Coopers European lager ready?

[gordong]

I am making a Coopers European lager. The O.G was 1043 and I used 50% brew sugar/ 50% spraymalt. The instructions say it was a proper lager yeast. After 7 days at around 14 degrees I am down to 1020. That seems high to me, but the foam head has subsided. I am wondering if it is likely to go much lower? It tastes good, and lager-like, but maybe still a little sweet. At this level though it will give me just 3.5% - too weak for my liking. Any ideas as I am quite new to this?

Cheers.

[mysterio]

It will probably drop further. If you can, raise the temperature to help the yeast become more active. You won't compromise flavour at this stage.

[EoinMag]

If it's a lager yeast, leave the temperature where it is, it's a little high already and should probably be down around the 10c. I'm not sure if high temperatures lead to bad attenuation with lager yeast, maybe check that out, but get the temp down to 10c anyway and wait a while.

[araldite]

Brewed mine at about 12c in my cellar seem to remember it took around 2 to 3 weeks to get down to a fg about 1008.

[gordong]

Ah - it seems there is different opinion on best temperature. The instructions say to keep it at 21C - but from what I have read it is far better to keep lower than that. Unfortunately, I cannot control the temp very much, and I am unlikely to be able to get it lower as it is already in one of the coolest parts of the house. I was keeping the radiator off, but the missus kept noticing and turning it back on

It sounds like it may well drop further if I leave it another week or 2 - we will see.

Thanks again guys.

[mysterio]

I'm not sure if high temperatures lead to bad attenuation with lager yeast

They don't.

Lowering the temperature at this stage will not do you any favours, it will probably make the yeast go dormant. The purpose of raising the temperature is to ensure complete attenuation and help with flavour maturation (sometimes called a diacetyl rest).

Pitching at 10 C and fermenting at that temperature might be optimal but you'd need far more yeast than what is supplied. Fermenting at low temperatures and underpitching is a sure-fire way to get underattenuated beer. Even at 14C, the recommended pitching rate for dried lager yeast would be around 1g per L.

[cwrw gwent]

There was another thread on fermentation of Coopers European Lager recently. The actual brewing notes state,

1 The yeast supplied with Coopers European Lager is a true lager strain. Lager yeast behaves differently to the normal Coopers yeast.
2 Avoid using too much simple sugar (white sugar or dextrose) with this product as the lager yeast will ferment more thoroughly causing the beer to lack in body.
3 Preferred brewing temperature is at the low end of the recommended range i.e. 21C. Coopers European Lager yeast can ferment as low as 13C. Lower ferment temperatures extend the fermentation period. Ensure fermentation has finished before bottling.
4 It is common for lager yeast to produce a smell like eggs when fermenting, this should dissipate as the beer conditions in the bottle.
5 Allow Coopers European Lager at least 12 weeks in the bottle before consuming.


So it looks as though they recommend fermentation at 21C, though anything down to 13C will do the trick. They make no mention of temperatures for secondary fermentation (I assume it's also 21C) or conditioning (my lager bottled on 18th October is at 14/15C and I will soon move it out to the garage for two months).

To answer your original question Gordong, I would leave it as it is at the same steady temperature to ferment further until it stays at a constant 1010 or so over two days. It's a long, long wait until it is ready so for both our sakes it had better be worth it. Welcome to the forum!

[gordong]

Thanks everyone - much appreciated. I will report back with progress. This is a great site with loads of useful info!

G

[gordong]

Further update...

After another 2 days I am down to 1017 and it looks like it is still fermenting. I have still kept it at the 14C temp. I am hopeful of a good lager and if I get below 1015 I will be happy. I will report back when it is finished.

Also, I only made 22L instead of the recommended 23L. Maybe next time I will do 21L for a stronger one if this does not get to 5%. I see Coopers have recipes on their website which suggests 21L.

[gordong]

Ok, this is now at 12 days. The SG has dropped to around 1012, but it is still fermenting slowly. Yesterday, when it was at 1014 I moved it to a warmer place as some posts seem to recommend for the "diacetyl rest" thing. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone can advise about when to bottle. Trouble is, I am going away at weekend, so I either do it at 15 days (i.e. in 3 days time, not sure if it'll be ready then) OR wait until I get back (i.e. 18 or 19 days total in primary). I am a bit concerned that might be too long for it to be sitting around.

Or I could cancel my weekend so I am there to bottle whenever required! (last resort!)

Appreciate any advice here...

[fractureman]

18 or 19 days is certainly not too long at all, you need to get to a stage where you have 2/3 days of constant hydro readings to show your brew has finished fermenting

[EoinMag]

Ok, this is now at 12 days. The SG has dropped to around 1012, but it is still fermenting slowly. Yesterday, when it was at 1014 I moved it to a warmer place as some posts seem to recommend for the "diacetyl rest" thing. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone can advise about when to bottle. Trouble is, I am going away at weekend, so I either do it at 15 days (i.e. in 3 days time, not sure if it'll be ready then) OR wait until I get back (i.e. 18 or 19 days total in primary). I am a bit concerned that might be too long for it to be sitting around.

Or I could cancel my weekend so I am there to bottle whenever required! (last resort!)

Appreciate any advice here...

My longest beer due to circumstances was 5 and a bit weeks in primary, 19 days is no issue at all.