TheWarren Posted July 20, 2023 Share Posted July 20, 2023 Hi again, I've got a Thomas Cooper's Pale Ale in the FV at the moment, today is day 14. I used the tin yeast and 1.5kg of Country Brewer brand Dry Malt. OG was 1044 and SG at the moment is 1012. The last couple of days I've noticed this floating matter (see pic) about 1/3 up from the bottom. Is that normal for stuff to be floating around? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyss Posted July 20, 2023 Share Posted July 20, 2023 Hi @TheWarren, I do Coopers Pale Ale extract brews in a similar FV. Usually in the first 7 days I might get big lumps or tiny little specks floating in the brew. Others will explain better than me: I think two causes of 'floaties' are the yeast working, and/or 'cold break'. Have a look at the Coopers website under FAQ 'Just got a DIY brew kit', Question no. 5 'Once the brew is mixed I notice material floating and settling to the bottom of the FV, is this a problem' for a good explanation of cold break. My SG with less malt is also usually about 1044 and FG about 1008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWarren Posted July 20, 2023 Author Share Posted July 20, 2023 Thanks for the info @jennyss. I thought that might have happened more at the start of the new rather than the end 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted July 20, 2023 Share Posted July 20, 2023 20 minutes ago, TheWarren said: Hi again, I've got a Thomas Cooper's Pale Ale in the FV at the moment, today is day 14. I used the tin yeast and 1.5kg of Country Brewer brand Dry Malt. OG was 1044 and SG at the moment is 1012. The last couple of days I've noticed this floating matter (see pic) about 1/3 up from the bottom. Is that normal for stuff to be floating around? I would say it is not unusual to have floaties like in your photo. You might not always get them, but sometimes you do. They can vary as well. After 14 days, your brew is most likely finished. Has the gravity been stable for a day or two? They are most likely bits of Krausen that have broken up and are slowly sinking. I am not sure why they might 'float'. Maybe it is a subtle difference in liquid density. Maybe it relates to temperature. If you can cold crash (put the FV in a fridge) your brew, the floaties will most likely sink to the bottom. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWarren Posted July 20, 2023 Author Share Posted July 20, 2023 21 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said: I would say it is not unusual to have floaties like in your photo. You might not always get them, but sometimes you do. They can vary as well. After 14 days, your brew is most likely finished. Has the gravity been stable for a day or two? They are most likely bits of Krausen that have broken up and are slowly sinking. I am not sure why they might 'float'. Maybe it is a subtle difference in liquid density. Maybe it relates to temperature. If you can cold crash (put the FV in a fridge) your brew, the floaties will most likely sink to the bottom. Thanks @Shamus O'Sean. Yes it has been stable. Was planning to bottle today if I get time otherwise tomorrow. I don't have a dedicated fridge at the moment but could rearrange a drinks fridge and use that. If I were to cold crash, how long would I do that for before bottling? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted July 20, 2023 Share Posted July 20, 2023 I've been taking advantage of the overnight lows to give them an ambient cool crash. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWarren Posted July 21, 2023 Author Share Posted July 21, 2023 3 hours ago, Kegory said: I've been taking advantage of the overnight lows to give them an ambient cool crash. Mmm maybe I'll try that, turn the belt off this afternoon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozdevil Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 thats just yeast having a delightful swim in your wort , never fear that its healthy for them to have a swim under wort 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 10 hours ago, TheWarren said: Mmm maybe I'll try that, turn the belt off this afternoon. Yes. If you are in Melbourne, the overnight temperatures will help. I cold crash for around 5 days, but that includes adding finings to help clear most of my brews. Even 2 days will help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWarren Posted July 21, 2023 Author Share Posted July 21, 2023 8 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said: Yes. If you are in Melbourne, the overnight temperatures will help. I cold crash for around 5 days, but that includes adding finings to help clear most of my brews. Even 2 days will help. Ok great, thanks. Temps here have been dropping to single digit so I'll see how it goes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyss Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 Hi @TheWarren, How is your brew coming along? I have just mixed another Coopers Australian Pale extract with BE2, 500g Light Dry Malt and 12g galaxy hops and the yeast that comes with the can. Two hours after mixing the brew looked like this! You call that lumps - these are lumps! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Brewing Co Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 20 minutes ago, jennyss said: Hi @TheWarren, How is your brew coming along? I have just mixed another Coopers Australian Pale extract with BE2, 500g Light Dry Malt and 12g galaxy hops and the yeast that comes with the can. Two hours after mixing the brew looked like this! You call that lumps - these are lumps! Jenny if you don't mind me commenting, I have always on starting a brew tipped in the BE 1/2/3 whichever you are using plus any dried malt & then poured just cold water on it & whisked vigorously to completely dissolve the lumps, in actual fact it really doesn't matter anyway as the yeast will take care of that while your brew is fermenting. I believe that mixed with hot water you tend to get that lumpy thing happening. The only hot water I have ever used with extract brews is when I am rinsing the can of extract to get all of the goodness in the FV, of course having the boiled kettle on standby to add if the pitching temperature is not where you want it. I always pitch around 24c apart from speciality yeasts. This is what I have always done & it works for me. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWarren Posted July 25, 2023 Author Share Posted July 25, 2023 58 minutes ago, jennyss said: Hi @TheWarren, How is your brew coming along? I have just mixed another Coopers Australian Pale extract with BE2, 500g Light Dry Malt and 12g galaxy hops and the yeast that comes with the can. Two hours after mixing the brew looked like this! You call that lumps - these are lumps! Thanks for report @jennyss I "ambient cold crashed" as @Kegorysaid for 2 days. Didn't do much, i bottled the next day and is currently in the cupboard conditioning. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbloke Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 2 hours ago, TheWarren said: Thanks for report @jennyss I "ambient cold crashed" as @Kegorysaid for 2 days. Didn't do much, i bottled the next day and is currently in the cupboard conditioning. Don't worry, time will heal. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyss Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 (edited) 12 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said: lumpy thing happening. @Classic Brewing Co and @Oldbloke, You will be pleased to know that the lumps have dispersed: now little specks and sediment on the bottom of the FV. And thanks for the tip about water temperature and mixing. Edited July 25, 2023 by jennyss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back Brewing Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 Another tip is instead of trying to stir the malt pick up the fermenter and swirl it around it dissolves it quickly 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyss Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Back Brewing said: it dissolves it quickly Thanks - All good tips on mixing: I did get the extract, BE2 and LDM well mixed with no lumps before topping up to 23 litres and adding the hops and yeast. The lumps started forming very quickly, within 2 hours of mixing. And now on day 2 they have dispersed, becoming specks. The brew is 18/20 deg, and the colour is a dark 'plummy' tan. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 How much of an effect do you reckon it has on the OG if you take a measurement while it's still lumpy/clumpy? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmar92 Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Kegory said: How much of an effect do you reckon it has on the OG if you take a measurement while it's still lumpy/clumpy? A lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 1 hour ago, kmar92 said: A lot. Cheers, that's what I assumed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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