Bones1948
Well-Known Member
Some of my observations as I stumbled through 3 batches. Some data by trial and error, some from reading contemporary literature. Some of the data may be helpful to all Noobs.
Yeasts are temperature sensitive. If a kit comes with a certain strain of yeast and the instructions specify a temperature range for fermentation then stick with that range otherwise run the risk of slow fermentation or stuck fermentation or if too high a fermentation temp. creating off flavors, fusel alcohols, etc.
Slowly add the hops. Dumping them in creates a volcanic disruption and over flow of foam onto the stove. Wife will slap you silly.
Cooling. For kit users: I use large amounts of ice in an ice bath in the kitchen sink. I think a wort chiller for cooling 3 gallons of wort is not necessary. When the 3 gallons of hot wort get down to ~90-95 degrees I dump it into the primary fermenter then add the final 2 gallons of cold spring water that had been in the 'fridge for a few days. During cool down is a great time to oxygenate using a large chef's whisk.
Oxygenate, Oxygenate, OYGENATE. During the initial rapid bubbling the yeasties are utilizing AEROBIC (with oxygen) respiration getting 15 times more energy from a sugar molecule if they use oxygen. This is when the yeasts are growing and multiplying. No alcohol is produced during aerobic respiration. An initial low oxygen level after pitching denies the very nutrient they need to multiply thus limiting the number of bugs that will ultimately create the ethanol in the anaerobic phase. This can be a major reason one does not attain the predicted final gravity because yeast die after a while and when the yeast population plummets the amount of alcohol being produced is greatly diminished thus creating a "stuck" fermentation. Infusing medical grade oxygen through a fish tank aerator stone allows ample oxygen for the yeast to multiply in the numbers needed to attain the predicted final specific gravity. If simply shaking it certainly one can adequately oxygenate but remember to shake it vigorously for many minutes. If one does not use the oxygen infuser aerator process I recommend vigorously thrashing the surface of the wort with a sanitized chef's whisk, a big one. This can be done while the wort is cooling and afterward in the primary fermenter before and after pitching. If pitching dry yeast into the wort a whisk is mandatory to break up all the yeast clots. You will not hurt the yeast with the whisk.
After all the oxygen is used up the yeasts go into ANAEROBIC (without oxygen) respiration. Yeast produce alcohol during this anaerobic respiration. One molecule of CO2 is produced for each molecule of ethanol produced so just because you don't see active bubbling do not assume the yeasts have quit producing ethanol; they are producing ethanol but not nearly as much CO2 as in the aerobic phase.
The reason for racking into a secondary fermenter is to remove the beer from the trub which contains all sorts of crud including dead and dying yeast. By a process called autolysis the yeasts begin digesting themselves thus forming all sorts of by products which can taint the flavor of the finished product beer. The perfect analogy is grinding-up the whole cow, guts and all, to make your hamburger meat.
If one uses a conical fermenter begin dumping trub ~12 hours after pitching because the sediment will become very thick after a day or 2, the consistency of mason's mortar, and you'll never get it out. Dump daily for a few days to get all the settled-out proteins and hops that would form the thick goo.
I sanitize with Everclear (95% alcohol/5% water) using a 99 cent mist bottle bought at a Dollar store or Walley-World. Mist all surfaces of your clean, dry equipment. Pour some into your fermenters and swish, also your bottles or kegs. Dump what remains back into the Everclear bottle for future use. The Everclear residue (what has not evaporated) on the equipment will not affect fermentation or taste of the finished product. Everclear instantly kills any micro-organism on planet earth.
I hope this is helpful to one and all.
Yeasts are temperature sensitive. If a kit comes with a certain strain of yeast and the instructions specify a temperature range for fermentation then stick with that range otherwise run the risk of slow fermentation or stuck fermentation or if too high a fermentation temp. creating off flavors, fusel alcohols, etc.
Slowly add the hops. Dumping them in creates a volcanic disruption and over flow of foam onto the stove. Wife will slap you silly.
Cooling. For kit users: I use large amounts of ice in an ice bath in the kitchen sink. I think a wort chiller for cooling 3 gallons of wort is not necessary. When the 3 gallons of hot wort get down to ~90-95 degrees I dump it into the primary fermenter then add the final 2 gallons of cold spring water that had been in the 'fridge for a few days. During cool down is a great time to oxygenate using a large chef's whisk.
Oxygenate, Oxygenate, OYGENATE. During the initial rapid bubbling the yeasties are utilizing AEROBIC (with oxygen) respiration getting 15 times more energy from a sugar molecule if they use oxygen. This is when the yeasts are growing and multiplying. No alcohol is produced during aerobic respiration. An initial low oxygen level after pitching denies the very nutrient they need to multiply thus limiting the number of bugs that will ultimately create the ethanol in the anaerobic phase. This can be a major reason one does not attain the predicted final gravity because yeast die after a while and when the yeast population plummets the amount of alcohol being produced is greatly diminished thus creating a "stuck" fermentation. Infusing medical grade oxygen through a fish tank aerator stone allows ample oxygen for the yeast to multiply in the numbers needed to attain the predicted final specific gravity. If simply shaking it certainly one can adequately oxygenate but remember to shake it vigorously for many minutes. If one does not use the oxygen infuser aerator process I recommend vigorously thrashing the surface of the wort with a sanitized chef's whisk, a big one. This can be done while the wort is cooling and afterward in the primary fermenter before and after pitching. If pitching dry yeast into the wort a whisk is mandatory to break up all the yeast clots. You will not hurt the yeast with the whisk.
After all the oxygen is used up the yeasts go into ANAEROBIC (without oxygen) respiration. Yeast produce alcohol during this anaerobic respiration. One molecule of CO2 is produced for each molecule of ethanol produced so just because you don't see active bubbling do not assume the yeasts have quit producing ethanol; they are producing ethanol but not nearly as much CO2 as in the aerobic phase.
The reason for racking into a secondary fermenter is to remove the beer from the trub which contains all sorts of crud including dead and dying yeast. By a process called autolysis the yeasts begin digesting themselves thus forming all sorts of by products which can taint the flavor of the finished product beer. The perfect analogy is grinding-up the whole cow, guts and all, to make your hamburger meat.
If one uses a conical fermenter begin dumping trub ~12 hours after pitching because the sediment will become very thick after a day or 2, the consistency of mason's mortar, and you'll never get it out. Dump daily for a few days to get all the settled-out proteins and hops that would form the thick goo.
I sanitize with Everclear (95% alcohol/5% water) using a 99 cent mist bottle bought at a Dollar store or Walley-World. Mist all surfaces of your clean, dry equipment. Pour some into your fermenters and swish, also your bottles or kegs. Dump what remains back into the Everclear bottle for future use. The Everclear residue (what has not evaporated) on the equipment will not affect fermentation or taste of the finished product. Everclear instantly kills any micro-organism on planet earth.
I hope this is helpful to one and all.
