Kai
Well-Known Member
I'm getting some Ringwood yeast from an ultra-traditional english-style real ale brewery on Friday. The brewmaster came out to give me a detailed rundown on what to do to make this finicky yeast do its magic for me. Some of the techniques he talked about were unorthodox (heretical!) from a homebrewer's perspective. I need peer advice!
He insisted it must be in an open fermenter, and said that to get it to attenuate he had a pump system to agitate and aerate the beer throughout fermentation. He told me to just stir and splash it vigourously during the late stages of the fermentation.
I'm willing to go out and buy an ale pail, and I'll even leave the lid loose (I have too many fruit flies around to risk a genuine open fermentation - sorry Kevin). But I'm loathe to go against everything I've been taught and introduce oxygen into fermented beer. Should I suck it up and do it? This man knows this particular strain of yeast better than anyone, and his methods do often turn out great real ales. I'm just worried that, given the longer lifetime mine will have (3 months vs 2 weeks), the effects of oxidation will make themselves obnoxious.
He insisted it must be in an open fermenter, and said that to get it to attenuate he had a pump system to agitate and aerate the beer throughout fermentation. He told me to just stir and splash it vigourously during the late stages of the fermentation.
I'm willing to go out and buy an ale pail, and I'll even leave the lid loose (I have too many fruit flies around to risk a genuine open fermentation - sorry Kevin). But I'm loathe to go against everything I've been taught and introduce oxygen into fermented beer. Should I suck it up and do it? This man knows this particular strain of yeast better than anyone, and his methods do often turn out great real ales. I'm just worried that, given the longer lifetime mine will have (3 months vs 2 weeks), the effects of oxidation will make themselves obnoxious.