Lager Yeasts Doing Their Thing

54 hours in and the yeast is bubbling the airlock every 5 seconds.

As described in all the literature, the lager fermentation seems to run in slow-motion compared to the typical ale yeasts' running. Temperature is stable at about 54º F, the cellar's ambient temp, but I expect the beer will begin to generate a couple degrees of its own heat over the next few days as activity increases.

Tip of the week: Make a Cooling Belt for Cellar Cold Fermenting

Out of fear for an overheated fermentation, I have Macgyvered a simple makeshift cooling belt for the carboy. I took an old Motor City Brew Works tee shirt that has mysteriously "shrunk" to the point where it doesn't quite fit my waist, and trimmed it into a stylish new crop top. The trimmed off belly part of the tee shirt, when folded in, slips on snugly as a belt around the 6 1/2 gallon carboy. In between this belt and the carboy I packed five blue gel packs that've been collecting in our freezer. By morning I hope to see at least a couple of degrees of overall temperature decrease. Then, the cool cellar air should make it easier to keep the yeast at a happier temperature for the duration of the primary fermentation cycle.