Lagered my IPA

[jarnock]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here is my latest brewing blunder: Normal IPA. Went on vacation and used my fermentation chamber (freezer with J&J Temp control unit). Now i had done a batch before and I tweaked it to get it to 66-68. So I went back on vacation to see my family and low and behold I left and it was at 66, but when I got back it was at 46.

Anyone else ever done something like this? I used Danstar West Coast Ale Yeast. I have no idea what happened, but like I said its now at 66 and I'm going to let it sit there for another 7 days (21 days total).

So - Danstar West Coast Ale @ 46 - any ideas?

 

[uSlackr]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here is my latest brewing blunder: Normal IPA. Went on vacation and used my fermentation chamber (freezer with J&J Temp control unit). Now i had done a batch before and I tweaked it to get it to 66-68. So I went back on vacation to see my family and low and behold I left and it was at 66, but when I got back it was at 46.

Anyone else ever done something like this? I used Danstar West Coast Ale Yeast. I have no idea what happened, but like I said its now at 66 and I'm going to let it sit there for another 7 days (21 days total).

So - Danstar West Coast Ale @ 46 - any ideas?

What is the SG? Did it ferment at all? Certainly if it didn't you have a problem. If it did, then what does it taste like? If you like it, bottle & drink.

\\uSlackr

 

[allenH]

BRY-97 @ 46 degrees, most likely equals sleepy time. Take a gravity reading and see what your attenuation is vs the spec sheet. I have had similar strains finish really quick. Since you warmed it up, you will prob need to stir it a bit to get it back into suspension if it has not finished.

 

[jarnock]

It was a high OG...didn't get a reading yet on FG. Just got back yesterday and I checked the temp and corrected it, now I'm just waiting until I bottle. It did ferment, I had a blow out - so I KNOW it fermented. It only blew out a little. Now i Have the temp probe wrapped in a towel l ike someone here on homebretalk told me.

/Jarnock

 

[jarnock]

BRY-97 @ 46 degrees, most likely equals sleepy time. Take a gravity reading and see what your attenuation is vs the spec sheet. I have had similar strains finish really quick. Since you warmed it up, you will prob need to stir it a bit to get it back into suspension if it has not finished.

Alright, will give that a try! Thanks!

 

[agcorry00]

You'll probably want to check the FG on different days at non-lager temp to make sure the yeast don't wake up and give you bottle bombs. Or maybe not, I haven't dealt with this before.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Take a reading first. It sounds like you have your temp probe in the air in your chamber so it is reading the temp in the freezer rather than the temp of the beer. I tape my probe to the side of the fermenter and insulate with a small piece of Styrofoam. If you had a blowout then you obviously had a vigorous fermentation and it might have finished before temps dropped too low. If you aren't near your estimated FG then raise the temps and GENTLY rouse the yeast by swirling not stirring so you do not introduce O2. Have you figured out why the temps dropped so far below your set temp?

 

[jarnock]

Take a reading first. It sounds like you have your temp probe in the air in your chamber so it is reading the temp in the freezer rather than the temp of the beer. I tape my probe to the side of the fermenter and insulate with a small piece of Styrofoam. If you had a blowout then you obviously had a vigorous fermentation and it might have finished before temps dropped too low. If you aren't near your estimated FG then raise the temps and GENTLY rouse the yeast by swirling not stirring so you do not introduce O2. Have you figured out why the temps dropped so far below your set temp?

Not sure why the temps rose. I changed it now to where I have the temp probe wrapped around a towel inside the freezer.

 

[allenH]

"To calculate attenuation percentage, the following equation can be used:
[(OG-FG)/(OG-1)] x 100" -from white labs site.

Use this to figure out where you are in your fermentation.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Not sure why the temps rose. I changed it now to where I have the temp probe wrapped around a towel inside the freezer.

You are still measuring the temp (albeit somewhat insulated by the towel) of your chamber not your beer. Liquid temps change slowly, air temps very quickly. You will get a much more accurate reading if you tape the probe to the fermenter and insulate it with a block of foam with a little spot carved out for the probe to fit in so the foam fits flush to the fermenter. Just my 2¢

 

[BigFloyd]

Not sure why the temps rose. I changed it now to where I have the temp probe wrapped around a towel inside the freezer.

How does that help you measure the beer temp? Simply tape it to the fermenter and then tape some kind of insulation (like bubble wrap) atop it so that you are reading the beer, not the air (or the inside of a towel).

Since you can make it cold, once it's reached a steady FG, turn it down to 35*F and cold crash that IPA 5-6 days (in the primary) to clarify the beer and firm up the yeast cake. Skip any secondary and go straight to the bottling bucket.