First All Grain batch (1 gallon) yeast issue?

[thed163]

Hi.
New to the forum. Second batch brewed, first batch all grain (Brooklyn Brewers Jalapeno Saison)

GF Brewed this kit. I just helped. Did everything according... After 12 hours or so, the airlock was poppin, the yeast was swimmin, you could tell things were right.
After a day, the yeast stopped swimming. The beer got a bit lighter, sediment on the bottom, no more krausen...

No airlock activity, but I'm not using that as the end all be all, as I've read you shouldn't... But the kicker is she took no OG measurement, and we have no idea what it should be.

Temp could have changed. I just plan to leave it. I've seen people say things like this happen and then may even kick up and start again? Any ideas?

 

[flipfloptan]

What is your fermentation temp? Did it go below 62 degrees? Or above 72 degrees?

If not, I say leave it. I have noticed the duration of bubbles during fermentation in 1 gallon batches is very short.

If you had a krausen and it has dropped everything sounds good. Let is sit for a couple more weeks.

Enjoy.

 

[thed163]

Thanks! I definitely didn't drop below 62. Above 72... Possibly/probably?

I don't know exactly but it's in the basement now which is typically a consistent like 75.

I have a 5 gallon extract batch sitting in a carboy there that has been doing well, so I figure it's a decent environment.

Will leave it for 2 weeks as the recipe states, and see what comes of it. I thought it seemed like maybe the yeast didn't have enough sugar? Just tore through what they had then quit after a day? ...even if so, nothign we can do now.

 

[ColoHox]

There is some residual activity occurring, but I bet the bulk of fermentation is finished.

 

[thed163]

She's determined to follow this recipe to a T so... it'll sit for the 2 weeks it's supposed to. I'll try to figure out a TG for this recipe in the meantime, just to add that specificity to the mix.
Thanks for the speedy replies. Trying to keep her interest peaked, and a good first batch will def do that.

 

[thed163]

Not the best photos but... Most sediment is settled to the bottom. Some floaties floating around. Saw a few tiny bubbles going on...

Any cause for concern? I keep reading "those ice packs forming are bad"... Tell me we don't have the ice packs lol

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[flipfloptan]

the163,

Relax. everything is working. It is beer.

Use your time on HBT to research your next recipe. No more reading fermentation posts!!!!!

If your LHBS is close go buy a thermometer strip and stick it to the fermentor. After the initial fermentation I raise my temperature to 68 degrees to help with the last of the fermentation.

Beer is durable. It has been around a lot longer than us and made in less sterile environments than your apartment. Many times the infection fears are way overblown. If you sanitized and kept everything clean no worries.

 

[kombat]

Thanks! I definitely didn't drop below 62. Above 72... Possibly/probably?

I don't know exactly but it's in the basement now which is typically a consistent like 75.

I'm not trying to scare you, but let me just say that in my experience, fermentation temperature is the single most important factor in the difference between making great beer, and undrinkable banana-flavoured nail polish. Adequate aeration, sanitation, avoiding oxidation, recipe formulation, and ingredient freshness/quality round out the my top 6, but temperature control is firmly at the top of the list.

In general, for an ale yeast, you want to keep the beer's temperature between 62° F and 68° F, at least during those critical first 3-5 days of fermentation. I bolded the word "beer," because fermentation is an exothermic process, meaning it generates heat. So if the beer is sitting in a room that is 70° F, then the beer could be up to 10° F warmer, because of the heat generated during fermentation. And, unfortunately, that is much too hot for most ale yeasts. Heck, 70° F is too hot, in my opinion. I ferment my ales at exactly 64.5° F for a week, then let them warm up to ambient temperatures (usually 68-70° F).

I would strongly suggest that you invest in (at a bare minimum) a way of monitoring your fermentation temperatures, and (ideally) a way of controlling them tightly.

Monitoring temperatures is as simple as buying one of those $3 stick-on temperature strips ("Fermometer") and sticking it to your fermenter. Controlling temperatures is a little more involved, but I guarantee it will make an enormous difference in the quality of the resulting beer. I use a chest freezer connected to an STC-1000 temperature controller, along with a thermowell (to ensure I'm getting as accurate a measurement as possible of the actual beer temperature) and a heating belt connected to the same STC-1000 to ensure my beer's temperature stays within 0.5° F of the target.

Trust me, I've brewed over 100 batches of beer, and keeping those fermentation temperatures in tolerance has made the biggest improvement to my beer, by far.

 

[thed163]

I'm not trying to scare you, but let me just say that in my experience, fermentation temperature is the single most important factor in the difference between making great beer, and undrinkable banana-flavoured nail polish. Adequate aeration, sanitation, avoiding oxidation, recipe formulation, and ingredient freshness/quality round out the my top 6, but temperature control is firmly at the top of the list.

In general, for an ale yeast, you want to keep the beer's temperature between 62° F and 68° F, at least during those critical first 3-5 days of fermentation. I bolded the word "beer," because fermentation is an exothermic process, meaning it generates heat. So if the beer is sitting in a room that is 70° F, then the beer could be up to 10° F warmer, because of the heat generated during fermentation. And, unfortunately, that is much too hot for most ale yeasts. Heck, 70° F is too hot, in my opinion. I ferment my ales at exactly 64.5° F for a week, then let them warm up to ambient temperatures (usually 68-70° F).

I would strongly suggest that you invest in (at a bare minimum) a way of monitoring your fermentation temperatures, and (ideally) a way of controlling them tightly.

Monitoring temperatures is as simple as buying one of those $3 stick-on temperature strips ("Fermometer") and sticking it to your fermenter. Controlling temperatures is a little more involved, but I guarantee it will make an enormous difference in the quality of the resulting beer. I use a chest freezer connected to an STC-1000 temperature controller, along with a thermowell (to ensure I'm getting as accurate a measurement as possible of the actual beer temperature) and a heating belt connected to the same STC-1000 to ensure my beer's temperature stays within 0.5° F of the target.

Trust me, I've brewed over 100 batches of beer, and keeping those fermentation temperatures in tolerance has made the biggest improvement to my beer, by far.

This is super helpful.... but at the same time frustrating knowing that it's going to be tough to really lock down a good temp control environment.

Thanks for the info. I'll figure out how to best regulate it. In the dead of summer, it's been 90 degrees plus most days the past 2 weeks, and so the basement is the only semi cool area we have.

In winter, this should be not a problem. Then again, it may get too cold and our apartment doesn't hold a steady temp period. It's a super old house, and on the third floor.

I've noted your post in my mental notebook. Thanks!

 

[jrgtr42]

If your ambient temp is about 75, it's quite likely the beer is done ACTIVE fermentation.
There is still a lot of activity going on that you can't see. I would leave it be for at least another week to make sure everything is done before popping it open.
As far as OG goes, as long as everything was done by the numbers, you should have been close to the OG listed on the instructions, give or take .010 points or so.
The more important will be the FG, that will really tell you when things are done. I would recommend giving another week, taking a sample, then sealing it back up. Take another sample 2 or 3 days later, and presuming the numbers are the same, you're ready to bottle.
For fermentation temps, the easiest way to keep some semblance of control (presuming you don't invest in a dedicated fridge) is what's known as a swamp cooler. Put the bucket or carboy in a tub of water, hang an old t-shirt over it, and direct a fan to blow across it. That will pull out heat. You can also submerge in a tub of water, and swap ice packs in and out (20-oz soda bottles mostly filled with water, then frozen work great; when the ones in there melt, swap them out for frozen, and put the melted back in the freezer.)
It's not perfect, but it will get your temps down.

 

[thed163]

If your ambient temp is about 75, it's quite likely the beer is done ACTIVE fermentation.
There is still a lot of activity going on that you can't see. I would leave it be for at least another week to make sure everything is done before popping it open.
As far as OG goes, as long as everything was done by the numbers, you should have been close to the OG listed on the instructions, give or take .010 points or so.
The more important will be the FG, that will really tell you when things are done. I would recommend giving another week, taking a sample, then sealing it back up. Take another sample 2 or 3 days later, and presuming the numbers are the same, you're ready to bottle.
For fermentation temps, the easiest way to keep some semblance of control (presuming you don't invest in a dedicated fridge) is what's known as a swamp cooler. Put the bucket or carboy in a tub of water, hang an old t-shirt over it, and direct a fan to blow across it. That will pull out heat. You can also submerge in a tub of water, and swap ice packs in and out (20-oz soda bottles mostly filled with water, then frozen work great; when the ones in there melt, swap them out for frozen, and put the melted back in the freezer.)
It's not perfect, but it will get your temps down.

As for the readings, A) BBS didn't come with OG or TG on instructions. B)my gf thus, didn't want to take one.
I said okay, your brew, we'll do whatever you want.

Don't know if she just wants to check for 3 consistent readings in a row after 10 days or so... or if she just wants to leave it for 2 weeks like the directions said, but... I'm going to let her do whatever she wants. You know how it goes I'm sure.

As for our Pale Ale we brewed, we hit that TG on the nose and just bottled our first batch! Hoping for good results in a week and a half or so. (edited: we bottled a few days ago, before anyone says wait two weeks! lol)

And for swamp cooler, just was reading up on that. We may just buy a dedicated fridge... We have 4 heads on our investment, so the cost goes down drastically for each item as long as we all are buying into it's usefulness.

 

[kombat]

In the dead of summer, it's been 90 degrees plus most days the past 2 weeks, and so the basement is the only semi cool area we have.

In winter, this should be not a problem.

Ironically, my basement is cooler in the summer than it is in the winter. It only has 2 windows that face the sun, and they're covered with curtains. It's below ground, so gets cooled by the soil.

In the winter, the furnace is running periodically, which heats up the open room around it.

As for your specific circumstances, a simple step in the right direction would be to look into using a "swamp cooler." Basically, take one of those big plastic laundry tubs with the rope handles, and put your fermenter (carboy, bucket, whatever) in it. Fill it with water to below the level of your beer (so it doesn't float). Cover the fermenter with a damp t-shirt and drape the bottom edges into the water, so it wicks water up as it evaporates from the shirt. To get it even cooler, you can point a fan at it to promote evaporation and cooling, in addition to cycling frozen water bottles in the water in the tub to cool it down even further.

EDIT: Just saw jrgtr42's post, ignore the redundant description of a swamp cooler.

 

[C-Rider]

As far as the not taking an OG reading ... it's a kit and as long as you got your volume right you hit whatever the kit's instructions say.

If you are doing only 1 gallon batches temp control should be easy w/a bucket bigger than your fermenter w/water and ice that gets changed twice a day. I did that w/2 gallon batches till I bought my freezer and temp controller.

 

[thed163]

The one gallon is the gfs batch. We just bottled our first extract five gallon batch two days or so ago... I think the swamp cooler might be our next step.

Seems like it might be tough to keep it inside good temps but there's info everywhere on them so I'm sure I'm just over thinking.

Are you guys aware of if there are mini fridge that fit a give gallon car boy? I know a bucket would be easier but...
We could work out the temp control, my roommate especially but myself too are handy enough.

 

[flipfloptan]

I don't know of one but I picked up a 28 bottle wine cooler at garage sale for $25 and it will fit a 5 gallon bucket. It will hold 4 1 gallon glass jugs with a blow off bucket in the middle for all tubes from jugs.

I thought it would die after a couple of months but it has kept ticking 4 years now and countless batches. When it dies I will go find a 5.1 cuft deep freezer. 5 gallon batches are becoming less and less and don't need the bigger freezer.

My neighbor picked up an apartment size fridge to use for $30.

Garage sales, freecycle and craigslist will be your best bet for cheap ferm chamber.

 

[thed163]

Nice on the pick up! I'm going to keep an eye out. Wine fridge seems legit.

 

[Viking4]

A wine fridge is legit. Capacity is the only issue. I can fit only one 6.5 gallon carboy at a time in mine, but it keeps temperature pretty accurately.

 

[thed163]

One is better than none, right Viking? Plus, we are only doing 1 big batch at a time, the rest are going to be 2.5 - 3 gallon (or 1 gal when the gf brews)... not that it is less important, but may be easier to regulate with the swamp cooler idea? We'll see!