a few questions from a new brewer

[Pomdrinking]

Hi everyone:  I am new brewer here.   I just finished my first batch, the starter kit lager (of course) but i added a LME to boost the strength and taste a bit.  I've had a few bottles and i reckon its ok.  I'm pretty chuffed!  I've got a few questions i'm hoping you lot can help me out with.  I know there's a few of these threads so apologies if i repeat anything some one asked previously...  So, what is cold crashing?  how do you you do it and why?  whats the benefit?  The same questions for dirty batching, i think i understand this but i'm hazy on the details of how to, and again why?  And, my last question for now (although i reckon i'll have a few more in the future) would there be any benefit to adding extra yeast packet in FV  as well as the yeast you get with the extract.  So to put this one in context, i think i want to get the porter recipe kit off the web store and that comes with a Kg of DME.  I thought that i might also pop in a Kg of the brewing sugar and get an extra pack of yeast (probably a Kviek, because i hear its happy to brew at room temp and i don't have temp control yet).  Is there any benefit or detriment to adding an extra yeast pack?  My thinking was with the DME and the brew sugar, its a lot of fermentables and putting an extra yeast in might help out the packet you get with the can.  Thanks in advance for any answers the group provides, i've been reading this page for a few weeks now and i have to say its really helpful to a new brewer in general, so cheers.

[Cee]

G'day @Pomdrinking

Welcome, mate 

I have no doubt these questions you have will be answered soonly - as you've seen there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here

Ah yes that chuffed feeling when you like your first homebrew  

[ozdevil]

cold crashing is basicly to drop the yeast and hops out of suspension and to clear the beer , it is not required but your beer will benifit from it with clarity
what you do is drop your fermenting chamber eg a fridge  that is temp controlled and you drop it down between 0-2 degrees celcious from 2-7 days before bottling or kegging

kveik yeast  is great yeast and is  not really a begginners yeast due to its fermentability as this yeast can finish fermenting in 2-3 days as well as giving a high krausen
however is a good yeast for summer when temps get high and you cant temp control  and can be pitched at 35 degrees celcius.
Also depending on your starting gravity  anything under 1.060  i would only use 1 packet   anything over 1.060  2 packets

if you decide to use kveik yeast   depending on style of fermenter 

1. coopers fermenter -  use the kruasen cooler and place fermenter in bath or a tub just incase of overflow

2 old style with Airlocks-  get a blow off tube into a bucket of sanitizer   as the krauson will escape

3 unitanks if not pressure fermenting -  the same as number 2  


kveik is a beast  and great fermentabilty at high temps

as for dirty batching i dont do this  but i am sure others will comment 




 

[Aussiekraut]

6 hours ago, Pomdrinking said:

Hi everyone:  I am new brewer here.   I just finished my first batch, the starter kit lager (of course) but i added a LME to boost the strength and taste a bit.  I've had a few bottles and i reckon its ok.  I'm pretty chuffed!  I've got a few questions i'm hoping you lot can help me out with.  I know there's a few of these threads so apologies if i repeat anything some one asked previously...  So, what is cold crashing?  how do you you do it and why?  whats the benefit?  The same questions for dirty batching, i think i understand this but i'm hazy on the details of how to, and again why?  And, my last question for now (although i reckon i'll have a few more in the future) would there be any benefit to adding extra yeast packet in FV  as well as the yeast you get with the extract.  So to put this one in context, i think i want to get the porter recipe kit off the web store and that comes with a Kg of DME.  I thought that i might also pop in a Kg of the brewing sugar and get an extra pack of yeast (probably a Kviek, because i hear its happy to brew at room temp and i don't have temp control yet).  Is there any benefit or detriment to adding an extra yeast pack?  My thinking was with the DME and the brew sugar, its a lot of fermentables and putting an extra yeast in might help out the packet you get with the can.  Thanks in advance for any answers the group provides, i've been reading this page for a few weeks now and i have to say its really helpful to a new brewer in general, so cheers.

@ozdevil has already explained the cold crash. A dirty batch is a dirty business as it goes against a lot of things you're told. All you do is pour your new wort straight onto the yeast cake of the last brew you made. No cleaning, no nothing. The idea behind it is to save on yeast as there is perfectly fine yeast in there in the right amount and it speeds things up dramatically. To give you an idea, when I sprinkle fresh US-05 yeast on a new batch, it takes around 36 hours to build up a little fluff on the surface. Doing a dirty batch, it is up and running with a 1" krausen on top within six hours. 

I've done it a couple of times and I know there are some here who do it regularly but most limit it to 3 uses of the yeast. Yeast changes and its properties change, so using it too many times may have some side effects. 

There is a bit of a risk involved as well as you are using an unsanitised fermentor. Ideally, there shouldn't be any bugs in there (yet) but there is no guarantee and you may end up with an infected beer.

Just a quick addition to what was said about using extra yeast. The packet that comes with the kit is only 7g, whereas most yeast packets are around 11g. So if you put too many fermentables in the beer, your kit yeast may not be able to handle things as well as you'd like. I'd say drop the kit yeast and only use a packet of whatever you chose. Especially if you are planning on using Kveik at high temperatures, you don't want the kit yeast in the mix, throwing off flavours all over the shop. Also, Kveik is as happy as Larry at 35C but does not do much below 25C, so if it isn't hot enough, it may not be the best choice. But there are some avid Kveik users here who can shed more light on the matter.

Happy brewing

Edited January 12, 2022 by Aussiekraut

[Tone boy]

Hey @Pomdrinking welcome aboard!

Just one note on cold crashing - you need to be sure that fermentation has completed before dropping the temperature. Once the brew gets cold the yeast stop working and drop out of suspension as the others have mentioned. 
 

Where are you based? What’s the ambient temp where you will be brewing your porter?

[Pomdrinking]

Thanks alot for the advice.  It sounds like cold crashing is something to come back too in the future when i have temp control.  With a dirty batch does it have to be the same beer style?  Could i put an ale onto a lager trub?  I like the idea of reusing yeast but again i think its something to come back too when i have more experience.

I live in Sweden.  My spare room is my brew room and the ambient temp varies from 21-24c depending where the FV is in the room.

I'm thinking now that Kviek might not be the best choice for my next brew.  Can any of you recommend a yeast that would be a good mix for a porter at the temps that i have?

Cheers 

[Tone boy]

24 minutes ago, Pomdrinking said:

Thanks alot for the advice.  It sounds like cold crashing is something to come back too in the future when i have temp control.  With a dirty batch does it have to be the same beer style?  Could i put an ale onto a lager trub?  I like the idea of reusing yeast but again i think its something to come back too when i have more experience.

I live in Sweden.  My spare room is my brew room and the ambient temp varies from 21-24c depending where the FV is in the room.

I'm thinking now that Kviek might not be the best choice for my next brew.  Can any of you recommend a yeast that would be a good mix for a porter at the temps that i have?

Cheers 

For your porter I would probably go with Nottingham ale yeast if you can keep your brew close to 22 or below. It will suit the style much more than kveik. 
Yep you obviously need temperature control to cold crash - something to do further down the track. Probably most beneficial for lagers in my opinion. 
As for dirty batch, no it doesn’t have to be the same beer style, just a beer that will be suited by that yeast. For example if you brew your porter with Nottingham, your next batch could be a stout or an English bitter or a pale ale - anything that you can ferment with Nottingham. 
If you tip an ale on a lager yeast, you will make another lager. Lagers are fermented at 12-15 degrees C, so probably not for you until you get temperature control. The yeast that comes with the Coopers kit is actually an ale yeast. Confusing at first but there it is…

Hope that helps mate

[Stickers]

31 minutes ago, Tone boy said:

For your porter I would probably go with Nottingham ale yeast

I second this recommendation. I brew without temperature control and Nottingham has a massive temp range and is very forgiving if the temperatures spike or drop during your brew. usually done in 7 days too.

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Pomdrinking said:

Thanks alot for the advice.  It sounds like cold crashing is something to come back too in the future when i have temp control.  With a dirty batch does it have to be the same beer style?  Could i put an ale onto a lager trub?  I like the idea of reusing yeast but again i think its something to come back too when i have more experience.

I live in Sweden.  My spare room is my brew room and the ambient temp varies from 21-24c depending where the FV is in the room.

I'm thinking now that Kviek might not be the best choice for my next brew.  Can any of you recommend a yeast that would be a good mix for a porter at the temps that i have?

Cheers 

Two yeasts you can't do much wrong are US-05 and Nottingham. Both are fairly neutral, are good flocculators and have a decent attenuation. I use US-05 for most of my pale ales and Notty for all the darker ones. 

21-24C is ok if that is the best you can do. Ideal for ales is 18-21 and 10-15 for lagers

[mrchino73]

I don't know where are you from, but I am in Argentina and here, the whole week has been 35/43°c. And as I doesn't have temp control either, I had to use kveik in order to brew a batch. As they said, it creates an enormous krausen,and in short time it reaches the fg. Although I leave it a little bit more......just in case!

Regards

[Pomdrinking]

Thanks everyone, i have definitely learnt a load more about yeast since i posted my first question.  I think now that i will go with the nottingham yeast that @Aussiekraut @Stickersand @Tone boyrecommended for my porter but i'm gonna get a few -05 yeast packs as well.  I really like and ale in the winter and a lager, kolch, pilsner in the summer and that'll give me a bit of time to get a fridge and put together some temp control but still make a few brews before the sun hits me up here in the northern hemisphere.  Cheers again and happy brewing.

[Malter White]

I just want to clarify @Tone boy's comment. The yeast that comes with the Coopers original series LAGER tin is an ale yeast, so your first brew you've made is actually an ale, @Pomdrinking. Coopers provide different varieties of yeast to different tins. You can find out what yeasts are used on this website. Go to: Brewing Support: FAQs: Product Info and you'll find out which is which.

 

[jennyss]

Wow - Just in this one thread: Brewers from Sweden and Argentina; and I'm sure other countries too. I'm a new Australian brewer in Central West NSW and it is quite exciting to be part of such an international group.

[Classic Brewing Co]

15 minutes ago, jennyss said:

Wow - Just in this one thread: Brewers from Sweden and Argentina; and I'm sure other countries too. I'm a new Australian brewer in Central West NSW and it is quite exciting to be part of such an international group.

Yep every now & again you find another country participating, in my time I have been aware of the UK, Canada, Sweden, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, there are probably more but you are right it is exciting especially reading the posts & viewing the photos from the various countries, it's like a history lesson.