first time brewing. pale ale, when foam whnt down it left these floatys in it. a little trace of foam left. its only 3 days into first ferment. no air lock action either. thanks in advance for the help!
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is this normal?
- Thread starter timmy7649
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Scut_Monkey
Well-Known Member
It looks very normal and you soon will learn to like the looks of it even though it resembles barf. It shows the signs of a healthy fermenation with residual krausen left over. An ale fermentation to wind down in 3 days is not abnormal at all. No go enjoy some commercial beer until it's ready.
Welcome to HBT!
It look completely normal and like you had a good fermentation. Leave it alone for a couple more weeks and bottle it up. It will clear considerably more if you leave it as is and let the floaties sink.
It look completely normal and like you had a good fermentation. Leave it alone for a couple more weeks and bottle it up. It will clear considerably more if you leave it as is and let the floaties sink.
Timmy, you can, I have forgone a secondary. Unless I need the 6.5 gallon vessel, it reduces the chance of infection IMHO. I prefer to cold crash for 5-7 days then bottle or keg.
most of us don't secondary. i only secondary a big beer ( 1 over 1.075 or so )
timmy7649
Well-Known Member
i was just told that i needed to get rid of the extra air space. if it is not a problem then i will let it go for the second week in the primary then. im all about easy. what do you all think?
mikeysab
Well-Known Member
There is no extra air space. You already built up a solid layer of co2, so there's no need to get rid of head space. Consider your beer safe, until you move it. If you move it, you move the co2, and risk oxidation and infection. The reason someone might tell you to have as little head space as possible is if you're doing a secondary. You want as little head space as possible in a secondary to lessen the risk of oxidation. The reason is that you're killing the co2 and introducing oxygen, and if fermentation is complete, there's nothing to get that co2 layer up again.
As you read more and more on HBT, you'll notice that secondaries are not necessary, except for additions, such as fruit, spice, or dry hopping. Of course, there are people that will fight to the death that secondaries are necessary. Most people will tell you that a good 3 to 4 weeks in primary will result in a great beer. Personally, I go 4 weeks no matter what, unless I need to have a beer ready for a holiday or get together or something. But I generally time things so that I have 4 weeks in primary and 3 to carb. Most people here do something similar.
So regarding your batch, and your pics, it looks totally normal, and there's no need to move your beer. The stuff on top will eventually settle to the bottom. Give it 4 weeks in primary, then bottle and carb for a good 3 weeks, and you'll be drinking a great beer.
As you read more and more on HBT, you'll notice that secondaries are not necessary, except for additions, such as fruit, spice, or dry hopping. Of course, there are people that will fight to the death that secondaries are necessary. Most people will tell you that a good 3 to 4 weeks in primary will result in a great beer. Personally, I go 4 weeks no matter what, unless I need to have a beer ready for a holiday or get together or something. But I generally time things so that I have 4 weeks in primary and 3 to carb. Most people here do something similar.
So regarding your batch, and your pics, it looks totally normal, and there's no need to move your beer. The stuff on top will eventually settle to the bottom. Give it 4 weeks in primary, then bottle and carb for a good 3 weeks, and you'll be drinking a great beer.
I think that is an excellent plan. I tend to primary for 4 weeks but I have a lot of primaries and a lot of beer so I'm never in a rush. As you get a pipeline going it gets much easier to leave your beer longer.
mikeysab
Well-Known Member
I can't imagine it ever getting easy to leave your beer in a bucket rather than get to the drinking phase, but I know what you mean. That's why I started doing bigger batches, and bought another fermenter. I still only have 4 fermentors and a bottling bucket and 3 1 gallon jugs for experimental batches of graff or cider. I'd like to actually GET a pipeline going.I currently have 10 g of Amber and 2 g of graff ferementing happily, and I'm doing another batch this saturday of Chocolate Cherry Stout. Geez, talking about this reminds me i need more bottles, or TAD's to put all this beer in.
Anyway, back on topic, letting your beer sit will yield better results, you'll see. It is difficult, but it's very worth it. Sometimes, if the pipeline is low, you could brew a cream or a blonde, or something that goes grain to glass quick, just to have something to drink while you let that next batch sit and work it's magic. You'll figure out how to make it work based on your schedule, your technique, and your overall lust for the hobby.
As for your schedule, if you have 6 weeks, I'd go 3 and 3. But that's just me....I like to give it more time in primary to let it bulk age a bit, and let all that yeast work that bastard over.
Anyway, back on topic, letting your beer sit will yield better results, you'll see. It is difficult, but it's very worth it. Sometimes, if the pipeline is low, you could brew a cream or a blonde, or something that goes grain to glass quick, just to have something to drink while you let that next batch sit and work it's magic. You'll figure out how to make it work based on your schedule, your technique, and your overall lust for the hobby.
As for your schedule, if you have 6 weeks, I'd go 3 and 3. But that's just me....I like to give it more time in primary to let it bulk age a bit, and let all that yeast work that bastard over.
timmy7649
Well-Known Member
cool thanks. i was just going by the recipie. it says to only ferment for 2 weeks. and read a book thr joy of homebrew and it said you should never ferment longer than 2 weeks. what does the extra time in the fermenter do?
mikeysab
Well-Known Member
Leaving it more than 2 weeks will help your yeast clean up after themselves and clear your beer a bit. 2 weeks might not even be enough for fermentation to have completed. If you get steady gravity readings, you could bottle, but a lot of people go 3 to 4 weeks primary.
A lot of the older books like "joy" and how to brew are outdated. Some of the techniques have been disproven. 2 weeks primary is one of them. Those books were written when yeast wasn't what it is today. Now, with better, healthier, stronger yeasts, the risk of autolosys is pretty much gone. Considering you pitch proper amounts of healthy yeast, ferment within the temperature range of your yeast, you should have nothing to worry about, leaving your beer past 2 weeks, even 2 months sometimes. Guys hae let their beer primary for 6 months and their beers won competitions.
A lot of the older books like "joy" and how to brew are outdated. Some of the techniques have been disproven. 2 weeks primary is one of them. Those books were written when yeast wasn't what it is today. Now, with better, healthier, stronger yeasts, the risk of autolosys is pretty much gone. Considering you pitch proper amounts of healthy yeast, ferment within the temperature range of your yeast, you should have nothing to worry about, leaving your beer past 2 weeks, even 2 months sometimes. Guys hae let their beer primary for 6 months and their beers won competitions.
mikeysab
Well-Known Member
Leaving it more than 2 weeks will help your yeast clean up after themselves and clear your beer a bit. 2 weeks might not even be enough for fermentation to have completed. If you get steady gravity readings, you could bottle, but a lot of people go 3 to 4 weeks primary.
A lot of the older books like "joy" and how to brew are outdated. Some of the techniques have been disproven. 2 weeks primary is one of them. Those books were written when yeast wasn't what it is today. Now, with better, healthier, stronger yeasts, the risk of autolosys is pretty much gone. Considering you pitch proper amounts of healthy yeast, ferment within the temperature range of your yeast, you should have nothing to worry about, leaving your beer past 2 weeks, even 2 months sometimes. Guys hae let their beer primary for 6 months and their beers won competitions.
A lot of the older books like "joy" and how to brew are outdated. Some of the techniques have been disproven. 2 weeks primary is one of them. Those books were written when yeast wasn't what it is today. Now, with better, healthier, stronger yeasts, the risk of autolosys is pretty much gone. Considering you pitch proper amounts of healthy yeast, ferment within the temperature range of your yeast, you should have nothing to worry about, leaving your beer past 2 weeks, even 2 months sometimes. Guys hae let their beer primary for 6 months and their beers won competitions.
Justibone
Well-Known Member
I think the old beer brewers were using the wine technique of racking it when it's about halfway. Autolysis was just the boogie man. I think barleywines should be treated like other wines, in that they could use secondaries and long aging in carboys. That's just opinion, though. Some people brew their wines like (flat) beer, drinking them in under a month! So, it's all preference I guess. 
mikeysab
Well-Known Member
Leaving it more than 2 weeks will help your yeast clean up after themselves and clear your beer a bit. 2 weeks might not even be enough for fermentation to have completed. If you get steady gravity readings, you could bottle, but a lot of people go 3 to 4 weeks primary.
A lot of the older books like "joy" and how to brew are outdated. Some of the techniques have been disproven. 2 weeks primary is one of them. Those books were written when yeast wasn't what it is today. Now, with better, healthier, stronger yeasts, the risk of autolosys is pretty much gone. Considering you pitch proper amounts of healthy yeast, ferment within the temperature range of your yeast, you should have nothing to worry about, leaving your beer past 2 weeks, even 2 months sometimes. Guys hae let their beer primary for 6 months and their beers won competitions.
A lot of the older books like "joy" and how to brew are outdated. Some of the techniques have been disproven. 2 weeks primary is one of them. Those books were written when yeast wasn't what it is today. Now, with better, healthier, stronger yeasts, the risk of autolosys is pretty much gone. Considering you pitch proper amounts of healthy yeast, ferment within the temperature range of your yeast, you should have nothing to worry about, leaving your beer past 2 weeks, even 2 months sometimes. Guys hae let their beer primary for 6 months and their beers won competitions.
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