Temperature Question

[UB2]

My 5th brew is on the stove. All Grain Pilsner, very basic that I am not going to mess around with. Below are details regarding the yeast. I think I understand but want to be sure. Fermentation temperature is self evident, the OPTIMUM temp is what I am unsure of. Is that what I keep it at after racking and letting it lager?

White Labs - Pilsner Lager Yeast WLP800
Optimum Temp: 50 - 55 °F
Fermentation Temp: 70 °F

 

[LarryBrewer]

The 70F figure would be for an ale yeast, but still on the high end, so I'm not sure where that might have come from.

The fermentation temp should be somewhere inside the 50-55F range for that yeast.

A good thing to do with a lager is a diacetyl rest after primary fermentation is complete, before racking. Raise the temp to around 65F for 2-3 days. This helps the yeast clean itself up and remove any DMS (which is an off flavor you don't want in the beer).

After the fermentation is done (3-4 weeks in the primary), rack it to the secondary, or keg it, and get it down to 34F for 4-6 weeks. That is called the lagering phase.

 

[UB2]

The temperature information popped up after entering the yeast type in the recipe section of this site. I have a yeast starter going now at 70 degrees. Thanks for the relpy.

 

[UB2]

Just realized I now have another question. If fermentation is at 50-55 do I get the wort to that temp (and the starter) to that temperature before pitching?

 

[LarryBrewer]

The temperature information popped up after entering the yeast type in the recipe section of this site. I have a yeast starter going now at 70 degrees. Thanks for the relpy.

The system should not be defaulting the yeast temp to 70. That value can only be specified manually, or it came in if the recipe was a copy of another. Here is what I get when I pick that yeast from the drop down:

 

[LarryBrewer]

Just realized I now have another question. If fermentation is at 50-55 do I get the wort to that temp (and the starter) to that temperature before pitching?

Doing your starter at room temp is probably okay, I do that without an issue.

As for the temperature treatment, there are varying opinions on this. What I do is pitch yeast into the wort around 65F, then move the primary fermentor into my fermentation chamber and cool it all down to 52F or so. It all works itself out. Some people are more concerned with temperature control, but I have never had a problem with this approach. With my lager starters, I decant, and sometimes that means I want to speed up that process by cooling the starter to 40-45F so it drops out faster. When I start brewing I pull the starter out and let it warm up to room temp before pitching.