German Lager Starter Temp

[jonmuni]

Hi guys,

Ive not done many German beers but am just wondering about whether a starter for a German Lager should be done at cooler or regular fermentation temps - say 8c to 13c.

Previously I have done at room temps but to keep off flavours to a minimum Im thinking lower should be better, albeit slower.

Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Jon

[Rosmucman]

The starters better off at room temperature 

[onesoma]

I suppose it depends if you're going to cold crash, decant off the spent wort, and pitch the slurry, or pitch the whole starter.

If crashing and decanting, the yeast will grow better at 20 or so degrees, and there's no worry about off flavours.

If pitching the whole starter, and it's grown at 10 or so degrees, you've got nothing to worry about, but the starter will just take longer to be ready.

I'm not sure about pitching the whole thing if you grow it at 20 degrees. Given you might need a big (3 or 4l) starter, it could affect the final flavour.

[jonmuni]

Yeah, sorry I forgot to mention....

It'll be a step starter - 1.5L each so will decant as much as I can before the second step

[LordEoin]

There are many german lager yeasts. Which one is it?