jamesrm

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How many of you shake your primaries to get the cake suspended during fermentation, and when/how often do you shake it? Is more than 3 times playing with it?

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Never. If I think the fermentation is stuck I'll give it a gentle swirl, but never shake.

-Joe

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Revvy

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You mean to knock down the krausen???

Why do you want to do that? It won't make your beer done faster or anything....and you may be introducing too much O2 if you do so...

The point is that during the end of fermentation it falls and helps clear the beer by pulling all manner of nasties that are in suspension down with it...and it's a natural process and should happen at it's own time...

Don't impose YOUR timeframe on beer brewing...It's not your timeframe it's the yeasties...they're in charge..Believe it or not your only job is putting together a clean factory well stocked with materials, which you did...

When you deal with living microorganisms, you surrender to their timeframe, regardless of what any instructions, or any impatience/excitement might dictate..

A lot of us pitch yeast and come back a month later to bottle or keg, letting the little buggers have plenty of time to not only work but to clean up after they're done.

This isn't making coolaid, it is a game of patience.


If you still have krauzen then LEAVE IT ALONE!!! It's still fermenting

At the minimum we recommend that if you do plan on secondary, that you wait til 10-14 days after you pitched your yeast (and when the hydrometer reading for three consequetive days is constant.)

But like I said many of us leave the beer alone for 3-4 (use the search for long primary yeast clean up themselves or no secondary for explanations why.)

But until then...

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Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

IPA_33

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I never shake it either.

Revvy's post says it all basically.

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DeathBrewer

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meh. you're all crazy. it's another boogie-man. revvy, i'm dissapointed in you...you're supposed to dispel these rumors

vigourously swirling the carboy will not negatively affect your beer. it will finish faster, it will ensure it attenuates fully, it will allow you to ferment at cooler temperatures, etc.

i have a friend that's been shaking his carboy for years. i never touched mine and they always did fine, with enough time, but i tried it a few times and now it's a regular habit...i always shake them throughout the first few days of fermentation.

unless you are actually opening the top or there is a leak, no oxygen is going to get in your beer from shaking. there is a blanket of co2 over it and all the oxygen was pushed out during the first day of fermentation. besides, any o2 that gets in there, the yeast will eat up. as long as fermentation is still active you don't have to worry about oxidation.

always take care to prevent oxidation of your beer after fermentation has completed or even begins to slow...but don't worry about it during fermentation.

shake it if you want to. it's not necessary, but it's not going to oxidate your beer. it may even be helpful with large beers or to keep yeast active in lower temperatures.

take that, boogeyman!

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Revvy

Recipes 

Uh...i think you misread his original post...it appears he's talking about knocking down the krausen, you know...like while it's still fermenting?

If that's his intent, then I stand by what I said originally...So bite me

But are you saying you advocate that?

EDIT Wait...Rereading it...now I'm even more confused...is the OPsaying he thinks shaking it MAKES the krauzen happen faster???

If by shaking he means aerating pre pitching then I take my original post back...

I'm thoroughly confused now...

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Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

DeathBrewer

Recipes 

absolutely. didn't you read my post.

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Revvy

Recipes 

You're not talking about krausen...knocking it down or otherwise....

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Like my snazzy new avatar? Get Sons of Zymurgy swag, here, and brew with the best.

Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

JesseRC

Recipes 

on my Witbier i shook it daily after Krausen dropped a bit. A few times it started up again. Most of the time after krausen drops , usually on 8 day, i will shake it to get yeasties that are stuck on top sides into suspension. If they flocculate out great, if not they keep fermenting. If I am doing something wrong, I'd like to know???

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Primaries: Mojave Red (AG)
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DeathBrewer

Recipes 

shaking during primary fermentation would indeed make the krausen drop down a bit, and then kick right back up.

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