I got lazy...will my batch be ok?

Richard · 06-20-2007, 03:37 PM

Ok, so instead of boiling anything I just dumped my 2 cans of warmed extract in with some water, sloshed it about, pitched, and left it to sit. There is definitely some activity going on, but I've noticed that a lot of the extract is sitting at the bottom of the BB fermentor. Will the yeast (Munton's ale yeast) be able to ferment everything and mix it up enough?

**BierMuncher** · 06-20-2007, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

Ok, so instead of boiling anything I just dumped my 2 cans of warmed extract in with some water, sloshed it about, pitched, and left it to sit. There is definitely some activity going on, but I've noticed that a lot of the extract is sitting at the bottom of the BB fermentor. Will the yeast (Munton's ale yeast) be able to ferment everything and mix it up enough?

The point of boiling is to kill any bacteria and equally important...to bring the different liquids to a temperature high enough to allow them to dissolve and mix thoroughly.

The yeast is likely to do its job, but it could take a lot longer if the sweet wort is compacted at the bottom of the fermenter.

I would get a sanitized stirring spoon and...very gently...give the mix a stir without sloshing or aerating the mix. You want that concentrate to get diluted and suspended in the rest of the mix.

If you do nothing...it'll probably be fine, but will take some time.

AGBrewer · 06-20-2007, 03:51 PM

I'm assuming that you are talking about pre-hopped extract. I would be worried myself as there is no real way to tell if it will be ok or not. But being that you didn't boil anything, there is a good chance of infection. From what I've read malt extract is one of the likely places for wild bacteria, or yeasts. I would assume that the yeast will eventually mix the extract in as well. Only time will tell I think.

joebou4860 · 06-20-2007, 04:26 PM

why even bother?
Next time, don't get high before brewing

FlyGuy · 06-20-2007, 04:58 PM

Even if the wort is free of nasties like bacteria, your brew just isn't going to turn out. If you never mixed in the LME, and it is all sitting at the bottom of the fermenter, the yeast just won't be able to get access to all those sugars to ferment. The viscosity at the bottom sounds like it is going to be too thick to allow the yeast to mix in, unless you leave it for a REALLY long time (months and months, I am guessing).

Worse yet, if you do mix all this up again at bottling time, you will be likely to expose a lot of unfermented sugars and create a bunch of bottle bombs.

As one poster suggested above, you are going to have to try to get those sugars into solution (without aerating the beer). Stir, stir, stir -- I think it is going to be absolutely necessary.

Please let us know how it turns out, though. I am really curious (and this isn't an experiment I want to do on purpose).

Richard · 06-20-2007, 05:27 PM

I did the same thing with a couple of cans of Coopers Stout and Coopers Dark malt, and the beer turned out fine. It did have a month in primary though. I'm hoping that means this batch will be fine after a month. The dark malt probably obscured the stuff at the bottom of the stout mix, so it wasn't as visible as with this current batch. When I bottled the stout everything had fermented properly though.

Evan! · 06-20-2007, 05:33 PM

I mean no disrespect, but if you're too lazy to merely boil some water on the stove, then perhaps this ain't the right hobby for you. My brew sessions routinely take 6 hours or more, and every step of the way is painstaking and exacting.

If dumping extract in warm water and adding yeast is the best you can do, then may I suggest just buying some commercial brews at the store instead? This may sound like EACism at its height, but making good beer takes some effort on your part.

Richard · 06-20-2007, 05:57 PM

I've made plenty of other brews that included a boil, and I wanted to experiment. So far everything has turned out well. If I thought making beer was too much trouble I wouldn't bother at all.

Evan! · 06-20-2007, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

I've made plenty of other brews that included a boil, and I wanted to experiment. So far everything has turned out well. If I thought making beer was too much trouble I wouldn't bother at all.

To each his own, but I would have asked around here before undertaking your experiment. I wouldn't be surprised if this thing ended up infected. Where'd your water come from?

Richard · 06-20-2007, 06:02 PM

It sounds like I have offended some people on here. Too bad for them.