Cosmicbrew
Member
to swirl my 7 gallon bucket of fermenting wort to re-suspend the yeast and possibly aerate it some more? I'm on my fifth day of fermentation. Thanks all!
Would it hurt to.....
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Tall_Yotie
Well-Known Member
A gentle swirl, no, would not be an issue, but don't splash it and aerate it. Just get the yeast up.
Why do you need to swirl? You think your fermentation is stuck? Taken a hydrometer reading yet?
Asking all the questions now that are soon to come up.
Why do you need to swirl? You think your fermentation is stuck? Taken a hydrometer reading yet?
Asking all the questions now that are soon to come up.
don't want to aerate once the yeast is pitched. Swirling won't heart.. but, in reality.. you won't need to.. further, IMO, with a bucket, you will be forced to "pinch" the bucket a bit causing it to expel some CO2 and suck in some air once you let go.
Leave it go for another 2-3 or more weeks just as it is.
Leave it go for another 2-3 or more weeks just as it is.
JonK331
Well-Known Member
Don't do it unless the fermentation is stuck. Just let it do its thing and don't mess with it. Brew more beer if you feel the need to do something.
Cosmicbrew
Member
I just figured that when I make starters, I give a swirl to the growler every now and then to keep the yeast suspended. I want to buy an magnetic stirrer as the next addition to my brew kit.
I had an explosive fermentation the first few days, so I know I'm going to get beer. I just want a nice and high abv on this wee heavy.
Maybe I should just leave it be
Cosmicbrew
Member
how do you know when fermentation is stuck?
BryceL
Well-Known Member
You need to take gravity readings to tell if it is stuck. It sounds like yours took off fine and is doing its thing, so I would just leave it be. Give it a few more days and then take a reading to see how it's coming along.
homebrewdad
Well-Known Member
In starters, the point is to grow yeast, not to make beer. You stir starters to keep extra oxygen coming in for the point of helping the yeast reproduce as much as possible - flavor is not an issue.
When you make beer, you want the yeast to digest your sugars and make beer; yeast growth is a byproduct of the process, not the point. You aerate to start so that the yeast have enough oxygen to live, but after that, you avoid aeration like the plague - oxygenation of beer (not wort) results in a cardboard off flavor that you cannot remove or age out.
Stirring the beer will almost certainly not help you, but can absolutely hurt you. Don't do it.
If you got explosive fermentation to begin with, things are almost certainly just fine. Let the yeast to their thing!
Cosmicbrew
Member
Thank you homebrewdad for the thorough explanation; much appreciated!
