What's in Your Fermenter? 2021

[Stickers]

2 minutes ago, jamiek86 said:

@Stickers apparently verdant IPA is good  for krausen hanging around long after FG. I would start checking gravity and either bottle without disturbing it or wack side few times to make it sink

thanks jamie, i didn't know that some yeasts left a krausen, will research that a little more. and plan a dry hop for tomorrow.

[Pezzza]

Brothers and Sisters in Ferment.... all the siblings in the splendid Saccharomyces cerevisiae fam:

--> IPA cranking - Breadly-bread fermenting overnight - Weizen conditioning and waiting to be kegged 

[jamiek86]

8 minutes ago, Stickers said:

thanks jamie, i didn't know that some yeasts left a krausen, will research that a little more. and plan a dry hop for tomorrow.

Us-05 does it too me sometimes then sometimes don't get a krausen at all and makes FG in a week. I have a few packs waiting to use just read this from others.

Edited March 17, 2021 by jamiek86

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

2 hours ago, Graubart said:

Wow Greeny.   Mmmm.  Sounds very familiar.  I did not have the patience...  and ran for some dry Dubbya 34 

Any thoughts on why the delay - I am wondering for me was it cos I dropped the temp sharply after pitching.... ?

Did you pitch at same temp it was to ferment at @Greeny1525229549 Greeny?

Interesting stuff 

The only thing I can think is massive cell death in my instance. I get the jitters once its about a month old but this was a 2 weeks and a lot of slurry. I just hope its not a slow burn and takes 3 weeks or so to finish. 

Yeah I pitched at 10c so it would usually take a little longer than pitch high and ramp down method. 

[Pezzza]

23 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

My BrewFather software says 76g of sugar to get to 3 vols of CO2.  Compared to my previous 80-100g, I think it will fall well short of being carbonated to a Hefe standard.  @PB2's half cup (about 100g) is similar to what I have already been doing.  I would also like to hear from any Keg Conditioning Wheat Beer Brewing Barons or Baronesses out there.

Champion post yet again Shamus @Shamus O'Sean SOS very good.

So yeah PB2's halfa cup comes to around probs a bit more than 100 - I just measured a cup of Raw Sugar at 209g - and I think that say Caster Sugar (which I think I will use) is finer grained so might be a tiny bit more weight with less air space between grains I suspect... 

So probs half of that with a little one - as for the air space mate mmmm I am not so sure... more oxygen - maybe bigger population of yeast... and yeah I guess PV=nRT so if you have bigger vol then Pressure should be less ah dear...   I would go a little more than half because of that maybe.

Cold crashing might not be a bad idea for little ones too to drop some of the suspension out - as I did have some clogging issues with yeast - ales and stuff - in my littlies before... 

So I am I think going to go with that half a cup 105-110g in the 18L... maybe 107g haha and mate maybe 55 for your littlies?  Can always drop some pressure out with the PRV maybe?  Sorry cannot really be of much more help and hopefully won't stuff it up for you with that suggestion.

And as for bottles being better - I did say that myself for my last brew - but I think there was a twist there as I bottled a part batch that had late hop commando Mandarina Bavaria and the keg did not have that so probs not fair comparison...  if I have any over and above my 18L I will do a few bottles... I vaguely remember @PaddyBrew2 Paddy being happy with keg Hefeweizen...  lots to learn as always ; )

Cheers for now 

[Shamus O'Sean]

4 hours ago, Stickers said:

2nd time using verdant yeast. 240 hours into fermentation and i've still got a thick layer of foam on the top but going by the colour of the brew i think fermentation is complete.. or at least time to start checking gravity. it's a kit and kilo with partial addition. with nottingham i'd already be done and have this in bottles.

do some yeasts leave a bit of foam when they're done or should i really be waiting for this to clear up before doing a dry hop?

I found that the Verdant IPA yeast hung around all the way through ferment to FG.  It was a bit scared of cool temperatures, because it fell away during the cold crash.

Similar behaviour to US-05.

[MitchBastard]

Eyyy Graubster @Graubart My thoughts on your dubbya slurry that didn’t fire..... going from a high gravity ferment to a standardish sized OG is ya problem. Ya yeast was tired. It would make perfect sense to think that yeast that has recently fermented a high OG could knock over a lower OG easy as but it’s actually the opposite. The bastards are over it and somewhat ready for the bin or to be used as nutrient. 
 

also, 2 degrees to 20 degrees might have been a bit much in terms of temp variation....coulda shocked the buggers, but I’d put money on them being cactus from the hard work of the High abv

[ChristinaS1]

On 3/15/2021 at 8:57 PM, Graubart said:

There is a good presentation by Neva Parker 

and they note that the off-taste issue usually occurs within the first 48 hours... 

It makes sense that while you are just reproducing and making numbers to chew through the food that you would be producing less metabolites... but the yeasts may be also producing their associated enzymes - as you put it - 

On 3/12/2021 at 9:49 PM, MitchBastard said:

then acclimating and working out what they gotta do

so I wonder are they then setting up their metabolic processes to run at the warm temp - that metabolic process which produces the esters... 

However, I guess you could have good yeast population within 12-24 hours and then have off-flavours being created in the next 24-36 hours too... 

This is all great discussion - good stuff.

In this specific case I was less concerned about Esters and off-flavours and more so interested in the population size/happiness factor ; )

I found the slide at 18:00 minutes interesting, especially the part about a higher pitching rate increasing esters. That is kinda opposite of what I always heard. Begs the question what under-pitching does to esters. If under-pitching i= increased metabolic activity, then they both increase esters. Reading between the lines, then the road to the cleanest beer is to do neither and use the "correct" pitching rate, 

Cheers,

Christina. 

 

[John E Miller]

I am kicking myself. After work yesterday I walked into my fermentation chamber (my bedroom), and it smelled delightfully of bananas. Quite nice actually, but a bad sign, as the thermometer in my barleywine had crept up to 29C. I moved this to the bathtub to keep it cool, but I fear the damage may be done. 

On the other hand, the samples taste splendid at this stage, and esters are supposed to diminish over time, so perhaps with a year or two aging nobody will ever know?

I am yet to get a fridge, instead I am trying to brew with the seasons and use appropriate yeasts. Misjudged this time though, too hot for Nottingham. I do have a temp controller and heat belt, just no automated cooling.

[Classic Brewing Co]

5 minutes ago, John E Miller said:

I am yet to get a fridge,

You won't be sorry when you do @John E Miller  Gumtree, 2nd shops usually got quite a few, but depends on the area you are in I suppose. Good Luck with that.

[ben 10]

28 minutes ago, John E Miller said:

I am yet to get a fridge, instead I am trying to brew with the seasons and use appropriate yeasts.

I had one and stopped using it quite some time ago. I brew to the season too.
If the esters smell good and the sample tastes fine I am sure the beer will be fine, perhaps not exactly what you were chasing but fine regardless.

[Classic Brewing Co]

6 minutes ago, Green Blob said:

I had one and stopped using it quite some time ago. I brew to the season too.
If the esters smell good and the sample tastes fine I am sure the beer will be fine, perhaps not exactly what you were chasing but fine regardless.

Fair enough @Green Blob  I have been brewing at ambient temperatures lately as I have more FV's & only one brew fridge.

[Pezzza]

What's in my (backfilled Dubbya 34 Coopers Plazzi) Fermenter?  A new Easy Drinking Lager... looks like it has fired up.. from 2 to 19-20 degC this time worked ok : )

(Thanks for the tip @MitchBastard Mitchie reckon you are onto something there regards me Dubbya mates being 'over it'... that'll teach me to make big abv stuff mmm.... the new "Easy" sook beer is much less hahaha... funny the easy's prior brew was 7.3% but I think that the sucker that did not fire's prior had been 8.3% and had been stored 10 days... here put straight back to work... dunno whether that makes a difference as well?)

Cheers and Good Brewing all ye festive Brewskis!?! 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Graubart

[Barramullafella]

1 hour ago, John E Miller said:

....the thermometer in my barleywine had crept up to 29C. I moved this to the bathtub to keep it cool.....

With my 3rd ferment I placed a shallow large plastic dish under the FV and placed a few cups of water in it; placed the FV in this and covered with an old T-Shirt with the bottom section of shirt dipping into the water - Swamp Cooler. It kept my FV at approx 24 deg C during the ferment when ambient temperature was between 22 and 30 deg C. I have only just bottled the brew which sample shot tasted good. I will do a taste test when the bottled beer [Woolager] reaches 1 week of age and then again at 2 week stage. If good, then drink copious quantities lol. Cheers.

[jamiek86]

@Graubart made a lager with no hop flavour for megaswill mates?

[Pezzza]

6 minutes ago, jamiek86 said:

@Graubart made a lager with no hop flavour for megaswill mates?

Festive Jamie haha - had a good laugh at that one mate - Class Clown maybe (your words) but you do come up with some crackers from time to time mate haha - well played and truly spoken! 

You simply saw straight through the veil of Graubartigebräu obscure brewing practices haha 

I ain't gonna go blind
For the light which is reflected
I see through you
I see through you

(with thanks to the Stereo MCs)

Sorta two things - yeah a beer for the sooks - but am also trying to see if I can make beer that tastes ok and is not 6% and above if you know what I mean... trying to "brew down" and still  produce a reasonable AG liquid product.  I think I need to see if I can make lower (ie 5% and below rather than 5.5% and above) ABV beers that taste good... part of the BBJ (Beautiful Brewing Journey) and one day I might need to drink beers with lower octane too 

I did use some HTau Mittelfrüh and Manda Bava early but not a lot and then some HTM a bit later... so maybe it will be too hoppy after all for the megaswillers haha ; )

But the ABV should be closer to what they are used to - well less than 5 haha ; )

Cheers @jamiek86 and Good Brewing ; )

[John E Miller]

1 hour ago, Green Blob said:

I had one and stopped using it quite some time ago. I brew to the season too.
If the esters smell good and the sample tastes fine I am sure the beer will be fine, perhaps not exactly what you were chasing but fine regardless.

That's encouraging, we'll see how it turns out. 

Why have you stopped using a fridge?

[ben 10]

1 hour ago, John E Miller said:

Why have you stopped using a fridge?

I stopped ages ago, found it to be a pain and have had solid results ever since.

[John E Miller]

47 minutes ago, Green Blob said:

I stopped ages ago, found it to be a pain and have had solid results ever since.

Do you use some sort of insulation? 

[ben 10]

16 minutes ago, John E Miller said:

Do you use some sort of insulation? 

No, just a light cover. I use yeasts that are appropriate - lots of saison, when it cools I do fake lagers with M54.

@The Captain!! has drunk my beer and can vouch for the quality.

[Classic Brewing Co]

7 minutes ago, Green Blob said:

No, just a light cover. I use yeasts that are appropriate - lots of saison, when it cools I do fake lagers with M54.

@The Captain!! has drunk my beer and can vouch for the quality.

Who would argue with that. 

[John E Miller]

1 hour ago, Green Blob said:

No, just a light cover. I use yeasts that are appropriate - lots of saison, when it cools I do fake lagers with M54.

@The Captain!! has drunk my beer and can vouch for the quality.

I like to hear that. What do you do about temperature swings though? 

I hope this isn't too many questions, I am just curious. These are the things I am trying to work out

[ben 10]

4 hours ago, John E Miller said:

What do you do about temperature swings though? 

Thermal mass of the FV deals with that I think.

[The Captain!!]

@John E Miller

blob is a cheeky fellow and completely understands fermentation. This mother hugger has produced some of the best tasting beers I’ve ever had. He even sent me a lager theta was drinkable! Who those have been around a bit know a friggen hate them. 
all I can suggest is trail and error. I use yeasts that work for me temp wise that Blob could never use. The only thing I temp control these days is apa and ipa. Everything else brew to season 

[Tone boy]

9 hours ago, Green Blob said:

when it cools I do fake lagers with M54

Great stuff GB. I recently used M54 with the European Lager kit at ambient temps (about 21-22) and it has turned out great! It’s been in the bottle for 8 weeks now and really good, 3 weeks ago it was still a bit “green” with a hint of cider kind of aftertaste but that’s gone now. I’d use it again no trouble. 
cheers