Demus said:
Maybe I'll do it this weekend and get that fermenting keg cleaned out and ready for another batch.
Golddiggie said:30 days on the yeast isn't any issue at all. I have had batches sit far longer than that and not have any issues. I have a batch (an ESB) that's been sitting in the basement (unfinished/cooler side) for just over 2 months now. I keep intending to transfer it to keg, but other things keep coming up.
So, I can let a batch go as long as needed. I also have a 50L vessel for fermenting up to about 12.5 gallons at a time.
Golddiggie said:Well, luckily, I have 5 fermenting vessels/kegs for my normal sized batches of beer.
Golddiggie said:
Demus said:As a follow on, I just re-read the thread and noticed it's only your 3rd batch. I brewed plenty of stinkers at that level!! Assuming good sanitation, the most important variable in fermentation is temperature. The temperature of the beer, not the air around it. During active fermentation, (1st few days when bubbling like crazy) your beer can be as much as 10 degrees higher than the air around it. Too warm can definitely lead to off flavors. Consult the yeast company for ideal temperature for strain. As the ferment slows, you have to raise the air temp so the beer doesn't cool. The best setup is an extra fridge with a temperature controller. Low tech solutions include moving it around to different locations in the house, ice water baths and blankets.
Another very important variable is aeration. Most new brewers and even some experienced ones just don't get enough oxygen into the wort before pitching the yeast. They shake the carboy for a few minutes and call it good. This results in all kinds of fermentation problems including off flavors and under attenuation (not getting down to final gravity). I read a study done by White labs that showed 5 minutes of the "shake and splash" resulted in less than half of the required dissolved oxygen yeast need to get a proper start for a good ferment. I use an oxygen tank and metal air stone to inject oxygen into the wort. The same type of stone and an aquarium pump works also, but you have to leave it on longer (at least 10 minutes vs 1 with O2). This is especially important if you are only pitching a vile or smack pack of yeast. This is "underpitching", or not pitching the recommended amount of yeast for a given gravity beer. Since oxygen is a key factor in yeast reproduction, you have a two-fold problem, not enough healthy yeast to ferment your beer properly.
I'm off on this rant to stress the fact that we make wort, it's the yeast that make the beer. A fairly boring, plain-jane recipe that has been properly fermented by happy, healthy yeast will very likely taste better than the most creative, delicious sounding recipe that was under-pitched, under-aerated and not temperature controlled.
All this said, your beer will very likely still improve if you let it age. I've been disappointed by many a first taste and it never ceases to amaze me how much a month or more cool in the bottle or keg improves a beer.
Welcome to the world's best hobby!!!!!
At $12.50 it's money well spent. Learning 'yeast wrangling' will help you to get better and better beer in your glass. Not imposing a human time frame on the yeast is the first step. Giving them enough O2, nutrients, and time are also big steps along that path. Pitching the correct amount of yeast cells (or at least within 5-10% of where you should be) also seriously helps.
There's a metric ass-ton of posts/threads about all of these subjects already, so I won't go into them [much]. I will say that you can get O2 into the wort faster/easier with a pure O2 system. Starters will give you the cell count you need, with stirplates making the starters smaller and finish faster. :fro:
BTW, you might want to get the Yeast book.
Demus said:As a follow on, I just re-read the thread and noticed it's only your 3rd batch. I brewed plenty of stinkers at that level!! Assuming good sanitation, the most important variable in fermentation is temperature. The temperature of the beer, not the air around it. During active fermentation, (1st few days when bubbling like crazy) your beer can be as much as 10 degrees higher than the air around it. Too warm can definitely lead to off flavors. Consult the yeast company for ideal temperature for strain. As the ferment slows, you have to raise the air temp so the beer doesn't cool. The best setup is an extra fridge with a temperature controller. Low tech solutions include moving it around to different locations in the house, ice water baths and blankets.
Another very important variable is aeration. Most new brewers and even some experienced ones just don't get enough oxygen into the wort before pitching the yeast. They shake the carboy for a few minutes and call it good. This results in all kinds of fermentation problems including off flavors and under attenuation (not getting down to final gravity). I read a study done by White labs that showed 5 minutes of the "shake and splash" resulted in less than half of the required dissolved oxygen yeast need to get a proper start for a good ferment. I use an oxygen tank and metal air stone to inject oxygen into the wort. The same type of stone and an aquarium pump works also, but you have to leave it on longer (at least 10 minutes vs 1 with O2). This is especially important if you are only pitching a vile or smack pack of yeast. This is "underpitching", or not pitching the recommended amount of yeast for a given gravity beer. Since oxygen is a key factor in yeast reproduction, you have a two-fold problem, not enough healthy yeast to ferment your beer properly.
I'm off on this rant to stress the fact that we make wort, it's the yeast that make the beer. A fairly boring, plain-jane recipe that has been properly fermented by happy, healthy yeast will very likely taste better than the most creative, delicious sounding recipe that was under-pitched, under-aerated and not temperature controlled.
All this said, your beer will very likely still improve if you let it age. I've been disappointed by many a first taste and it never ceases to amaze me how much a month or more cool in the bottle or keg improves a beer.
Welcome to the world's best hobby!!!!!
