Homebrewers - Whats Fermenting?
- Thread starter BeerAdvocate
- Start date
Bulk aging vs bottle aging does one thing. You get better consistency bottle to bottle further down the road. I don't think much will happen that would cause bottles to be drastically different in our homes, so I don't quite get the whole "bulk aging is better" argument. I don't like to tie up fermentor space unless using oak, doing a long secondary brettanomyces ferment, or brewing a sour. I have a wee heavy that has been in a fermentor since November but I couldn't decide on whether to package it up or try another helping of WLP099. Well I decided to do some WLP099 and it is fermenting a bit more again which I'm damn glad about. It was sitting at 1.036ish and I was hoping to get it into the mid 20s. It's supposed to be sweet but not that goddamn sweet. As soon as I'm comfortable the yeast is done I'll bottle that bitch up. I value the fermentor space more than I value the idea of bulk aging. I hate paying $50/case for beer, I'd much rather make it, so I brew at least three cases a time and brew often. So I need the beer in bottles not in a fermentor.
Given that info, I will probably split the difference and bottle earlier rather than later, but I am in no rush. I so rarely use my secondary fermentor that it doesn't bother me to leave it in there for a little while. So far all my other beers just spent 3 to 4 weeks in the primary and then I bottle or keg from there. This stout is my first big beer where I felt racking it to a secondary for a while could be beneficial. Especially since I plan to add the cocoa nibs and vanilla for a few weeks before a I bottle it. Thanks for the advice.
twenty5
BoM 11/09, 4/10 BoY '10
I tried my IIPA for the first time last night, I think it spent 21 days in the bottle and when I popped the top on the Grolsch bottle, there was no POP like I am used to hearing. Sadly the beer hasn’t carbonated. I dont know if it was that one bottle for some odd reason, the entire batch due to tired yeast or something, or if it just hasn’t had enough time at a high enough temperature yet.... Kind of disappointing because this is one I was really looking forward to..
There should have been plenty of yeast. Either you have tired yeast or there's an issue with priming sugar. It happens, I have a stout that NEVER carbed up after six months. I'm going to force carbonate it now that I have kegs to do that. The other possibility is a bad seal from the grolsch bottle. I've heard it happening but I never had an issue.
OH... I didn't notice this thread in my digging around... Another hobby I have been meaning to pick back up (stopped due to planning a move and didn't want to have transport mid-stage batches). I haven't even had a chance to use my cornie keg/fridge setup I bought nearly 2 years ago. I don't have a ton of experience with only about 5 batches done: A raspberry wheat, choc/vanilla stout, and a few lighter clones.
I have a few 1 gal batches of various meads that have been sitting that I'll dig out in a couple months. There is also a "experimental" batch of an apple wine (apfelwein) using turbo yeast that's been sitting for ~2 years that still smells like jet fuel - I don't have high hopes for this.
I would like my first batch back to be similar to an Arrogant Bastard clone (one of my favs.), but my wife would like a DFH Festina Peche (her fav.). Anyone tried either of those and have a recipe they'd like to share?
I have a few 1 gal batches of various meads that have been sitting that I'll dig out in a couple months. There is also a "experimental" batch of an apple wine (apfelwein) using turbo yeast that's been sitting for ~2 years that still smells like jet fuel - I don't have high hopes for this.
I would like my first batch back to be similar to an Arrogant Bastard clone (one of my favs.), but my wife would like a DFH Festina Peche (her fav.). Anyone tried either of those and have a recipe they'd like to share?
I think DFH Festina Peche is a berliner weisse (seems like lactic acid to me not a lactic fermentation) with peach juice added. The sourness may be just intensified by the malic acid of the fruit addition.
twenty5
BoM 11/09, 4/10 BoY '10
Adam I checked the temp of the beer in their storage location and it was 62, I moved them up to a location where the other beers (trappist ale, brown ale, etc) were 68ish and they were all carbed. Hopefully in two weeks that makes the difference. If not, I was thinking about opening every beer, dumping them into a bottling bucket, throwing some hops in and letting it sit for 3 or 4 days, then adding some champagne yeast and rebottling... Good idea? Bad idea?
Just leave them go for a while. It should be good. No need to dump and add yeast there should be plenty left in suspension.
I think that was most peoples problem with coming up with a good clone - how to achieve the specific type of sourness. I haven't frequented the brewing forums in a while and will dig around some of those to see if anything new has popped up in the last year or so.
On a side note, the razz-wheat I did had a touch of (unintentional) sourness to it that I'm not too sure where it came from. I had used a mix of canned and fresh raspberries and I was guessing that it came from the fresh. Maybe not washed well enough?? Either way I like a bit of sour in the fruit beers.
BeerAdvocate
BeerHunter
Brewing an all Chinook IPA right now
The sourness would most likely come from the malic acid contained in the fruit. Remember that the fruit sugars are primarily fructose and when the yeast ferment all the sugar you are left with the flavor compounds and the acid.
The best way to get the sourness in a berliner weisse is to do a lactobacillus fermentation. You can try and do it with some acidulated malt but I've found it won't give the proper sour flavor and you have to use a shit ton too. I tried a saison with 25% sour malt and it has a sourness but nothing like a lactobacillus or pediococcus fermented sour.
twenty5
BoM 11/09, 4/10 BoY '10
Brewed up a Pale Ale yesterday. 3 beers in Primary right now! LOL
We are at the 22hr mark on the pale ale and there is zero signs of fermentation, normally it is going crazy by now. From what I read, if the results are the same this time tomorrow, I should add some more yeast, does this sound right? BTW, I used dry nottingham and I didnt make a starter (1.052OG)
We are at the 22hr mark on the pale ale and there is zero signs of fermentation, normally it is going crazy by now. From what I read, if the results are the same this time tomorrow, I should add some more yeast, does this sound right? BTW, I used dry nottingham and I didnt make a starter (1.052OG)
Damn Justin, you must like this brewing thing. Lol
Remember the only way to know if it is fermenting is to take a gravity reading. I had a ESB I did last year and I only saw the airlock bubble a couple times, thought for sure something was wrong a week later I tested it and it was doing just fine. I would give it a couple days and then see.
I just made a batch and sprinkled Nottingham directly in the wort and have the same OG as you. Should be a great 4% summer session beer.
Remember the only way to know if it is fermenting is to take a gravity reading. I had a ESB I did last year and I only saw the airlock bubble a couple times, thought for sure something was wrong a week later I tested it and it was doing just fine. I would give it a couple days and then see.
I just made a batch and sprinkled Nottingham directly in the wort and have the same OG as you. Should be a great 4% summer session beer.
twenty5
BoM 11/09, 4/10 BoY '10
Thanks, thats what I was thinking but it was just a bit weird to see the first 6 fermentations going crazy and this one being pretty much non existant (according to the blow off). This morning the little cover inside the airlock was at the top against the cap so it is fermenting, just very very slowly. I will take a reading in a week or so.
Yes, I am loving this, and so are family and friends apparently because I am still not making enough to keep up with demand. I need to bottle this week to open a primary for next weekend or buy another midwest groupon.....
Yes, I am loving this, and so are family and friends apparently because I am still not making enough to keep up with demand. I need to bottle this week to open a primary for next weekend or buy another midwest groupon.....
Lol I know what your saying, seems like I run low all too often. Plus you are always about 6 weeks behind so its hard to predict. How are all the batches turning out?
Yeast is strange and can act totally different depending on a lot of elements. I had never had to use a blow off tube until last week. Used a yeast that I have used before in the exact same brew, checked on it the next day and the airlock was totally spewing. Took me off guard and i was scrambling to find a tube for a blow off, ended up breaking an air lock in the process. Now I am prepared. Lol
Yeast is strange and can act totally different depending on a lot of elements. I had never had to use a blow off tube until last week. Used a yeast that I have used before in the exact same brew, checked on it the next day and the airlock was totally spewing. Took me off guard and i was scrambling to find a tube for a blow off, ended up breaking an air lock in the process. Now I am prepared. Lol
twenty5
BoM 11/09, 4/10 BoY '10
Seems like the batches have turned out pretty well thus far. Of course, I tend to be pretty hard on myself in the tasting process. Seems I spend too much time looking for what I dont like about the beer rather than enjoying it. Brewing is getting easier and more fun as I learn more, less stress = less mistakes = better beer I think lol.
I was finally getting ready to brew up my midwest groupon irish red kit, and ended up giving it to my brother. He has begun to show interest in brewing himself. He works at a small brewery in Berwick, PA as their maintenance/handyman and is getting more and more interested in making beer. He was down for Easter and I took him to a homebrew meeting at the homebrew store on saturday. He had a good time to say the least.
So I have to announce that I finally got my first contaminated batch. My dubbel which tasted awesome has a pediococcus bacteria contamination. It's pouring like motor oil due to the viscosity caused by the bacteria. It's not a lost cause though it will just be about 4-6 months until I can drink it, and it will be sour. I have to dump all the bottles and add a brettanomyces yeast to consume the ogliosaccharides produced by the bacteria. This will remove the viscosity but also dry the beer out big time. I might as well give it a shot. It was a matter of time I had at least one contamination considering all the wild and sour cultures I have in my house. So first batch in 3 years and it was likely do to a careless move on my part when sampling a beer or something. It's easy to not contaminate beer so I must have been very careless.
So I have to announce that I finally got my first contaminated batch. My dubbel which tasted awesome has a pediococcus bacteria contamination. It's pouring like motor oil due to the viscosity caused by the bacteria. It's not a lost cause though it will just be about 4-6 months until I can drink it, and it will be sour. I have to dump all the bottles and add a brettanomyces yeast to consume the ogliosaccharides produced by the bacteria. This will remove the viscosity but also dry the beer out big time. I might as well give it a shot. It was a matter of time I had at least one contamination considering all the wild and sour cultures I have in my house. So first batch in 3 years and it was likely do to a careless move on my part when sampling a beer or something. It's easy to not contaminate beer so I must have been very careless.
I have an Oktoberfest that is just wrapping up a diacetyl rest. Next up is 8-12 weeks of lagering which is a bummer because I won't be able to brew/ferment anything else until the lagering is done. Oh well, come Fall it should be worth it! :king: