Did I ruin my Beer?

I started a Festa Brew Double Oatmeal Stout and it will be 3 days in the primary fermenter but on the end of the 1st day, I opened the 23L Pal (top was on loose) and stirred it a bit and the foam increased dramatically and I lost a lot of the form on the floor.

Since then I bascially have no foam and I can't if it's still fermenting.

Did I screw up this batch?

If so, how can I fix it without doing it much harm?


Thanks.


Wes

Odds are that you're fine, especially if you stirred with a sanitized spoon or something. It just sounds like CO2 coming out of solution when you stirred. That said, why were you stirring it? Next time leave it alone.

It just seems all the yeast was at the top.....i guess tonight I'll put it in the carboy and leave it another 7 to 10 days.

Thanks

I'd say seal it back up and leave it for a few more weeks. As long as you sanitized the spoon, you should be ok. Even if you didn't sanitize the spoon, I'd still leave it for 2-3 more weeks before doing anything with it.

For future reference, the stuff floating on the top is called kreusen. It's good, so don't disturb the yeast while they're doing what they do behind closed doors, I mean lids. Once the yeast are done, the kreusen will fall, and then they'll begin cleaning up after themselves. It's still a good idea to not disturb them while they are doing that either, since they know what they're doing. Your beer will taste better if you give them the time they need. I keep my beer in my fermenters for at least 4 weeks, even though some beers are ready in 2-3.

Should I just leave it in the bucket or put it in the secondary fermenter

Leave it.

Only thing I have on is the just lid on the bucket, and there are fly flies around, so I was thinking carbon with a airlock

No airlock on the bucket lid?
It's an easy DIY to drill the hole and put in a grommet and airlock (although it might be a little late for that ).


How big is your secondary?

+1 to leave it... your yeast is working and there is no way you lost it all. RDWHAHB.
Peace.

23L carboy

licquyd said:

23L carboy

Click to expand...

So that's about 6 US gallons. If you aren't done fermenting, that might not be enough room. Someone else may chip in here, but I'd leave it in the bucket for now but you should get a air lock on there when you can. That way you can seal it up but still relieve pressure.

Edit: I see that both primary and secondary are the same size. I'd still leave it alone and let the yeast do their thing.

I'm going to go against the grain on this and suggest you rack to your carboy and seal it up. At this stage, there's enough fermentation happening to push the air out of the carboy. Leave it in the carboy for a couple of weeks and then check the gravity to see if it's good to bottle. You could transfer back to your primary when you bottle if you want to leave most of the sediment behind.

I am familiar with that beer and find it to be pretty forgiving. I suspect the only thing that's happened in your foam eruption is that you lost a little beer. I find that particular stout really benefits from time in the bottle. It's pretty nice at 4 weeks and great at 6 weeks, if you can leave it alone that long.

Yeah, it may be too late for an airlock, but still, leave it for a couple weeks. Just don't seal it completely. After you rack the beer out, drill a hole and add a stopper and airlock before your next batch.

johnnyspade said:

I'm going to go against the grain on this and suggest you rack to your carboy and seal it up.

Click to expand...

I'm just wondering what the purpose of this would be?

I'm still not seeing hardly any activity like I did before the eruption......been a 2 days not and it just looks like wort to me......I can't see me losing all my yeast but I was expecting more activity. It's still in the bucket in a 68F room.

Hey licquyd, can you get a hydrometer reading?

I'm going to do that when I get home from work tonight.

Hydrometer was at 1.21

Probably a bit high...
What was the starting Gravity?
Extract batch? -- can you list the different fermentables that went in?

See if you can supply those answers, and then lets check gravity again tomorrow to see if it is moving at all.

I have no idea of the fermentables as this was a festa brew (wort in a bag)

But i have an update....the gravity is 1.023.....which should be able to rack when it hits 1.019 to 1.021 to the secondary carboy.

Cool, sounds like you are getting there.
I am sticking with the general guidance of 'let it do it's thing for another couple days or a week'.
Since we have some unknowns, I would error on the side of less contact points, more primary time, and bottle in 2 weeks.
Any way about, you ruined nothing, roll with what you have...and next time, don't touch (or stir) your actively fermenting beer. It is active enough .

Brew on lic, brew on.
Peace.

without knowing the recipe - most beers get into the 1.008 - 1.015 range before they're done -

I'm on the side of leave it be. If you want to rack, wait until it's done fermenting (see numbers above). Then cover your carboy with sanitized foil if you don't have an airlock.

then - GET an airlock or two (they're cheap!). Your bucket needs a hole in the lid, a grommet, and stuff the airlock in there. Your carboy needs a drilled stopper.

good luck - it will likely turn into beer regardless of what you do.

Future brews - manage your temperatures, don't stir it, let it sit for 4 weeks....and take that time to read all over this forum....

welcome!

I was following the directions of the Festa Brew.....i even called the brew shop, they advised to rack it at 1.019.....I'll rack it, i have a carboy and airlock and i'll watch the gravity to see when it stopped for a couple days....

last night it move .003 in 12 hours

licquyd said:

last night it move .003 in 12 hours

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If it is still coming down it is not done. Don't rack, leave it be.

thanks

1.019 today......how long can I keep it in the bucket, it's been there since Saturday, can it go bad...

This is the beer wort I am using:

Festa Brew Double Oatmeal Stout

23 L

An opaque, full-bodied ebony ale. Moderate to high hop bitterness combines well with a pleasant roast malt character, subtle malt sweetness and slight hop flavour. The addition of two types of oats leads to a creamy, robust mouth-feel and full texture.

OG: 1.0545 – 1.0550, FG: 1.0196 – 1.0211, Yeast: Safbrew S-33, IBUs: 28

licquyd said:

1.019 today......how long can I keep it in the bucket, it's been there since Saturday, can it go bad...

Click to expand...

You can, and should leave it in the bucket for quite a while longer. Two weeks would be minimum, four weeks would be best. You could go longer without it going bad, but I don't see any benefit.

Put the first batch out of sight, and get another bucket and brew another batch this weekend. That'll help.

licquyd said:

1.019 today......how long can I keep it in the bucket, it's been there since Saturday, can it go bad...

Click to expand...

I wouldn't leave a beer in primary more than about 90 days, though some people have left it for 6 months.

Yes, it *can* go bad, which is good. If you're asking if it will spoil, technically, you're trying to *make* it spoil with yeast... If you're asking if bacteria will infect the beer, there is always that chance but it is small if the yeast have a good foothold.

Think of the bacteria and the yeast as two different biker gangs. If one gang moves in, and gets a lot of members going, and then the other gang tries to get a foothold it will be a LOT harder for the second gang. And once the first gang (the yeast) eats up all the food and leaves their bodily waste (ethanol) all over the place, then the environment is really not the kind of place that most bacteria want to be in. (There are a few bacterial species that tolerate alcohol, but go with me here.)

So if your yeast biker gang has a good fermentation going now, don't worry about it. :fro:

Seriously, Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Homebrew (or any brew, really).

And to continue JBone's biker gang analogy...
Right now your gang is safely inside the fort, doing some house cleaning and winding down for some rest. If you are leaving the fort all closed up and don't move or touch anything then there is no way for the other gang to get in and cause troubles.

Crap...used a two newer hydrometers and the gravity is 1.022 and sticking.....arggg.... from OG: 1.0545 – 1.0550.....I want it lower....any ideas

I'd say it's pretty much close enough. If you want you can *softly* shake the fermenter, to rouse the lazy yeast a little. Warming it slightly might also do the trick.

I wouldn't re-pitch to get .003 points, though.

If it hasn't been in primary two full weeks yet, though... just give 'er time.

I'll try that....i tasted it though and it's not very sweet to me...i'll have to give it another taste

CRAP....i think i have an infection. I check my beer and now I have a thin layer on the top of my beer.

not sure what it is......

Over the past week, how many times have you opened the fermenter?

a few times to check the gravity

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10034834@N06/4873565594/

It doesn't look bad....what you guys think

licquyd said:

a few times to check the gravity

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10034834@N06/4873565594/

It doesn't look bad....what you guys think

Click to expand...

Probably nothin. Just seal it up, leave it alone for a couple weeks, then bottle. Then leave it alone again for 4-6 weeks and then, and only then, open a bottle to try it.

In the mean time, go get yourself a few more buckets and brew several more batches. It sounds to me that you're being impatient. If you take my advice, and brew a couple - at least a couple batches - you won't be so impatient. I'd say that it'll take maybe 3-4 batches for you to be patient with your beer, so brew some already.

I'm not trying to be mean here, but every time you open the bucket, you risk contamination. If you've opened the bucket 3-4 times a week, then yeah, you could have an infection. But, if you brew another batch every week for the next 4 weeks, you'll understand that good beer takes time, and by the 4th batch, you'll be brewing and then forgetting.

So, with all that being said, if you do think it's infected, send it to me and I'll properly dispose of your beer for no charge, other than shipping and handling.

It's in the carboy with airlock where it will stay




i

It's in the carboy with airlock where it will stay




i

Finally crack open a bottle of this Beer last weekend.

I have to say, it is the best home brew I have tasted. Stout but seems between a stout and a nut brown ale. I love it.

Glad I didn't throw this out.