Question about frementation

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lukem

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Hey all,

I started my very first brew on Saturday. Just using a pretty standard Munich Lager brewkit. I was worried that I may have put the yeast in while it was too hot, room temp was around 29C. I know it was properly a bad idea, I was in a hurry and was not thinking.

However it did start bubbling, a few times every few seconds. So I put a wet towel around the fermenter to cool it down. It now sits at about 24C, but on Monday it stoped bubbling, it may bubble once it I knock the fermenter but otherwise it sits still.

I was wondering is this bad? I thought it should not stop for 7 days or longer. Did I ruin my brew? If so what should I do?

Thanks everyone, and yes it is a HOT start to the summer here in Australia.

Luke
 
Well 29C won't kill the yeast, evidence by your airlock bubbling. Since you're temperatures are quite high (I'm assuming you're using some sort of ale yeast, if it was lager yeast you're WAY over the typical fermentation range), it's quite possible your fermentation completed in 24 or 48 hours. You should measure the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Since the beer fermented rather warm, you'll likely have a lot of fruity esters and maybe some fusel 'heavy' alcohol molecules that might give your beer a hot alcohol taste. After you've measured your gravity, taste the sample. Without knowing your recipe and yeast we can't exactly know what your gravity should be, if it's in the 1.010-1.020 (or lower) range you're on the right track.

EDIT: If you don't have a hydrometer or don't know how to measure gravity, read the first 12 or 13 Chapters of this book: www.howtobrew.com
 
At that temperature, I would definitely expect it to finish fermenting in 2-3 days. When it was 72 in our basement I had no beer that took longer than 3 days, now that it's down to 64 there they are going for 7-10 days.

I also hope you're not using an actual lager yeast, if so you're going to have a nice banana flavored beer :)
 
Thanks all. I do have a hydrometer, so I will measure it tonight after work.

I'm glad to hear I have not killed them, or ruined it completely, it may just have some strange flavors :)

If it does have strange flavors that I do not like, is there anyway to get rid of them?

Thanks again.

Luke
 
Hey Dibby, How you keeping your brews temp down is this hot weather? Or you somewhere nice and cool anyway?

Also what temp do you try to get it down to?

Cheers,
 
I am just outside Hobart. Temperate just now is getting a little warm for brewing. It reached 38 at the weekend apparently but my house is quite cool and I have a cellar I can use if it gets too hot. In the winter I will be using a heat belt or if I get my act together a nice warm cupboard in my cellar. The temperature range here is crazy.

I am collecting materials just now to make a cool room in the cellar for aging bottles. Building an extension just now and accidently bought too many bricks, cement, insulation... ;)

Nothing brewing just now as I am just about to knock a wall down where I normally brew! Also Christmas is coming up and SHMBO hinted that she would like the house tidy of HB for at least a couple of weeks. Cannot blame her - have been brewing non-stop for the last six months
:drunk:


Where are you?
 
Hehe nice Dibby. I'm in Melbourne, and it got to 42C or something on Sunday, I also live in a smallish apartment which can get quite hot during the day when I'm at work.

The wet towel seems to work great, keeps it at a better temp, I also have it in a cupboard.

Hopefully it will not taste too bad, I'll have to do things a little better for my next one.

Hope my bottles do not explode :)

Cheers,
 
If you find your beer isn't to your liking (too many fruity esters and hot fusel alcohols from the warm temperatures), you could try dry hopping it. That might mask some of the flavors, but who knows maybe it will turn out just fine. Just an option if you don't like it so much.
 
lukem said:
Hehe nice Dibby. I'm in Melbourne, and it got to 42C or something on Sunday, I also live in a smallish apartment which can get quite hot during the day when I'm at work.

The wet towel seems to work great, keeps it at a better temp, I also have it in a cupboard.

Hopefully it will not taste too bad, I'll have to do things a little better for my next one.

Hope my bottles do not explode :)

Cheers,

If you could get a water source under the towel this may help (i.e. stick it in a bucket or on a tray with an inch or two of water).

42 is a little hot! Looks like you may have a brewing 'season'

If you think your bottles are going to explode just open one to let the pressure off to see how much build up there is (don't remove the cap completely or the nasties may get in though).

I have seen postings on here before where people open and close there entire batch to stop the explosions but it is very rare :D
 
Ok I took a reading using the hydrometer, I kinda of feel dumb it took me awhile to realize how to read it :) It says 1.012. This one has colours for when to bottle things and the beer is yellow that sits around1.000-1.008 then its black colour till 1.012.

Oh well I do not know, I tasted it and it actually tasted OK (disregarding that it has to be carbonated etc).

I can't bottle it till Saturday anyway, will it still be ok just sitting in the fermenter?

Thanks
 
lukem said:
Ok I took a reading using the hydrometer, I kinda of feel dumb it took me awhile to realize how to read it :) It says 1.012. This one has colours for when to bottle things and the beer is yellow that sits around1.000-1.008 then its black colour till 1.012.

Oh well I do not know, I tasted it and it actually tasted OK (disregarding that it has to be carbonated etc).

I can't bottle it till Saturday anyway, will it still be ok just sitting in the fermenter?

Thanks

Ignore the colored bands on the hydrometer, they are useless. 1.012 is most likely 'done'. The proper final gravity is your starting gravity times the yeast's % attenuation, which is usually around 75% but depends on the yeast.

Beer is ok sitting in a primary fermenter for up to a month, won't hurt it at all. After that sitting on the yeast cake can cause some off flavors as the yeast start to die off and break down. Most people move it to a secondary fermenter for 1-2 weeks after it's done fermenting, to allow yeast/grains/hops to settle out and clear the beer. If you don't have a secondary fermenter you can just leave it in the primary for 3 weeks to clear and then carefully get it off the yeast. Or you can temporarily transfer it to a bucket or stock pot if you have one, clean the fermenter, and stick it back in there. Or you can just go ahead and bottle it and drink it cloudy, doesn't really hurt anything :)
 
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