Hey All -
So, this is my first batch, and I'm very excited. At the same time, I am definitely encountering all of the typical first-time jitters. I've already freaked out about cleaning/sanitation, pitch temperature, and fermentation temperature. I've eased my mind about those, but I have one last concern that I was hoping to address.
I woke up about 12 hours after pitching my yeast (dry yeast) and noticed some good-looking activity in my airlock. 18 hours, still looked good. 24 hours after pitching, it looked like the process had stalled. I took a hydrometer reading after 48 hours, and noticed that it had already gotten down to the manufacturer's specs for the final gravity of 1.013 (adjusted for temperature) and the temperature at this time was 76F. Based on everything I had read, this happened VERY quickly. Perhaps, too quickly. It should also be noted that when I took my hydrometer reading, the beer smelled like beer, but it smelled a little stale. It smelled like your house a day after a big party, and you didn't clean up all the beer cups (this is what concerns me the most, I don't want stale beer).
A few things you may want to know. I'm using a malt extract kit, assembled and packaged by Midwest Supplies (http://www.brew-winemaking.com/ProductPDF/3357.pdf). The OG was 1.030, which I realized was a bit low, but there are a number of reasons I have deduced that could've caused this. I didn't adjust for temperature, and the wort may not have been fully mixed with my top-off water prior to measurement. I pitched at approximately 82F.
I will do another hydrometer reading tonight when I get home from work (about 72 hours after pitching yeast). If I have a constant hydrometer reading for 3-4 days, I'm going to rack to my carboy for conditioning. Is there any way for me to filter out some sediment while siphoning to my carboy? I'd like my final beer to be as clear as possible.
Given what I've said so far, is there any reason to be concerned about such a rapid fermentation process?
Thanks for your help,
Dave
So, this is my first batch, and I'm very excited. At the same time, I am definitely encountering all of the typical first-time jitters. I've already freaked out about cleaning/sanitation, pitch temperature, and fermentation temperature. I've eased my mind about those, but I have one last concern that I was hoping to address.
I woke up about 12 hours after pitching my yeast (dry yeast) and noticed some good-looking activity in my airlock. 18 hours, still looked good. 24 hours after pitching, it looked like the process had stalled. I took a hydrometer reading after 48 hours, and noticed that it had already gotten down to the manufacturer's specs for the final gravity of 1.013 (adjusted for temperature) and the temperature at this time was 76F. Based on everything I had read, this happened VERY quickly. Perhaps, too quickly. It should also be noted that when I took my hydrometer reading, the beer smelled like beer, but it smelled a little stale. It smelled like your house a day after a big party, and you didn't clean up all the beer cups (this is what concerns me the most, I don't want stale beer).
A few things you may want to know. I'm using a malt extract kit, assembled and packaged by Midwest Supplies (http://www.brew-winemaking.com/ProductPDF/3357.pdf). The OG was 1.030, which I realized was a bit low, but there are a number of reasons I have deduced that could've caused this. I didn't adjust for temperature, and the wort may not have been fully mixed with my top-off water prior to measurement. I pitched at approximately 82F.
I will do another hydrometer reading tonight when I get home from work (about 72 hours after pitching yeast). If I have a constant hydrometer reading for 3-4 days, I'm going to rack to my carboy for conditioning. Is there any way for me to filter out some sediment while siphoning to my carboy? I'd like my final beer to be as clear as possible.
Given what I've said so far, is there any reason to be concerned about such a rapid fermentation process?
Thanks for your help,
Dave