Help!

[Buckeye Brewer]

My first batch of beer was a pale ale, and it was definitely a success. I decided to try a lager this time around. Everything went as planned while making the wort. I used a liquid lager yeast, and the fermenter is now sitting in the fridge at about 39-40 F. It's been there since tuesday the 27th, though, and I'm pretty sure it's not fermenting at all. The airlock hasn't bubbled, and there doesn't seem to be any pressure under the lid. Is this a sign that I've done something specifically wrong? Or is there anything I can do?

[brewmonkey]

Lager fermentations sometimes will exhibit NO signs of fermentation and they certainly are not as vigorous as ale fermentations are. The only way to tell if something is going on is to get a gravity reading. My guess is the reading will show that there is fermentation going on.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by brewmonkey
Lager fermentations sometimes will exhibit NO signs of fermentation and they certainly are not as vigorous as ale fermentations are. The only way to tell if something is going on is to get a gravity reading. My guess is the reading will show that there is fermentation going on.

Yeah maybe - 39-40F is pretty cold to start at. Quite a few lager yeasts prefer it a little warmer, especially to get started. The czechs pull it off but they pitch A LOT of yeast. There could be a very long lag if a large starter wasn't used.

Which strain did you pitch? Do you smell any sulphur(which is a good sign of lager fermentation) coming from the batch?

[Buckeye Brewer]

Looking back on my notes, I actually forgot to record the strain of yeast I used. Stupid! All I know is that I went to my homebrewing supply shop and asked for an american-type lager yeast. They hooked me up with a vial of liquid yeast. While working with the wort, we kept the vial in the fridge. When the wort cooled down to like 50 degrees F, we took the yeast out and tossed it in the primary. Only then, did we notice that the vial said to let the yeast set for 3-4 hours at room temp. Could that render the yeast useless? Should I definitely take a gravity reading? I don't want to contaminate the beer. Thanks for any advice

[kgaugler]

I would try to pitch another vial of yeast. This time, let it warm to room temp. The extra yeast is not going to hurt. I leavel my lagers at ~70 for the first 24 hours until fermentation starts then put it into the proper temperature. Relax, pitch some more yeast and I bet everything will be alright.

[Badgered Buckey]

Thanks for the hints. I'm going through the same thing with low activity from my yeast. How do you make sure you have activated it correctly? Any hints or suggestions. (Of course, I'm a neophite at this!)

[mmmBeer...]

Originally posted by Badgered Buckey
Thanks for the hints. I'm going through the same thing with low activity from my yeast. How do you make sure you have activated it correctly? Any hints or suggestions. (Of course, I'm a neophite at this!)

Use a starter…this way you know your yeast are viable and ready for action when you pitch them. Just do a search under starter in this forum and you will get a lot of hits.

[paul84043]

You could just put the carboy in the house and let it warm up to room temp and see if it kicks off, my guess would be that it will.
Aslo, if you agitate the wort gently and the airlock bubbles, you know that c02 is forming and that something is going on.
Lagers will form no kreusen at the lower temps so you can't look for that.

Usually when I do a lager, I will let it sit in the house for the first day or until fermentation kicks off, then I cool it down in a couple steps of not more than about 15 degrees per 24 hr period.
This is where a temp controller on a refrigerator is worth its weight in gold. It makes it so easy.