretty clean yeast that doesn't produce much diacetyl. The Wyeast site itself says it can be used to produce pseudo-lager beers.

Wouldn't a lager yeast fermented warm produce a lot of unwanted diacetyl? I'm new to lager so I'm asking seriously.

[Quin]

All yeast will produce a certain amount of diacetyl. It is usually reabsorbed by the yeast as fermentation slows as long as you don't take the beer off the yeast too soon. Jamil also recommends to pitch your yeast at or below your fermentation temp to minimize diacetyl production for lagers. You can also generate diacetyl from a bacteria infection, but that's a different story. Neither yeast should generate an appreciable amount of diacetyl.

Last summer I fermented probably 6 batches of Kolsch and 2 batches of Oktoberfest style beers with the Kolsch yeast. This summer I used the Bohemian lager yeast at cool ale temps and have been pleased. It still generates a bit of sulfur which gives it that lager flavor and little, if any, fruitiness. The lager yeast will also flocculate out much faster than the Kolsch yeast.

Do two batches and try each of the yeasts to see which one you like better.

[ApresSkiBrewer]

Quin, what temps were you fermenting these batches at? pseudo-lager temps? or proper temp ranges w/ the bohemian?

[Quin]

I used 60° and 62 with the Bohemian lager yeast.