AG = Faster Fermentation?

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mattjmac

mattjmac

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I brewed my first AG batch on Saturday using many ideas/DIY equipment from this site. Thanks to everyone for posting ideas, tips, techniques, etc. it went great and I hit my numbers exactly with a 71% efficiency.

Pitched yeast about 3pm on Saturday. At 1am on Sunday I checked on it and had nothing. By 7am Sunday morning (4yo daughter = no sleeping in) I had the most violent fermentation I have ever had. I had to take the airlock off and rig up a blow-off tube. It's still going gangbusters this morning.

I've done several extract brews using the same dry Nottingham yeast. So my question is, do AG batches produce sugars that yeast eat more quickly? Not really a groundbreaking question, but nothing else in my process changed from the start of the boil onward, except I used Starsan instead of no-rinse sanitizer in the primary (I also learned to not fear the foam)

Thanks!
 
AG provides more nutrients for yeast growth. Good growth conditions will produce more, healthier yeast -> means faster fermentation.
 
When you mashed, you might have produced more fermentable sugars than was in the equivalent extract. Its possible to do the opposite, too, if you mash at a higher temperature.

But generally, i've become comfortable with the notion that every fermentation is a little different. God bless those yeasties!
 
Congrats on your first all grain brew. I'm sure it's gonna taste great no matter how violent the fermentation is.

I've only blown chunks when using liquid yeast. So, I can't help other than to say it's more than likely the style of the beer being brewed and the amount of dry yeast you added to it. I haven't dived into calculating correct amount of dry yeast to add to the cooled wort yet so maybe someone else can help there. I'm still working on get over 70% and proper water ph, etc.
 
Thanks for the replies. I suspect there probably were more nutrients in the wort like david mentions above. It was definitely sweet because I tasted it while bringing it up to a boil (more out of curiosity than anything).

Thanks R2-D2. I was surprised with how easy the all grain thing really is after doing it for the first time. I've never had anyone show me the ropes so my whole process came from tips on this forum. Biggest challenge is just keeping hot water available at all times. A combination of old brewpots and SWMBO's pasta stock pots did the trick, though.

I'll post back here in 5 weeks or so when I get to taste the finished product.

I'm debating on whether to transfer to secondary or not. I always have in the past, but my latest batch of Apfelwein has been so well-liked by everybody that I'd like to get another batch going here soon and won't have the space. Does a secondary have any dramatic benefit to a nut brown ale?

Also, R2-D2. I work in Warrenville and recently discovered the Brewer's Coop (talk about an odd place for a brew shop/bar). Any other good LHBS's you can recommend in the area?
 
mattjmac said:
Thanks for the replies. I suspect there probably were more nutrients in the wort like david mentions above. It was definitely sweet because I tasted it while bringing it up to a boil (more out of curiosity than anything).

Thanks R2-D2. I was surprised with how easy the all grain thing really is after doing it for the first time. I've never had anyone show me the ropes so my whole process came from tips on this forum. Biggest challenge is just keeping hot water available at all times. A combination of old brewpots and SWMBO's pasta stock pots did the trick, though.

I'll post back here in 5 weeks or so when I get to taste the finished product.

I'm debating on whether to transfer to secondary or not. I always have in the past, but my latest batch of Apfelwein has been so well-liked by everybody that I'd like to get another batch going here soon and won't have the space. Does a secondary have any dramatic benefit to a nut brown ale?

Also, R2-D2. I work in Warrenville and recently discovered the Brewer's Coop (talk about an odd place for a brew shop/bar). Any other good LHBS's you can recommend in the area?
Click to expand...

make sure you come back to the board before 5 weeks :)
 
Temperature may have more to do with the volcanic fermentation than anything else. I like to pitch on the cool side and keep the fermenter at a controlled temperature. Once it begins to go volcanic, it's very difficult to cool it down to slow the fermentation even in a fridge. Usually it's over before you can get the temps back down. Might also be a combination of superior nutrients and temperature. Sometimes the yeast just get rambunctious for no obvious reason. Gangsta yeast!
 
mattjmac said:
Also, R2-D2. I work in Warrenville and recently discovered the Brewer's Coop (talk about an odd place for a brew shop/bar). Any other good LHBS's you can recommend in the area?
Click to expand...

Lol! Ain't that the truth. The first time I took my buddy to drink at the Tap House, I had to swear to him that I was not taking him out to some remote location to kill him. You really have to work to find this place.

The one time I bough from Brewer's Coop I had to beg them to open the door at 12:30 pm on a friday. The employees were more interested in eating/drinking at the bar of the Tap House.

I order most of my stuff from the internet - Austin Homebrew Supply or Midwest. I got my start from Fox Valley Homebrew in downtown Aurora. They are a bit pricey and I prefer to stay out of downtown Aurora. But they usually have what you need and do offer some classes/seminars. I've that about doing something like that sometime. I think they also have a club that meets there.

I work at the corner of Washington and Diehl Roads. Let me know if you ever want a taste tester.
 
Catt22 said:
Temperature may have more to do with the volcanic fermentation than anything else. I like to pitch on the cool side and keep the fermenter at a controlled temperature. Once it begins to go volcanic, it's very difficult to cool it down to slow the fermentation even in a fridge. Usually it's over before you can get the temps back down. Might also be a combination of superior nutrients and temperature. Sometimes the yeast just get rambunctious for no obvious reason. Gangsta yeast!
Click to expand...

I've got it in a tub of water in the basement and I check the temp twice a day. It's at a constant 64 degrees which is mid-range for Notttingham yeast (at least according to the packet). Do you recommend a lower temp.?
 
R2-D2 said:
Lol! Ain't that the truth. The first time I took my buddy to drink at the Tap House, I had to swear to him that I was not taking him out to some remote location to kill him. You really have to work to find this place.

The one time I bough from Brewer's Coop I had to beg them to open the door at 12:30 pm on a friday. The employees were more interested in eating/drinking at the bar of the Tap House.

I order most of my stuff from the internet - Austin Homebrew Supply or Midwest. I got my start from Fox Valley Homebrew in downtown Aurora. They are a bit pricey and I prefer to stay out of downtown Aurora. But they usually have what you need and do offer some classes/seminars. I've that about doing something like that sometime. I think they also have a club that meets there.

I work at the corner of Washington and Diehl Roads. Let me know if you ever want a taste tester.
Click to expand...

No kidding. I always have to knock on the door of the distributorship to have somebody come over. I told my friend the EXACT same thing. "I swear I didn't rent a locker at the storage place to put your body in". Immediately followed by "You ARE buying today, right?"
 
mattjmac said:
I've got it in a tub of water in the basement and I check the temp twice a day. It's at a constant 64 degrees which is mid-range for Notttingham yeast (at least according to the packet). Do you recommend a lower temp.?
Click to expand...

Stay the course... you are doing great.

As to not doing a secondary... are you bottling or kegging?

I have stopped doing a secondary for the most part, and on many beers do 3 weeks in the primary and then keg. Some things need to clear (my pumpkin ale went into a secondary) and sometimes I use the secondary for space. I ask if you are bottling or kegging, as kegs you can release pressure if you go in a little too soon... take those hydrometer readings and let that notty finish it off! And taste it... if it tastes good and the reading is right, bottle it!

You might also check out the Graff recipe, as it ferments out in 2 weeks, and clears faster than apfelwine. Little different taste, little more involved process. I made it with nottingham... so you could put it on the yeast cake from the beer you are fermenting now.
 
I keg. Usually do a force carbonation, but I'm getting more patient and I think I'll add some corn sugar and do a natural carb on this batch. I'll try 3 weeks and kegging. May as well see how it turns out without the secondary.

Thanks for the suggestion of using this yeast cake for the next batch of cider. Will the beer trub give the cider an odd taste?
 

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