Another lager question....WLP800

[adm]

My first AG lager has been in the FV for about 2 weeks now, and it's had a nice thick yeast head on it all that time. It's gone from 1056 to 1026 so far and still seems to be chugging away slowly.

Does anyone know if the head from WLP800 will collapse into the beer once it's done fermenting, or whether it will just stay where it is?

Also - once the primary is done, I will raise the temperature to 18C for a couple of days for a diacetyl rest. Is there any benefit in rousing the yeast at that point to give it a final push, or is it best just to leave it?

[adm]

Thanks Chris,


Here's some yeasty progress pictures:


This is at 5 days from pitching


And this is from this morning - 13 days in....


And a close up....it still seems to be working away...


So - I'm still a bit confused.......as this is a bottom working yeast, what the hell is all the yeast doing on the top, and should I stir it back in?

Also - you mentioned doing the diacetyl rest at the 2/3 point....

If my OG was 1056, and my expected FG is 1013, then that gives a total of 43 gravity points, 2/3 of which is about 29.....so I should be looking to go to the diacetyl rest when it got to (43-29)+13 = 27......i.e. about now!

Presumably, as it warms up for the rest, then the yeasties get more excited and finish up slightly warmer ?

(It's my first lager.....I know I'm babying it... )

[mysterio]

Any lager yeast i've used has dropped away post fermentation. I've not used that Pilsener strain though. RDWHAHB, as they say. The D-rest isn't strictly necessary if you pitched cold, however it never hurts. It does help squeeze out a final point of attenuation if your pitching rates were less than perfect (which probably applies to most lager homebrewers). Although I personally wouldn't rack off a bottom fermenting yeast. If you ferment in glass you can see a large hunk of yeast at the bottom.

[adm]

Hmm......

I think I'll just leave it alone a bit longer.