Mystery Lager

[Big Al]

On a recent trip to my Local Brewing Shop I purchased my kit for xmas and needed to get a lager kit to keep my levels topped up.
I spied a Mystery Lager special.

Can had no label on it apart from a code and lager written in pen. The shop said there was a youngs lager yeast thrown in too.
Mystery lager kit for £5 bargain!!!! just hope its a nice lager kit, only down side is, if I really like the bloomin thing I will have no idea what it
actually was

[jimjamjamie0]

i did the same thing with a few cans of mild, no label and youngs yeast.

hope to get it going at the weekend

[Big Al]

I was going to start it last night but I accidentally broke my hydrometer.
Picked up a new one today so will be starting it tonight, fingers crossed

[Lillywhite]

All lager is a mystery to me.

[Big Al]

Well I put on my mystery lager batch last night and it looked a little on the weak side :-/ also normally when I aerate my brews there is normally a thick foamy head on the top that seems to last for some time. On this one it was a weak foamy head at best which seemed to dissipate quite quickly. Not noticed much action this morning from the yeast, so fingers crossed it gets a bit more lively!

[scottmoss]

Well I put on my mystery lager batch last night and it looked a little on the weak side :-/ also normally when I aerate my brews there is normally a thick foamy head on the top that seems to last for some time. On this one it was a weak foamy head at best which seemed to dissipate quite quickly. Not noticed much action this morning from the yeast, so fingers crossed it gets a bit more lively!

What was your og?

[Big Al]

My OG was a respectable 1040, so that sounds right to me. I have added 1kg of brewing sugar to it also.
I am begining to wonder if this is a Geordies Lager kit, not done one before but it is the cheaper end of the kit range.

[Big Al]

Well my mystery lager is not going so well, it has been in the FV for 24 hours and not such a head on it. I am used to a very large frothy head, to show the yeast is doing its thing. Tonight it is looking quite pathetic.

Now with the kit came a larger yeast, one I have not used before as I tend to get ale yeasts supplied with my kits.

Does this sound normal? SHould I wait a couple more days before thinking of adding any more yeast or anything to get it going???

[scottmoss]

What's temperture of your brew? Could try pitching another yeast or give it a gentle stir?

[Big Al]

Its around room temperature is my brew, This morning there does seem to be more life to it, so it must have been, down to using lager yeast. Will keep an eye on this and see how it progresses.

Will keep you guys posted

[quiff]

Sounds like it might be short of oxygen. Did you aerate it well ?

[Big Al]

I always use the same pincipal, pour water from my kettle from a height into the brew till it gets to about 23 litres.
As I said before this brew wasn't holding onto the head, and what head it did have was quite weak. So in essence I did aerate
well, it just didn't respond as I would have normally expected. I opened the lid up slightly last night to take a shufti at the process,
and that I suppose could have let some more oxygen in and kick started my brew, will keep a VERY CLOSE eye on this one, not ruined a brew yet in 14 months of brewing and I dont want to start now

[quiff]

What does your new hydro read?

[Big Al]

I am currently at work, I will take a reading tonight and see what it says, Will post my results here.