IPA Insights

So I had a guy who brews a LOT (He makes beers and wines each week) tell me that I don't need to put a lid on the beer when doing primary fermentation since the beer needs a lot of oxygen then. So for 7 days i left the lid off my IPA (Lucky I did since foam got everywhere even with the lid off, I am sure it would have blown).

Is this insane or the right thing to do? Everyone else seems to want to put a starsan filled stopper on it.

Next question: How long should an IPA sit in primary? I had it in there for a week and then I racked it to secondary but I have seen others say no less than 3 weeks in the primary, and don't dry hop for more than 2 weeks.

My beer will be exactly 3 weeks old this Sunday. Do you think its ready to keg? Should I wait?

Lastly, I don't have a hygrometer to check the FG of the beer.

While it is true that beer needs oxygen for the yeast initially it does not need continuous oxygen and the chance of getting a bacteria or wild yeast infection into your beer with the lid wide open is HUGE, especially if you have any insects, including flies that could possibly get to the beer, they love the smell of sweet wort and beer!

If the fermentation temperature was in the mid 60's to low 70's than your beer should definitely be finished at 3 weeks. Only way to know for sure is hydrometer readings but if you had healthy fermentation and good krausen (foam) most likely the beer is ready for kegging.

Thanks Jayhem! I'm going to keg that puppy right now. I will let you know how it tastes. No bad infection with this beer thank God! It looks completely healthy!

(My last beer had an infection)

Oops browser double posted.

He's either crazy or just messing with you. That is a terrible idea. As general practice, for sure!

Have you had his beer? Maybe it takes like cat piss

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9xT8DHOZFE[/ame]

Boom

NickTheGreat said:

Maybe it takes like cat piss

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So he's making an all Simcoe IPA?

Open fermentations aren't a *terrible* idea, although you'd obviously need to protect them from insects (cheesecloth over the top, perhaps). But you definitely don't *need* to ferment that way, and very few people do.

smAllGrain said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9xT8DHOZFE

Boom

Click to expand...

While logical, I would not risk this. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Would love to see his actual end-product after this video: hopefully he never spittled into it during the making of the vid :cross:

I have never done it but I do know that New Glarius does open fermentations. Google

brewingtv new glarius

They talk about how the Germans do.it as well

Also, they do a tasting bit I dont remember what episode that is

Well my Dogfish head 60 minute clone turned out insanely well with open fermentation. Ok its NOT as good as real Dogfish head but hey this is like my 6th brew ever and only my 2nd All Grain!

I am happy and slightly tipsy already!

smAllGrain said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9xT8DHOZFE

Boom

Click to expand...

This was the first thing I thought of as well.

Open fermentation is widely used for traditional brewers, see Traquair's oak fermentors.



Black sheep yorkshire squares (actually round, there's a conundrum for you)


Sam Smiths, Theakstons, donnington, some of the breweries under the marstons brand, etc all use them


The main reason for this is so they can crop and cleanse the yeast head, and the beer is protected by the head. Also they can rack it when ready, we tend to have to wait to the weekend etc to rack it

Just using a bucket with a cracked lid is technically open fermentation and that's how I've brewed every single one of my beers

If you are going to leave your lid off then make sure you rack it before the yeast head sinks back into the beer. And save some of that lovely healthy yeast from top cropping too, just store it in a jar under some beer, Bud light would be fine

And let's not forget Anchor:

I have always loosely put sanitized tin foil over the carboy opening to allow for the vigorous fermentation offgassing, but I'll put an airlock on after the first week or so. I'm probably at about 20 batches and never an infection. This *seems* to reduce the need for blowoff due to a lower effective pressure in the carboy (just a theory)...