brewers choice czech pilsner

[FUBAR]

I started this kit last saturday and have kept it between 14-16 celcius as it said on the instructions on the packet of lager yeast that came with the kit,it has been fermenting well until yesterday but has now stopped and there is no activity through the airlock now,ive just checked the sg today and its 1018,i tried a little bit and its not as sweet as i thought it would be given the sg.So has anyone got any suggestions as to what to do,should i give it a few more days and just keg it or try and get it going again?

[HighHops]

Sounds like the initial stage of fermentation has finished but it should still be dropping a couple of points on the hydro every day. Lager takes longer than ale or bitter, because of the lower ferm temp. It can take 2 or 3 weeks to drop to final gravity. I think you just need to be patient. Giving the yeast a rouse will speed things up, getting them back in suspension.

Don't know what your OG was, but if it was 1045 or above your at about the right point to start increasing the temperature slowly to 18-20C for diacetyl rest. Brewing the last quarter of fermentation at slightly higher temp will clean up any buttery taste that occurs at low temperature and might improve the activity of the yeast. It should be too late in the fermentation to produce any fruity esters that might make it taste more like an ale.

I rack my lager off into a second FV at 1015, increase the temp to 18C to let it ferment out. Then leave it at as close to zero for 4-6 weeks before repitching yeast and bottling. Then leave for a couple of months to drink. Lager needs patience, that's why we brew ale as well, so we can drink it straight away. Got a glass of cooper's bitter in my hand right now after 10 days in the bottle and it's going down great...

By the way I wouldn't keg it at all. It's best bottled to get the fizz you'd expect from a lager.

[FUBAR]

Thanks for the reply HighHops,I will switch the heat mat under the F.V and give it a few more days,with regard to the kegging i am thinking about getting a cornie and have been searching for a good deal,trouble is im now unemployed so have to watch the pennies a little bit if i cant get one the plan is to keg it for a while to let it clear and then bottle it.
I have got a barrel of birkby bitter on the go now and 3 more barrels of bitter conditioning so i wont run dry,could really do with another barrel to ensure ive got a constant supply of ready beer,jesus this hobby is addictive

[HighHops]

Beer is NOT addictive! I just like the taste! Good luck with the brew!

[FUBAR]

OOPS i gave the airlock a little twist this morning and shes bubbling away slowly again it must for some reason became not airtight,think next time im in the HB shop will get some more rubber gromits for the lid or suppose it will be ok just to give it a smear of vaseline to give a better seal?

[FUBAR]

I have kegged this today after 12 days in the FV it has been a constant SG1014 for the last 3 days,must say the aroma of saaz hops was amazing and i had a little taster out of the trial jar and like all the brupaks kits i have done,this is gonna be lovely pint in a few weeks.Only thing is as its in a barrel its not going to have the right carbonation for a lager,its just that i cant be arsed to faff around with prepairing/storing loads of bottles,i will invest in a cornie once i find another job,i have been looking on ebay norm seems to be the one to buy from by a lot of the posts on here, one other source i thought of trying was a local landlord my brother in law knows well and find out where he gets his cornies from,perhaps that may be a cheap way,or are they loaned or rented from coca cola ect?.Has anyone tried this avenue for getting a cornie?