What's in Your Fermenter? 2021

[Red devil 44]

1 hour ago, Graubart said:

And what pressure do you pour at then @Red devil 44 Reddler?

Usually 12PSI gives me a nice pour.

[John E Miller]

On 4/2/2021 at 2:41 AM, ChristinaS1 said:

Hi John. If you add the acetobacter before the yeast have finished converting all the sugar to alcohol the rising levels of acetic acid will slow down, but not stop, alcohol fermentation. In order to prevent bottle bombs, you should let the yeast finish before adding the bacteria. Why not take a gravity reading? 

Cider can take a while to ferment out as it is poor in nitrogen. Did you notice a rotten egg smell? That is a telltale sign the yeast are feeling a bit stressed by the lack of nitrogen. After 11 days it is too late to add nitrogen, so just be patient. It is probably close to being done....But don't worry about the rotten egg smell. It will go away.

If you make cider again one thing you can do to address the nitrogen issue is add nutrients at three key points in fermentation. These are called stepped nutrient additions, or SNA for short. I use boiled bread or beer yeast as the nutrient. Say you are going to pitch 1gm of yeast. Boil an equal amount of bread or brewers yeast (so 1gm) in a bit of water and add that at pitching time.  Then 12-24 hours later, when you see signs of fermentation starting, add a second dose of boiled bread yeast, but at half the dose (so 0.5gm). Finally add a third dose, at the same rate as the second dose,  when the air lock starts to slow, or around day 5-7 (depending on the temp).

Cheers,

Christina.

 

Thank you, I am just getting impatient, but I can wait. I only have 1L, so can't justify taking a gravity reading. 

I haven't smelled any rotten egg. I'll think about nutrient next time though.

Cheers

[Shamus O'Sean]

12 hours ago, Graubart said:

Do you fire them up - say dried - in a mild sugary solution first - before adding Christina?

Could I use a dessert spoonful or two of stored beer yeast slurry and boil that?

Great question about using yeast slurry for nutrient.  It seems logical.  However, I don't think I have read about others doing this. 

Like many folks I have the odd slurry getting a bit long in the tooth.  I often end up throwing it away.  If it is good for nutrient, I could get some value out of it.

[ChristinaS1]

23 hours ago, Graubart said:

Do you fire them up - say dried - in a mild sugary solution first - before adding Christina?

Could I use a dessert spoonful or two of stored beer yeast slurry and boil that?

No need to make a mild sugar starter. Cider is full of sugar already. Sugar is not the limiting factor, nitrogen is.

If you really want to get into the weeds of cider making, check out this https://scottlabsltd.com/content/files/Documents/SLL/Handbooks/2018_CiderHandbook.pdf Scott Labs sell Lalvin products (a division of Lellemand), one of the largest yeast manufacturers in the world. Lalvin actually recommend rehydrating their yeast for 20-30 minutes in 35-40C water with GoFerm, a rehydration product.  GoFerm is not available to homebrewers; if you look at the ingredient list ghost cells are one of its main components. I figure homemade ghost cells (boiled yeast) is probably as close as you can get to GoFerm as a homebrewer, and ditto for Fermaid O, another one of their nutrients used later in the SNA schedule. The right way to do it would probably be to cool the boiled yeast down to 35-40C and rehydrate the dry pitching yeast in that for 20-30 minutes, but personally I just throw the boiled yeast right into the fermenter without cooling it and dry pitch the yeast. The pitching rate for dry yeast recommended by Lalvin is 1gm/4L of cider or must. The ratio of yeast to GoFerm is supposed to be 1:1.1, but for me 1:1 is good enough and easier. 

Yes, you could use a spoonful or two of stored beer yeast. If your stored beer yeast is the same one you want to ferment your cider with, and assuming you collected it straight from the bottom of the FV without rinsing the dead yeast off, you would not need to bother with boiling. Sloppy slurry contains lots of dead yeast and live yeast, so super easy. As always just make sure to use sloppy slurry from a light coloured batch with lowish IBUs, that was not heavily dry hopped. 

 Cheers,

Christina.

Edited April 3, 2021 by ChristinaS1

[ChristinaS1]

Put this on today. 

Another Pseudo Lager with Honey

 

1.7kg Coopers Australian Pale Ale

900gm light LME

250g Honey 7.1%

750gm Superior pale malt 21.4%

300gm malted wheat 8.5%

200gm carapils 5.7%

20gm Mt Hood x 20 min

15 gm Motueka x 10 minutes

15gm Denali @ FO for 20 min hop stand

15gm Eldorado @ FO for 20 min hop stand

10mL Clarityferm

Nottingham yeast slurry

23L 

30gm Mt Hood dry hop x 48 hours post fermentation

10gm Eldorado dry hop x 48 hours post fermentation

 

Curious how this will taste. Will have to brew at ambient as I am storing scion wood in my brew fridge, waiting for spring. Will be grafting some new apple trees, including a nearly extinct New Brunswick variety and a nice wild apple I found growing in a ditch.

 

Cheers,

 

Christina. 

[Shamus O'Sean]

I must have been channelling @ChristinaS1 regarding the honey.

Yesterday's brew was a Cascarillo Amber Ale.  However, I am kegging this so wanted to boost the ABV a bit.  Hence decided to add 340g of honey.  Also went with Nottingham yeast because I harvested it a while ago and it was the oldest of my harvested yeasts and so needed reinvigorating.  I used the @Otto Von Blotto method to make a starter with enough overbuild to harvest for next time. 

Recipe was:

• 2 x 1.5kg Coopers Amber Malt Extract 89.8%
• 340g Yellow Box Honey 10.2%
• 25g Amarillo 30 minute boil 18 IBU
• 25g Cascade 10 minute boil 6.2 IBU
• 25g Cascade @ Flameout 15 minute stand 2.2 IBU
• 25g Amarillo dry hop
• 23L
• OG was a little down 1.041 instead of the calculated 1.044
• Nottingham yeast

The SG sample did not taste overly bitter, so I am hoping that the finished product will be okay.

[John E Miller]

On 3/25/2021 at 10:47 AM, John E Miller said:

I juiced a few of my homegrown apples and am making a litre of cider to turn into vinegar. I've only ever made apple cider from bottled juice or brigalow kit before . If the cider is good I will be keen to try another batch like this

Well, it had already started to turn to vinegar on its own, but I just put in the mother anyway... I've come this far, why quit now. Might turn out fine. 

[Tricky Micky]

My first go at 2 batches in the brew fridge:

Morgans Pacific Ale S&W clone recipe.

 

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

45 minutes ago, Mickep said:

My first go at 2 batches in the brew fridge:

Morgans Pacific Ale S&W clone recipe.

 

 

Nice big fridge @Mickep well done.

[ChristinaS1]

3 hours ago, John E Miller said:

Well, it had already started to turn to vinegar on its own, but I just put in the mother anyway... I've come this far, why quit now. Might turn out fine. 

Nice one John! 

I don't remember it you said what kind of yeast you used. Is it a wild ferment? 

[Tricky Micky]

2 hours ago, CLASSIC said:

Nice big fridge @Mickep well done.

Yeah Classic, I've been only doing one FV in that fridge for about 8 months now since I got it. Just realised the other day after a quick measure that 2 would fit in there easily. Happy days! 

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 minutes ago, Mickep said:

Yeah Classic, I've been only doing one FV in that fridge for about 8 months now since I got it. Just realised the other day after a quick measure that 2 would fit in there easily. Happy days! 

Why brew 1 beer when you can brew 2 ! 

[Classic Brewing Co]

I just put together a Mr Beer Northwest Pale Ale in the Craft Kit;

1.3kg can Mr Beer Northwest Pale Ale

500kg Brigalow Extra Malt ( I am told by the company in a 1kg bag this is 50% LDME & the rest of the contents are Dextrose Monohydrate/Maltodextrin/Corn Syrup ) 

Supplied Yeast

Cascade Infusion

Filled to 9litres

SG 1060

This seems to be rather high so I will have to see what the next 7-10 days brings.

[John E Miller]

3 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said:

Nice one John! 

I don't remember it you said what kind of yeast you used. Is it a wild ferment? 

Thank you.

No, I just used a spare beer kit yeast. Not a full packet.

[Journeyman]

I've just put a basic IPA in the FV fridge. Brew A IPA, 1.75 LDME, Nott yeast and hops tea of 30g Mosaic. Not sure if I'll dry hop - probably not. 1.060 OG and SS says 6.3 but I used the enzyme so will be interesting to see actual FG. Could be as high as 8%.

[Classic Brewing Co]

11 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

I've just put a basic IPA in the FV fridge. Brew A IPA, 1.75 LDME, Nott yeast and hops tea of 30g Mosaic. Not sure if I'll dry hop - probably not. 1.060 OG and SS says 6.3 but I used the enzyme so will be interesting to see actual FG. Could be as high as 8%.

Dosen't the Enzyme bring down the ABV ? I wonder sometimes about all of this stuff as some members have suggested some of my brews have been lower ABV than I thought, but hey, after a couple of tallies who know you have had them. 

[Pezzza]

7 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said:

Will have to brew at ambient as I am storing scion wood in my brew fridge, waiting for spring. Will be grafting some new apple trees, including a nearly extinct New Brunswick variety and a nice wild apple I found growing in a ditch.

Wow that is really cool Christina! 

[jamiek86]

1 hour ago, Journeyman said:

I've just put a basic IPA in the FV fridge. Brew A IPA, 1.75 LDME, Nott yeast and hops tea of 30g Mosaic. Not sure if I'll dry hop - probably not. 1.060 OG and SS says 6.3 but I used the enzyme so will be interesting to see actual FG. Could be as high as 8%.

ill be trying the dry enzyme in my next pilsner/lager currently got euro lager on without it. 

[Shamus O'Sean]

4 hours ago, CLASSIC said:

Dosen't the Enzyme bring down the ABV ? I wonder sometimes about all of this stuff as some members have suggested some of my brews have been lower ABV than I thought, but hey, after a couple of tallies who know you have had them. 

I am pretty sure that the dry enzyme breaks down some of the sugars that the yeast cannot deal with by itself.  The yeast eats more sugars and turns it into CO2 and alcohol and reduces the FG.  The greater difference between OG and FG makes for a high ABV beer.

[Classic Brewing Co]

52 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

I am pretty sure that the dry enzyme breaks down some of the sugars that the yeast cannot deal with by itself.  The yeast eats more sugars and turns it into CO2 and alcohol and reduces the FG.  The greater difference between OG and FG makes for a high ABV beer.

Fair enough @Shamus O'Sean that makes sense.

[ChristinaS1]

12 hours ago, Journeyman said:

Not sure if I'll dry hop - probably not.

Why not dry hop? 

And why ruin a perfectly good beer with dry enzyme? Awful shame of the ingredients IMHO. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by ChristinaS1

[Journeyman]

3 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said:

Why not dry hop? 

And why ruin a perfectly good beer with dry enzyme? Awful shame of the ingredients IMHO. 

A couple of dry hops I tried gave me a beer to pucker my mouth so I turned to hops tea - I get a milder dose of the hops and from my limited experience, the flavour/aroma seems to last longer than dry hops. I have not done a side-by-side comparison though.

The dry enzyme adds nothing but ABV AFAICT - I was trying things to reduce the Armageddon level of farting that was occurring overnight after a session.  Filtering worked also but the enzyme is far less work. It adds about 2%+ to the ABV and I haven't noticed much effect re dryness. Again, I haven't done a side-by-side to see the difference in mouth feel etc. but the beers seem pretty close to what they were before I used the enzyme.

15 hours ago, CLASSIC said:

Dosen't the Enzyme bring down the ABV ? I wonder sometimes about all of this stuff as some members have suggested some of my brews have been lower ABV than I thought, but hey, after a couple of tallies who know you have had them. 

Does the opposite as @Shamus O'Seanmentioned. My first 2 I tried it in, I was expecting a 7% & a 7.3% - I got a 9.2% & a 9.5%.  People say it extends ferment time but if it did with mine it might have been a day perhaps? The FG on both was within a couple of points of 1.000.

[ChristinaS1]

5 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

I was trying things to reduce the Armageddon level of farting that was occurring overnight after a session.  

Oh dear. Have you tried Clarity Ferm to reduce the gluten? 

Cheers,

Christina.

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

A couple of dry hops I tried gave me a beer to pucker my mouth so I turned to hops tea - I get a milder dose of the hops and from my limited experience, the flavour/aroma seems to last longer than dry hops. I have not done a side-by-side comparison though.

The dry enzyme adds nothing but ABV AFAICT - I was trying things to reduce the Armageddon level of farting that was occurring overnight after a session.  Filtering worked also but the enzyme is far less work. It adds about 2%+ to the ABV and I haven't noticed much effect re dryness. Again, I haven't done a side-by-side to see the difference in mouth feel etc. but the beers seem pretty close to what they were before I used the enzyme.

Does the opposite as @Shamus O'Seanmentioned. My first 2 I tried it in, I was expecting a 7% & a 7.3% - I got a 9.2% & a 9.5%.  People say it extends ferment time but if it did with mine it might have been a day perhaps? The FG on both was within a couple of points of 1.000.

Well that would explain why my mate's beer is a out of whack, he does everything he can to produce low ABV & whacks in Dry Enzymes every time. I think a guy at a LBHS told him to, so he does.

[Journeyman]

41 minutes ago, ChristinaS1 said:

Oh dear. Have you tried Clarity Ferm to reduce the gluten? 

That's not something I've heard of. I presume with that name it's a finings product? 

41 minutes ago, CLASSIC said:

Well that would explain why my mate's beer is a out of whack, he does everything he can to produce low ABV & whacks in Dry Enzymes every time. I think a guy at a LBHS told him to, so he does.

I think someone needs a new LHBS.  That's exactly the wrong thing to tell him if he's trying for low % beers.