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After a bit of a hiatus (wedding planning, wedding, honeymoon, and general pre-husbandly duties really cut into my brewing time) caused me to run out of beer, I have finally got back into the brewing, and want to improve my beer with partials (which is all my current equipment will support).

I have just ordered some grain and ldme to attempt a partial using the biab method (I don't have an esky I am allowed to use, but I have a 'steeping' sock that will easily hold a kilo or two of grain). As this is my first partial attempt I didn't want to try mess around with liquid yeasts, BUT, I was wondering whether it would be useful to follow the yeast starter/farming method for the s-23 I am planning on using. I think out of my current experience, yeast manipulation is probably my weakest area, so I don't want to waste a good liquid yeast with a silly mistake. Or would people recommend just trying with a liquid yeast (and what yeast would they recommend given my recipe comments below) and just using the s-23 i've ordered as a backup if things go wrong with the cultivation?

Below is the recipe I am planning on using (from a beersmith trial, I am not sure about the hops though, since I won't be doing a full boil I will need to make sure I use the correct amounts.), I am aiming for a fairly clean, crisp lager for the start of summer that my wife will drink (she hasn't really liked any I've done in the past aside from the few coopers ginger beers i've brewed, her beers of choice are ted's, carlton cold, and carlsberg).

1.00 kg Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 33.33 %
1.00 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 33.33 %
0.50 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 16.67 %
20.00 gm Cluster [7.00 %] (60 min) Hops 6.9 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops 2.0 IBU
0.50 kg Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 16.67 %
1 Pkgs SafLager West European Lager (DCL Yeast #S-23) Yeast-Lager

Single Infusion, Full Body, No Mash Out Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Mash In Add 3.91 L of water at 70.1 C 64.0 C

Est Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.66 %
Bitterness: 8.9 IBU
Est Color: 4.4 SRM

My next step is going to be finding a 40-50L pot and chill cube for 23L full boils, at which point i will decide whether to go for biab or esky mash-tun.

What volume are you aiming to brew? Can you give us a more detailed BeerSmith recipe, so we can see what you are planning?

S23 is OK as a lager yeast, but to get the crisp clean lager you're chasing, you'll need to control your fermentation temperature to no more than about to 12ºC.
Then you need to be able to rack and lager your brew at about 2ºC for 4 to 8 weeks. Unless you are able to do that, you'd be better off brewing a pseudo lager using a yeast such as US05, which gives a clean crisp beer, if fermented at about 16 to 18ºC.

If using S23 for 23 litres of brew, I'd recommend using 2 packs of yeast.

Liquid yeasts for lagers are great, but you really need to be able to build up a big starter of about 5 litres. I'm currently a month into lagering a BoPils where I built up such a starter from harvested WY2001 from an earlier batch, but it takes work, and took several steps to get it up to sufficient volume for cold pitching. I'd say you're better off sticking to dry yeast for now. Move up to liquid yeasts when you get mashing, sparging etc down pat.

There's something wrong with your IBU calculation, which at 8.9 IBU seems very low. The 20 gr Cluster for 60 minutes alone should give you about 19.5 IBU. Your hop choices are more suited to an APA rather than a lager. I'd look at the more traditional lager hops, Hallertau, Tettnanger, Hersbrucker, Saaz, Sterling etc.

Thanks for the advice.

After my post I realised I stuffed up the calculations in beersmith, I had not set the boil size and not set the fermentables to be added after the boil. I fixed this to: 23L batch, 8L boil, and the ldme/dex to be added in the final 15/after boil respectively. Given that I am doing a 'biab' mash would I mash the full 8L that will be boiled, or do I just use the 3.91L as directed in beersmith?
After setting my boil volume to 8L and leaving only the grains as fermentables in the boil I came down to 10g Cluster @ 60, and 10g Cascade @ 15, which was 9.5 IBU.
Based on the beersmith Lite American Lager this fits pretty close to the style (I forgot to add that my wife also liked the american 'beers' bud and coors lite while we were there on our honeymoon). Since I have cluster, amarillo and cascade on hand I thought i'd use them. It sounds like i'd be better off with saaz, perhaps 15g @ 60, 15g @ 15 (8.9IBU assuming my setup is correct), does that sound better? Is it appropriate to do the boil of the grain wort with the hops, then add the ldme/dex just before the end, or do I need to do two boils and split the hops?

Assuming I haven't stuffed anything up in beersmith that is.

Temp control is not a problem for lagers (I have a fridge with a temp control device), so the lager yeast is fine but I only ordered a single 11.5g pack with the grain. I can grab one from the lhbs while i'm waiting for my order to arrive if you think it is worth it however.

killspice wrote: Temp control is not a problem for lagers (I have a fridge with a temp control device), so the lager yeast is fine but I only ordered a single 11.5g pack with the grain. I can grab one from the lhbs while i'm waiting for my order to arrive if you think it is worth it however.

Iv'e been pitching one pack of S-23 in my AG's ...Works fine, they recomend pitching at 20 degrees to get it up & running.

I have been rehydrating 24hrs in advance with cooled boiled water & earate well to build up cell numbers then add some dextrose to it when you "mash in" this will get it fired up & pitch at 20, Mine have always started to ferment within 12 - 24 hrs.

Cheers, Mick.