Czech Pilsner - Part 2

Primary Fermentation:
By the next evening, nothing had happened, and still nothing by mid-afternoon on day 3. I figured the yeast had probably been killed by the too-hot wort. Unfortunately, I couldn't get back to Beer and Winemakers because I was on my way out of town for the weekend. I asked Husband to keep an eye on the beer while I was on my trip, and luckily fermentation started on day 3. But it was done by the time I got home.

Everything I'd read until that point had said that fermentation lasted about 2 weeks. I clearly hadn't read much, because I've since read that 3-5 days isn't uncommon. Anyway, I let the beer sit for 2 weeks in the garage, hoping something else would happen. Then I moved it inside for a few days before moving it to the secondary fermentation tank.

Secondary Fermentation (2.15.10):
And this is where I made my second big mistake. Secondary fermentation for lagers should be done at between 35-40 degrees. My extensive internet research (read: one google search) told me that many people accomplish this with a chest freezer. So Husband and I bought a chest freezer. We'd been intending to get one anyway, and found we a good deal. But it took a few days longer to get delivered than we'd expected, so the Diacetyl Rest lasted close to a week.

The day the freezer arrived, I transferred my beer from the primary fermentation tank to the secondary. This, again, required a whole lot of sanitizing of random equipment, but was overall a smooth process. One thing I will tell you: the auto siphons is FUN.

I tested the gravity of the beer with my hydrometer, and got a 1.000 reading, which I think means there is zero alcohol. Again, I must be doing something wrong (well, I know I'm doing something wrong). I've read a lot about hydrometers and gravity, but so far most of it has gone over my head. I'm going to have to research this more closely before I start my next batch.

I set the freezer on low to prevent the beer from freezing. But it wasn't low enough. By the next day my beer was sludgy and there were ice crystals in the top of the carboy. So now my beer is sitting in the garage next to the freezer while I wait for my freezer thermostat to arrive from Amazon. I'm pretty sure there is no chance that my beer will have the crisp, cold-conditioned flavor of a good lager, and there's also a pretty good chance it will be 0% alcohol.

I'm going to keep going, because at least I'm figuring out what things I need to learn more about, and what I definitely need to change before I start another batch. I will condition this at about 37 degrees for a full month once the thermostat comes, but I'm pretty sure the damage is already done. At this point all we can do is wait and see.