Clipped collar onto fermenter trouble-shoot.

[tommybeergood]

Hello everyone!

I'm doing my first brew with the 23L kit and am on day three. Kept it at temp as best I could but was worried that no foam was forming, a tiny bit of bubbling and patches on the surface of the brew but no where near the level I expected. Just noticed that the clips were placed on the collar to the fermenter instead of the lid onto the collar so thinking that this might have effected it. So I hope a more seasoned brewer could give me some advice: What can I do to save this brew? I will test the spec. gravity now as I think some fermentation has taken place as it smelt a little brew-y when I've gone to check on it so I don't think it's a lost cause. My main thinking is maybe now that the clips are at the right place to leave the collar on for another day or two?

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[Kegory]

I wouldn't worry about the clips too much, I don't think they will have affected the fermentation. You don't need the collar for most brews, only when you think the krausen may rise higher than the lid.

What are you brewing? What is the temperature? Can you post a picture?

I didn't bother taking the collar off until the brew was finished and in the bottle the one time I've used the collar so far. I don't see the point in needlessly taking it off and exposing the brew unnecessarily to oxygen.

Edited August 19, 2023 by Kegory

[tommybeergood]

Hi Kegory,

Brewing the lager starter kit from coopers. Current temp at ~22.

I added another sash of yeast as I thought it may have false started and it seems to be re-activating. Trying to post a photo but it doesn't show much.

[tommybeergood]

Top number is brew room temp.

[Kegory]

There's a ring there. Are you sure the Krausen hasn't been and gone?

[tommybeergood]

The collar was added when we first started the brew and the ring was there from the beginning. I was confused as to what it was but it's just the change in colour from the beer/ collar overlap.

What do you mean by been and gone sorry?

[Kegory]

3 minutes ago, tommybeergood said:

The collar was added when we first started the brew and the ring was there from the beginning. I was confused as to what it was but it's just the change in colour from the beer/ collar overlap.

What do you mean by been and gone sorry?

There's a ring of "crust" above the overlap. Krausens rise then they fall. It looks to me that your Krausen has already risen then fallen, leaving a ring of "crust" behind.

I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, and likely not the last, either. We'll see when we get some more opinions 

[tommybeergood]

I think the crust is because of the slight foam initially and I have since drained a bit to check spec. grav. so it looks higher than the beer level because the beer level has fallen.

[Kegory]

3 minutes ago, tommybeergood said:

I think the crust is because of the slight foam initially and I have since drained a bit to check spec. grav. so it looks higher than the beer level because the beer level has fallen.

Sounds like you are brewing beer. Relax, don't worry about it. Patience is a virtue.

[Kegory]

If it looked something like this, that's your Krausen and it's left the building. Now wait.

That was my first one.

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 hours ago, tommybeergood said:

Hello everyone!

I'm doing my first brew with the 23L kit and am on day three. Kept it at temp as best I could but was worried that no foam was forming, a tiny bit of bubbling and patches on the surface of the brew but no where near the level I expected. Just noticed that the clips were placed on the collar to the fermenter instead of the lid onto the collar so thinking that this might have effected it. So I hope a more seasoned brewer could give me some advice: What can I do to save this brew? I will test the spec. gravity now as I think some fermentation has taken place as it smelt a little brew-y when I've gone to check on it so I don't think it's a lost cause. My main thinking is maybe now that the clips are at the right place to leave the collar on for another day or two?

Thanks in advance.

Tom

You don't really need to use the KK unless you are brewing a beast of a brew, it will be fine without it, it is only something else to clean.

[Shamus O'Sean]

5 hours ago, tommybeergood said:

Hello everyone!

I'm doing my first brew with the 23L kit and am on day three. Kept it at temp as best I could but was worried that no foam was forming, a tiny bit of bubbling and patches on the surface of the brew but no where near the level I expected. Just noticed that the clips were placed on the collar to the fermenter instead of the lid onto the collar so thinking that this might have effected it. So I hope a more seasoned brewer could give me some advice: What can I do to save this brew? I will test the spec. gravity now as I think some fermentation has taken place as it smelt a little brew-y when I've gone to check on it so I don't think it's a lost cause. My main thinking is maybe now that the clips are at the right place to leave the collar on for another day or two?

Thanks in advance.

Tom

Hi Tom and welcome to the Forum.

Everything looks fine and normal to me.  Everything @Kegory said is true.

• The clips should go where you have them now in the photo.
• You will discover that you rarely need to use the Krausen Kollar.  Most brews do not foam up enough to need it.
• There seems to be a lot of condensation on the inside of the fermenter.  That's another sign of fermentation.

I reckon your brew will just about be ready.  Check the specific gravity and see what you get.

[tommybeergood]

Hello Y'all @Kegory @Shamus O'Sean

The kit instructions said to wait until day 6 to do the spec gravity testing but I wish I didn't wait so I could properly see it rising or falling. So here I am and it says it's 1.005. Could it be that low already?

I have a suspicion it will be the same tomorrow.  So does that mean I should surge forward with bottling etc?

Thanks

 

[jennyss]

Hi @tommybeergood, 

Today I bottled an extract brew of Coopers Innkeeper's Daughter Sparkling Ale. It had a final SG of 1007. It was day 10. But several times I've found my extract brews were close to FG by about day 6. I do like to keep a record of the original gravity on day 1.

For your brew I'm thinking others might say wait till day 10 or even 14 before you bottle.

[Kegory]

It could be. Some yeasts work even faster than that. If the gravity is stable you should be safe to bottle.

Are you using the Coopers plastic hydrometer? I've had readings lower than that with that hydrometer.

Here's my hydrometer reading before I bottled that one in the picture above.

That was the second reading without any change in gravity but I still waited a couple more days before I bottled.

Notice also how much clearer that sample is than what's in the fermenter in the other picture. A bit of extra time let's it clear up better.

[tommybeergood]

I am using the coopers plastic hydrometer but I am worried its not accurate entirely accurate. The beer does look clearer now than it did when we mixed it I think but maybe I'll wait a couple more days just to be safe. Should I be concerned its gone bad or anything?

[Back Brewing]

3 minutes ago, tommybeergood said:

I am using the coopers plastic hydrometer but I am worried its not accurate entirely accurate. The beer does look clearer now than it did when we mixed it I think but maybe I'll wait a couple more days just to be safe. Should I be concerned its gone bad or anything?

Leave it to Saturday which should be 10 days maybe leave it for 12 days to really help it clear up. When you take a reading do you taste the brew? If it tastes fine then you will be fine

 

[Kegory]

13 minutes ago, tommybeergood said:

I am using the coopers plastic hydrometer but I am worried its not accurate entirely accurate. The beer does look clearer now than it did when we mixed it I think but maybe I'll wait a couple more days just to be safe. Should I be concerned its gone bad or anything?

I don't think it's entirely accurate either*, but it's accurate enough to determine within a reasonable margin of error when fermentation has finished.

I doubt that it's gone bad. I'm pretty confident that you've made beer.

 

 

*I've been meaning to calibrate my hydrometers and I found a good article on how to do it. I plan to do it soon and post both the article and my results in this forum. 

[tommybeergood]

Ok I'll take that all onboard, thanks! I'll measure SG and taste as I go until Saturday and bottle then for convenience more than anything.

[Kegory]

9 minutes ago, tommybeergood said:

Ok I'll take that all onboard, thanks! I'll measure SG and taste as I go until Saturday and bottle then for convenience more than anything.

I stick my sample in the fridge for a little while after I've taken a reading to cool it down before I taste it. Warm flat beer isn't very palatable but once it's chilled it's, well, better.

[Back Brewing]

Don't forget taking readings wastes beer so take a reading say Thursday then Saturday if it's the same bottle it you will probably see a difference in clarity over those 2 days

[Shamus O'Sean]

38 minutes ago, tommybeergood said:

Ok I'll take that all onboard, thanks! I'll measure SG and taste as I go until Saturday and bottle then for convenience more than anything.

It all still sounds good.

• My approach is to take a sample when fermentation activity seems to be slowing down.
• I leave the sample in the tube next to the fermenter and take repeat readings each day.  I figure the tube is a mini-fermenter.  What it reads is usually within a point or two of the actual fermenter
• Once I get 2 readings, 24 hours apart, I leave the brew for 1-2 more days
• Now I cold crash, but you could bottle after the 1-2 days.

Plenty of brewers on here opt for the leave it 14 days then take readings.  After 14 days most yeasts will have finished anyway.  I usually start well before then, probably after 4 days.

Bottling day, like you have indicated, sometimes comes down to when you can fit it in, rather than when it is ready to bottle.  Leaving a brew in the fermenter for a few days, until it is convenient for you to bottle, is perfectly fine.

[Shamus O'Sean]

9 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Once I get 2 readings

Once I get 2 consistent readings...