mikebux

Recipes 

Just brewed my first batch of beer yesterday. Used innkeeper ale recipe from northern brewer. Used what grains my local home brewer supply had that were comparable and used 1 lb of honey that i substituted for 16 oz of corn sugar that I forgot to get.

Og was .032 ish,

My question .... Do I need to stir wort at all during fermentation, like in the first day or two ?? Or just let it sit and do its thing?

I am fermenting with my pail covered with cotton sheeting secured w a large rubber and for the first few days of fermentation .. Then after like 3 days I planned on covering it with lid and airlock.....trying to give it somewhat of an open ferment during its timespan of greatest activity.

Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

neosapien

Recipes 

just let it sit. you don't want to introduce oxygen as fermentation starts. wet cardboard doesn't taste good.

mikebux

Recipes 

This is a pic of the wort with yeast pitched aprox 21 hours ago..

SEEMS TO BE DOING ITS THING.





This is the yeast I substituted into the recipe ...

mikebux

Recipes 

Thanks...

That's why I'm asking before I screw it up... I know there is a ton of knowledge on this site...

.glad they made it easier to post pics now too...

Yooper

Recipes 

That's a small OG beer. It doesn't need any extra oxygen, so cover it and airlock it now.

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mikebux

Recipes 

This is from white labs on the yeast I used... FAQ


I have used White Labs Liquid yeast on two separate occasions. WLP002 for a brown ale and WLP004 for an Irish stout. Using one vial in 5 gallons of wort, the wort showed no signs of fermentation after 2-3 days. Then I added one packet of dry yeast, and within a few hours, fermentation began. I am wondering why the beer doesn't ferment with only the liquid yeast? I purchase it from homebrew store, and it is kept refrigerated until it is used. Also, to my knowledge, neither had expired.

Sometimes they just need some agitation, which is sort of what happened when the dry yeast was added. It gave nucleation sites for gas to escape and signs of fermentation to be evident. That happens a lot when fermentations don't start; you add another yeast, and soon you see fermentation. It isn't actually what was just added but the kick-start into the yeast. Both WLP002 and 004 are flocculent, and they can settle to the bottom after pitching. With flocculent strains it is even more important to stir the fermenter in the beginning. Either leaving a fish-pump type device with an air filter on for 1 hour post-pitching or stirring the fermenter a few times a day will keep the yeast in suspension and drive out CO2.


I still covered it and set the pail to the side... Let's see what happens... I anticipate a tasty brew, cause it smells and tastes pretty good right from the get go....

Obliviousbrew

Recipes 

With liquid yeast specially with white labs you need to make a starter first for several reason: scaling up your cell count so you pitch the rigth amount of yeast, and also to make sure your yeast is viable and active. Another liquid yeast like the smack packs of wyeast can be pitch (one vial in a low SG 5 gallon batch) but when using liquid yeast a starter or several packs.

mikebux

Recipes 

Got ya

Well it is fermenting away. Seems to be doing its thing...

It's covered and airlocked and bubbling so I will keep an eye on itself let her sit for a week or so and see where the grav measurements are at that point.... Like I said this is my first beer brew so I am not expecting greatness... Just something drinkable w a nice flavor...

Thanks...

Yooper

Recipes 

True, but not with a super low OG like this. One package is definitely adequate for a beer under 1.040. Simply pouring the wort into the fermenter will aerate plenty.

You don't want to start worrying about extra oxygenation and all that stuff for small beers.

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Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006