Chiro Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Hi All, Pretty new to this site. Just wanted to say how good some of the recipes are on here. The first one I made was the ESVA with the recultured yeast which is exceptional. I entered and won best of the class and best beer overall in my local homebrew comp 2 weeks ago with this brew. I have since made 2 more batches and the consistency is perfect, my favourite drop ATM. I also have the Motueka slam IPA 2 weeks in the bottle. In the fermenter I have Muddy's full nelson ale that smells great! I also have this one in a fermenter I found on here put up by CATpAW Brewing. Coopers Heritage Lager 1.5kg dextrose 1 kg LDM 50g Nelson Sauvin hops (dry hopped) 2 x Wyeast 1388 Bloody slow to finish though, I think it's common for that yeast though. It's been there 3 weeks and is nowhere near done. Did I mention I love NS hops [love] I also find PB2s posts very informative, thanks. So cheers for throwing all of the great recipes up. Look forward to making some others. Happy brewing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Welcome to the forum RickE It looks like you have a few of the favored recipes on the way now which I am sure you won't be dissapointed with. Lagers always take longer than Ales to brew and condition correctly. In time, it should be a nice drop. PB2 has been quiet lately which is a shame. Yes, he is informative and you can learn quite a bit from him and his resources [joyful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Welcome to the forum RickE It looks like you have a few of the favored recipes on the way now which I am sure you won't be dissapointed with. Lagers always take longer than Ales to brew and condition correctly. In time, it should be a nice drop. PB2 has been quiet lately which is a shame. Yes, he is informative and you can learn quite a bit from him and his resources [joyful] Thanks for the welcome BillK. I'm using wyeast 1388 which is a belgian ale yeast with the lager kit, fermenting at 20 degrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Welcome RickE - Some good people frequent this forum so what it lacks in technical functionality is made for with helpful advice and friendly banter. We even have a pet Weggl [innocent] Also, like Bill said we also have the benefit of PB2's wisdom - but as he also said he is a rare commodity these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Welcome RickE. The Wyeast 1388, were they the Activator smack packs? Two of those should be plenty to get the job done. How far from your expected FG are you? Also, well done with the homebrew comp award. I am flat out trying to get my mates to like my beer let alone a beer judge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozale Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Hairy you may need need new, more beer educated friend's as I'm sure your offering's are great from the recipe's of yours Ive see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Only said that to give the impression that I have some friends [crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Welcome RickE. The Wyeast 1388, were they the Activator smack packs? Two of those should be plenty to get the job done. How far from your expected FG are you? Also, well done with the homebrew comp award. I am flat out trying to get my mates to like my beer let alone a beer judge. Thanks Hairy. Just did a hydro test and it's still sitting at 1030. I can still see small bubbles rising to the top. The pack I used did have a smack pack. I only used one pack and made a litre starter and let it ferment out (4 days). I then drained the top liquid and filled it with the wort for an hour or so and it took off in 45 mins. Pitched it and had a nice krausen about 2 inches thick the next morning. OG was 1070 and yeast was pitched on the 22.9.11. I've read a few posts saying it can take a long time to ferment out. It's been sitting at 1030 for a week or more. EDIT to add: Changed my username to Chiro, just found out how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Chiro, I don't know much about the yeast but a week sitting at 1030 sounds like it has conked out. What temps have you maintained? If it has been at cool temps you could try to rouse it. Otherwise you may need some more to finish off the job. Perhaps someone with some experience with Belgian strong ale yeasts can offer some more advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 OG of 1070..... you probably should have put both packs of yeast in. If it has stalled on 1030 I wouldn't think it would hurt to throw in the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 13, 2011 Author Share Posted October 13, 2011 Chiro, I don't know much about the yeast but a week sitting at 1030 sounds like it has conked out. What temps have you maintained? If it has been at cool temps you could try to rouse it. Otherwise you may need some more to finish off the job. Perhaps someone with some experience with Belgian strong ale yeasts can offer some more advice. It's been sitting at a constant 20 degrees. I was a bit worried but after I read this I thought it may be normal http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10054 Check out 2nd post. BillK I don't have another pack but may have to find another one to pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Chiro, I don't know much about the yeast but a week sitting at 1030 sounds like it has conked out. What temps have you maintained? If it has been at cool temps you could try to rouse it. Otherwise you may need some more to finish off the job. Perhaps someone with some experience with Belgian strong ale yeasts can offer some more advice. It's been sitting at a constant 20 degrees. I was a bit worried but after I read this I thought it may be normal http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10054 Check out 2nd post. BillK I don't have another pack but may have to find another one to pitch. A good forum that one (AHB) Chiro... you will learn heaps there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I will have a look at it tonight. For some reason my work computer doesn't like the AHB website and I can't get into it. Perhaps it doesn't like Internet Fighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Well,they call them smack packs because you "smack" them to burst open the small packet inside that swells the pack as it proofs the yeast. Gets them going again over the course of a couple hours. Smack it when you start the water in the brew kettle. That should give it enough time to swell up,ready to pitch. Two may likely have been better. I took my 1st shot at a Burton Ale Sunday. I pitched 4-7g cooper's ale yeast packets into 2C of boiled,cooled water to which I'd added 1TBSP of dextrose. 25 minutes later,high krausen was an understatement. My wort at 23L tested out at OG 1.065. With a big,creamy 2C of re-hydrated ale yeast,it was a good thing I used a blow off rig! Just my 2 shillings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Chiro, I read the link. It appears it is a fairly slow fermenting yeast. However, your SG hasn't moved for a week. That seems to suggest it has stopped rather than slow moving. Might be time to pitch some more yeast to finish it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Well,they call them smack packs because you "smack" them to burst open the small packet inside that swells the pack as it proofs the yeast. Gets them going again over the course of a couple hours. Smack it when you start the water in the brew kettle. That should give it enough time to swell up,ready to pitch. Two may likely have been better. I took my 1st shot at a Burton Ale Sunday. I pitched 4-7g cooper's ale yeast packets into 2C of boiled,cooled water to which I'd added 1TBSP of dextrose. 25 minutes later,high krausen was an understatement. My wort at 23L tested out at OG 1.065. With a big,creamy 2C of re-hydrated ale yeast,it was a good thing I used a blow off rig! Just my 2 shillings... Leonard, I assume you mean 20C not 2C. I find it hard to believe an Ale yeast will start at 2C. [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Chiro, I read the link. It appears it is a fairly slow fermenting yeast. However, your SG hasn't moved for a week. That seems to suggest it has stopped rather than slow moving. Might be time to pitch some more yeast to finish it off. Yep, I'll try to order some more. Going to be an expensive brew with $20 worth of yeast in it. I hope it turns out nice. I did give the fermenter a good swirl last night and the glad wrap covering the fermenter bulged up full of co2. Would you assume from that it's still working? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hi Chiro, If you still have the yeast packet that came with the kit I'd rehydrate it and throw it in instead of ordering more of the same yeast, waiting for the post to deliver it and all. If your brew has already been sitting a week at 1.030 it's time to get it cookin' again now![rightful] By the way, Welcome to the Guild![cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hi Chiro, If you still have the yeast packet that came with the kit I'd rehydrate it and throw it in instead of ordering more of the same yeast, waiting for the post to deliver it and all. If your brew has already been sitting a week at 1.030 it's time to get it cookin' again now![rightful] By the way, Welcome to the Guild![cool] Thanks for the welcome. The guy I work with, another keen brewer said he has a pack of wyeast 1388 at home I can use. So I'm going to get it after work and pitch tonight. Hopefully that will get things rolling. I really wanted to try keep the yeast the same to stay true to the recipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 15, 2011 Author Share Posted October 15, 2011 Well I checked the hydro last night after giving it a good swirl the day before and it was sitting at 1026. I pitched another packet of 1388 last night. We'll see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 Well if anyone is interested in how the wyeast 1388 went after I repitched another pkt here goes. It's been in the FV for just over 1 month. Hydro reading last night it was down to 1016. Not have my beers go much lower than this normally I tested my hydrometer last night in 20 deg water and found it reads 4 points higher than it really is so OG corrected would have been 1066 and SG corrected at the moment would be 1012. So I think it's getting close but not sure what it should finish at. I'll probably leave it a bit longer before I dry hop the 50 grams of NS into it. I had a taste last night and it tasted really good. I was thinking the yeast alone cost me $20 for this brew so I was considering making another brew (same recipe) with the yeast. Not sure if that's a good as people say higher gravity beer stresses the yeast too much. Thought about pitching onto the yeast cake, which I have never done or rinsing a large amount of the yeast cake as it's a very slow fermenting yeast. Never rinsed yeast before either but doesn't look to hard. Thoughts? Would you use this yeast again or not? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Chiro, 3 x Wyeast 1388 smack-packs for this brew seems to be a lot of yeast and 1mth is a long time in primary when fermenting at 20C. Were the first two smack-packs in date? Had they been stored in a fridge the whole time? After "smacking" them (rupturing the inner bag), did you give them some time to swell up? or Did you simply pitch the contents straight into the brew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 PB2, he actually fermented out a 1 litre starter with the first pack. Depending on the age of the yeast (viability drops over time - can be only 5% viable after 12 months under good storage conditions) a 2 - 4 litre starter would have been better. 23 litres at that gravity needs 280 billion cells. Check out Mr Malty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Chiro - when you have finished with this one and you want to reuse the yeast.... an easy way is just add about 500ml of cooled boiled water to your trub and give it a nice swirl to get everything back in suspension. Then from the tap drain into 2 250ml sanatised jars. Pitch one of these in your next brew and use the other for the brew after. At least you get 2 more brews from it [bandit] I use some yeasts up to about 6 times and haven't had any problems yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiro Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 Chiro, 3 x Wyeast 1388 smack-packs for this brew seems to be a lot of yeast and 1mth is a long time in primary when fermenting at 20C. Were the first two smack-packs in date? Had they been stored in a fridge the whole time? After "smacking" them (rupturing the inner bag), did you give them some time to swell up? or Did you simply pitch the contents straight into the brew? PB2, I only had one pack of 1388. So I made a 1 litre starter LDM and pitched the yeast after letting packet swell overnight after smacking it. After the starter fermented out I tipped the malt mix off the top and put around 2 litres of the wort in. 45 minutes later the starter was going off so I pitched that. When it stalled I added a second packet straight into the fermenter after 4 hours of smacking it. Packs were in date and stored in the fridge except during transport from craftbrewer. PB2, he actually fermented out a 1 litre starter with the first pack. Depending on the age of the yeast (viability drops over time - can be only 5% viable after 12 months under good storage conditions) a 2 - 4 litre starter would have been better. 23 litres at that gravity needs 280 billion cells. Check out Mr Malty Yeah a bigger starter next time I think. Chiro - when you have finished with this one and you want to reuse the yeast.... an easy way is just add about 500ml of cooled boiled water to your trub and give it a nice swirl to get everything back in suspension. Then from the tap drain into 2 250ml sanatised jars. Pitch one of these in your next brew and use the other for the brew after. At least you get 2 more brews from it [bandit] I use some yeasts up to about 6 times and haven't had any problems yet Thanks BillK, I've never heard of doing it that way. Will definitely give that a go. I'll have a spare lot of yeast if it stalls again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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