Help with lager. Is it dead? ** UPDATED! **

[Polymath]

Hey guys, hope this is the right forums for this. If not then please move :-)

So on Thursday/Friday i started a lager. Its the geordie lager kit. Here is the linkie

The problem is that the kit is about 4 to 5 years old. Purchased by parents but never used. Found it when in the shed figured its only going to cost me 1kg of sugar to have a bash see if it works. The tin was rusted on the outside but still sealed and clean on the inside and the wort smelt normal. Yeast seemed okay, maybe a mistake using the yeast that was there? Anyway. This is how things are looking on Friday (6 hours after pitching)

Not so good.

This is today. A day or two after pitching. Slightly worried about it.

First I have an understanding that lager yeast sinks to the bottom and works there, so you don't see anything on the surface when the little guys are working. Correct or not?

Second, the OG was 1045, its currently about 1035. So I think there is something happening, but not 100% sure on this front. Anyone had a similar experience with this kit and can provide pointers. Thanks! :-)

 

[Aleman]

This was my lager last year made with a true lager yeast

AS you can see there is significant activity on the surface of the beer. . . . In your case I would suspect that the number of viable cells in the packet of yeast was pretty low after 5 or 6 years stored (I suspect) at room temperature. In the ideal world you would have pitched new yeast, but as you haven't it has taken them longer to get started . . . they are going to get better at it.

Oh and in geordie kits they only use ale yeast . . . even in the lagers

 

[Polymath]

Hey cheers for the info. I'm glad to see that this lager has actually got its act together. This is last nights picture :

I'm thinking that the yeast just needed a bit more time to get going ....
Currently at 1030ish, was about 1040 when started. So its gonna take maybe a week or so to complete, but thats fine.

 

[Polymath]

So 2 weeks later, i'm a little worried about this brew. There is now a thin skin forming on top of the lager, where the yeast section is. It looks strange, and when you blow ontop of it, the full skin moves ...
I think this brew is screwed. Opinions please :

Not overly worried if its dead. Will just chuck and then get a Woodfordes Admiral Reserve 3kg (40pt) over the weekend

 

[Aleman]

Looks like a wild yeast infection . . . or possibly Acetobacter . . . If its acetobacter it will taste of vinegar . . . If its wild yeast . . . you may get away with it . . . it may or may not taste crap . . . if it doesn't bottle it and drink it quickly.