dragonbreath11
Well-Known Member
Hey guys. Anyone else here take the plunge? Your thoughts & experiences would be appreciated.
Are you looking for wild yeast or just pitching and leaving open?
What do you intend on gaining from doing an open fermentation? One of my favorite craft brews is Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout which is open fermented I believe..
Is "open fermentation" a misnomer? If there's oxygen around, the yeast inherently won't ferment and will instead undergo aerobic respiration.
I've heard about using wild yeast with an open vessel and then closing for fermentation before but this sounds intriguing.
Is "open fermentation" a misnomer? If there's oxygen around, the yeast inherently won't ferment and will instead undergo aerobic respiration.
I've heard about using wild yeast with an open vessel and then closing for fermentation before but this sounds intriguing.
You will get the exact same beer but with a slightly increased risk of something infecting your batch. To each their own. Some people are religious about not letting anything foreign get into their beer. I ferment lots of batches (including every single one of my lagers) in a 10g wine fermenter with a loose fitting lid and I peek quite a bit.
Chris White suggests leaving the top covered loosely with aluminum foil until the krausen falls. I think that is a better idea than the stainer. You will still get oxygen diffusing in.
The point is loose foil will let air in and keep out 'nasties' better than the a strainer. That is why White suggests it.Yes but who cares if I have oxygen diffusing in pre-fermentation? As soon as fermentation is 75-80% done, I plan on putting in a closed container to condition.
Exact beer? I don't know. I'm changing 2 pretty big variables here. Fermenter geometry and keeping it open, both of which from my study have effects on yeast metabolism and the resulting beer. But who knows?
Hmm, interesting. I guess there isn't enough oxygen diffusing into the wort so the yeast below the surface must be fermenting despite the open air at the top.
at what point do you intend to cover the beer? After the initial fermentation?
Hmm, interesting. I guess there isn't enough oxygen diffusing into the wort so the yeast below the surface must be fermenting despite the open air at the top.
After fermentation is 70-85% done I was planning on transferring to a carboy to condition for a few days. To update, the fermentation is under way though it was a bit too cold (53F) for an ale. I will most likely move it indoors and probably will put a lid on the kettle.
That's a cool picture. I'm pretty intrigued by this. Anyone that know about yeast knows they behave differently in different pressure environments. In fact, there are several posts on these boards about beer made under high pressure. I think the risk of infection is pretty low and the potential loss of a batch is fairly inconsequential for a homebrewer.
Congrats on having the brass to try this, OP. I look forward to your results and trying it myself.
On another board a member is trying this using WLP300 after watching a Brew TV episode, too. They claim the get MORE esters through an open fermentation but here's what I don't get:
We all know/agree that during primary fermentation that a layer of CO2 will form a protective barrier for the wort, keeping oxygen out. But the claim is that more oxygen is better for the yeast, they are less stressed and then produce more esters.
What I have trouble comprehending is how you can have it both ways? A protective barrier keeping the oxygen out AND having more oxygen for the yeast.
Somebody 'splain please.
On another board a member is trying this using WLP300 after watching a Brew TV episode, too. They claim the get MORE esters through an open fermentation but here's what I don't get:
We all know/agree that during primary fermentation that a layer of CO2 will form a protective barrier for the wort, keeping oxygen out. But the claim is that more oxygen is better for the yeast, they are less stressed and then produce more esters.
What I have trouble comprehending is how you can have it both ways? A protective barrier keeping the oxygen out AND having more oxygen for the yeast.
Somebody 'splain please.
My uncle used to open ferment german lagers in his basement, in square terra cotta fermenters , covered with cheesecloth, set directly on the concrete floor. I don't think he had any issues with infection, but that's way back..a bit fuzzy.
I dunno....I've played with my keg a bit by blasting it with CO2 and purging the air, then removing the top (with it empty, mind you) and the CO2 does sit nice and low and provide a barrier.
BUT, that's in a tall cylindrical environment so I assume a bucket/ale pale would be similar. In the video on Brewing TV (IIRC) they use a fish cleaning table that is flat and low so I wouldn't expect the same rules to apply there - but a bucket, yes.
Visually. There's a nice layer of gas visible even after taking off the lid and checking it much later.
Ummmm....gas.
All kidding aside, it's a grey-ish gas that hangs out at the bottom of the keg. Maybe it has something to do with the temp difference, the StarSan or something else but after hooking up an empty keg, blasting it with CO2, purging the air and then removing the lid it hangs out down at the bottom.
Or maybe I'm high....
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