Shake the Fermenter

I know people have posted about this in the past but is it alright to give your Primary Fermenter a little shake every once and a while? I'm not talking about picking it up and shaking it vigorously, just tilting to one side and then putting it right again. Thanks

Eh... why bother? It'll be done when it is done.

I do give my secondary a bump if I'm dry hopping to break surface tension and get the pellet scum to drop out.

I've heard the argument that it resuspends the yeast and gives it more opportunity to ferment.
I know what you're saying though, I'm just wondering the benefits or negatives.

You can give the fermentor a swirl to rouse the yeast but that's usually only needed if temperatures drop too low and the yeast floculate early.

Oxidation is a worry if you go nuts and shake the thing like a stepchild. Otherwise, not really a big deal. *shrug*

If I am using S-04 I give it a swirl and let it warm up a bit towards the end of fermentation.

I give a swirl or two as the krausen starts to drop, mostly as an attempt to wash any remaining viable yeast from the shoulders of the carboy back down. It makes the carboy easier to clean, too.

I see no problem with the occasional rousing. Maybe the yeast doesn't need it, but I don't see any detriment to it, either.

mmb said:

Oxidation is a worry if you go nuts and shake the thing like a stepchild. Otherwise, not really a big deal. *shrug*

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HA!!! I shake right after pitching, but not again. Interesting idea though.

I shake in 2 situations:

When there is a load of debris on the sides and want to re-suspend it...

or...

Stuck fermentation... Stuck fermentation hasnt happened in about 5 months so... Yea... there you go...

This is definitely a good idea if you ever brew a high-gravity beer (do this regularly) or if you think your fermentation is stalling. The trub and other debris on the bottom settles out really fast, but it will resuspend some yeast, prolonging fermentation slightly.

my very first batch stopped at 20, it was 1968 esb, which is supposed to be super floc. since then i always shake my primaries when the krausen has fallen just for good measure.

It is true that it is probably not necessary.

i don't think that oxidation would be a problem, there shouldn't be any oxygen in the primary after fermentation because all of it should be driven out by c02. Right? I hope!

I had a 1968 esb stop at 1.022 on me too. Part of that might have been mashing at 159F though. It has been far and away the best beer I've brewed to date.

I only shake the fermenter during the D rest. I give it a little shake each day to keep the almost done lager yeasties working.

just remember guys don't shake it too much or they'll start to think your playing with it.

ChemE said:

I had a 1968 esb stop at 1.022 on me too. Part of that might have been mashing at 159F though. It has been far and away the best beer I've brewed to date.

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yeah my 1968 batch, and perhaps its just nostalgia, ended up being really good also, it did take a little longer to condition though

pherball said:

yeah my 1968 batch, and perhaps its just nostalgia, ended up being really good also, it did take a little longer to condition though

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And mine was best at about two weeks in the bottle after a four week primary. Its a few months in the bottle now and not hardly as good as it was when it was young. I'm not so sure it fits well in 8C since it is more like a British bock but man oh man does it kick ass!

I am not a brewing expert my any means, but oxidation should not be a concern at all when shaking the primary. On top of all that worty goodness is CO2, no matter how hard you shake that CO2 will it even oxidize your wort.

I give mine a bit of a swirl as it come to the end of fermentation. Especially for my big beers. No off flavors yet.

Don't think I would do it in secondary though. Not sure if you would still have just CO2 on top.

On highly flocculant yeast, like WLP002, I put a 1 1/2" stir-bar in the fermenting bucket after adding the wort. I took a Menards 5 gallon paint stick and glued one of the extra hard drive magnets to one end. As the fermentation starts to slow, rather then having to shake or swirl the bucket, I take the paint stick (magnet side down) and hold it too the side of the bucket moving it until I find the stir bar, then keep moving the stick along the side agitating the yeast that is on the bottom. I normally keep my fermenting bucket in a 60qt IceCube cooler filled with water to control my fermenting temperature, so it's real easy to get the yeast into suspension with the paint stick with glued magnet and stir-bar.

tom

Yeast work better suspended. Case in point is yeast starters. Take the same amount of yeast in the same volume of the same wort, and when making a starter:

If you just let it sit, ferments in 3-4 days
Stir it around, save maybe a day
Use a stir plate, it could be done in 12 hours