ROTM Maple Syrup Brown Ale - Ferm troubleshooting

[elk]

Hi All,

RE - June 2023 ROTH Maple Syrup Brown Ale (https://www.diybeer.com/au/recipe/maple-syrup-brown-ale.html)

Started this brew on Saturday afternoon just gone (8-July) and still don't see positive evidence that fermentation has kicked off.

My first brew using a fridge / heatpad combo with Inkbird temp control.  My temp has been nice and stable around 19c.  Using an airlock on the FV.

I see some foam on top of the wort, however doesn't seem like the agressive active fermentation I'm used to.  My lid seal seems alright, although haven't used this FV for some time.  I didn't check the OG on day 1 so don't have a reference point.  

Appreciate any suggestions to confirm fermentation started. 

Cheers
Elk

[Kegory]

Foam is indicative of fermentation. You could calculate the OG based on the ingredients if you wanted to.

[elk]

7 minutes ago, Kegory said:

Foam is indicative of fermentation. You could calculate the OG based on the ingredients if you wanted to.

Thanks K.. put my mind at ease.

[Classic Brewing Co]

51 minutes ago, elk said:

still don't see positive evidence that fermentation has kicked off.

Don't worry about the airlock, it is really not that important, just let it go & take a reading when necessary. You need to rely on hydrometers & visual rather than about bubbling. Even the colour will change & you should even be able to smell your lovely brew fermenting.

[elk]

2 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Don't worry about the airlock, it is really not that important, just let it go & take a reading when necessary. You need to rely on hydrometers & visual rather than about bubbling. Even the colour will change & you should even be able to smell your lovely brew fermenting.

Cheers CB.  I’ll do a SG reading and check again in a few days.  Funny you mention smell, there is a not unpleasant aroma when I haven’t opened the fridge for a while, hopefully a good sign!

[jennyss]

10 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Even the colour will change

As an extract brewer, I have seen the colour of every brew change from darker - sometimes a deep plummy brown, or a dark tan, to a much lighter brew on about day 3 or 4. Usually  pales to a pale apricot gold, and very cloudy. By about day 7 the brew is usually starting to get darker again, and is back to it's original dark colour by day 10. Usually bottle on day 11, or the closest Saturday, when my assistant brewer (husband) is available to help.

I believe the colour change is caused by the yeast doing it's work. 

[elk]

58 minutes ago, jennyss said:

As an extract brewer, I have seen the colour of every brew change from darker - sometimes a deep plummy brown, or a dark tan, to a much lighter brew on about day 3 or 4. Usually  pales to a pale apricot gold, and very cloudy. By about day 7 the brew is usually starting to get darker again, and is back to it's original dark colour by day 10. Usually bottle on day 11, or the closest Saturday, when my assistant brewer (husband) is available to help.

I believe the colour change is caused by the yeast doing it's work. 

Thanks Jenny, think I need to me more observant and less reliant on airlock!

[Classic Brewing Co]

12 minutes ago, elk said:

Thanks Jenny, think I need to me more observant and less reliant on airlock!

Yeah, some yeasts much faster than others & of course just because the airlock is not bubbling it doesn't mean your brew is not fermenting.

I put a k & k Coopers Draught together in Saturday using Nottingham & only this morning a healthy krausen had formed with the airlock being heard through the fridge.

It is controlled at 20c.

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, jennyss said:

As an extract brewer, I have seen the colour of every brew change from darker - sometimes a deep plummy brown, or a dark tan, to a much lighter brew on about day 3 or 4. Usually  pales to a pale apricot gold, and very cloudy. By about day 7 the brew is usually starting to get darker again, and is back to it's original dark colour by day 10. Usually bottle on day 11, or the closest Saturday, when my assistant brewer (husband) is available to help.

I believe the colour change is caused by the yeast doing it's work. 

https://www.brewer-world.com/factors-that-influence-the-colour-of-your-beer/

[jennyss]

2 hours ago, elk said:

less reliant on airlock!

Forgot to mention @elk, my FV doesn't even have an airlock! It is a Coopers FV bought in January last year. I think Coopers made the design change to make people rely more on testing their SG and observing their brew.

[Classic Brewing Co]

4 minutes ago, jennyss said:

Forgot to mention @elk, my FV doesn't even have an airlock! It is a Coopers FV bought in January last year. I think Coopers made the design change to make people rely more on testing their SG and observing their brew.

Correct, they did.

[Tone boy]

Hey elk,

Sometimes with those FV’s (I have one) if you screw the lid on too tight the seal doesn’t work. Also if the grommet around the airlock has aged it may leak and need replacing. If you take the airlock out and spray it with sanitizer it may help reseal.

But don’t worry about it. It sounds as though fermentation is a happening thing. Test with your hydrometer, and once it is stable over three days I would leave it one or two more days then bottle.

Good move getting a fridge and inkbird. You won’t look back

[elk]

2 hours ago, Tone boy said:

Hey elk,

Sometimes with those FV’s (I have one) if you screw the lid on too tight the seal doesn’t work. Also if the grommet around the airlock has aged it may leak and need replacing. If you take the airlock out and spray it with sanitizer it may help reseal.

But don’t worry about it. It sounds as though fermentation is a happening thing. Test with your hydrometer, and once it is stable over three days I would leave it one or two more days then bottle.

Good move getting a fridge and inkbird. You won’t look back

Cheers TB.  Impressed with Inkbird and fridge so far, nice stable temp.  The seals seemed alright, however is an older FV so could be reason.  Due to add the bottle of Maple syrup tonight so will start SG readings from this point.

[elk]

6 hours ago, jennyss said:

Forgot to mention @elk, my FV doesn't even have an airlock! It is a Coopers FV bought in January last year. I think Coopers made the design change to make people rely more on testing their SG and observing their brew.

I've wondered what the Cooper's version is like.. I've ended up with a couple of used FVs so prob should update at some stage.

[Classic Brewing Co]

7 minutes ago, elk said:

I've wondered what the Cooper's version is like.. I've ended up with a couple of used FVs so prob should update at some stage.

They are a really great fermenter; I have 2 of them & a smaller 10l Craft version. After using them you will forget about airlocks & they are also nice & clear giving you a window to how your beer is going during the fermentation process.

They are also very simple to clean & less fiddly bits to worry about infection like grommets, airlocks etc.

Quite often at Xmas, Father's Day, Easter, Big W/Dan Murphy's etc. offer 20% discount, so I would consider that.

[GregT5]

When I first started brewing I had one of the older style fermenter. I didn't use the lid, just covered the opening with glad wrap and used the rubber seal from the lid to hold it. The CO2 found it's way out and you could look into your brew without taking the lid off. 

A lot of the brewers on this forum at the time did this. 

[metaloctopus]

Hey all, sorry to piggyback but this is the only thread for this kit I could find.

I'm just hitting the end of Day 5 and it's looking to me like we're done fermenting:

 

A taste before bottling reminds me of a Sleaman's maple ale, but it's very slightly sour - not enough to be a bacteria.

I'm wondering what other peoples' tasted like before bottling? A little acidic? Did it round out? Should I leave it for another couple of days?

 

Thanks for the help!