Ok I pressure fermented.... now what?

[luckybeagle]

I pressure fermented a doppelbock at room temperature in my Fermzilla with spunding valve and I have a few things I'd like to do with it now:

1. Dump the trub and yeast that's sitting in the catch--the butterfly valve has been open since pitching.
2. Transfer it to a carboy for a lagering period at ~50 in my garage, then bottle half, and keg the other half
3. Put something else in my Fermzilla that I'm planning to brew soon

It's currently at 9psi in the fermenter. If I bleed off all of the CO2, will that spoil the beer? Can I still rack it to a glass carboy with an airlock?

Just not exactly sure how taking it from 8psi at room temp to atmospheric pressure at 50 will affect the beer long-term. Thoughts/opinions? Maybe I am stuck with it as is and should just keg it?

 

[jddevinn]

The beer will be carbonated to saturation at 8psi, room temp. Changing to atmospheric and 50°F and the beer will degas CO2 until it is saturated again.

The airlock on a glass carboy is not going to be airtight. If it was me I would pressure transfer into a keg and then lager there, I see no reason to use the carboy.

 

[luckybeagle]

The airlock on a glass carboy is not going to be airtight. If it was me I would pressure transfer into a keg and then lager there, I see no reason to use the carboy.

Good idea and a nice, simple approach. I tend to overcomplicate things.

In the future, if I wanted to bottle a beer that I pressure-fermented at room temperature, would it be wise to degas the fermzilla to atmospheric pressure, then bottle as normal (with sugar)? Seems like any calculation I might try to make to account for existing carbonation in the beer might be a challenge.

 

[jddevinn]

I've never bottled before. But I think you should be safe to assume (if you haven't cold crashed or disturbed) that the beer is CO2 saturated at the fermentation temperature and pressure.

• Look the CO2 volume up on a carbonation chart. This is now the carbonation of the "flat beer"
• use the appropriate formula from https://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Accurately_Calculating_Sugar_Additions_for_Carbonation
• adjust the next batch as needed.

 

[Subject117]

What yeast did you use for the pressure fermentation. I just did my first batch in the fermzilla with M84 yeast at 20 psi almost a week ago and the sample I tasted was terrible I am hoping it cleans itself up

 

[luckybeagle]

What yeast did you use for the pressure fermentation. I just did my first batch in the fermzilla with M84 yeast at 20 psi almost a week ago and the sample I tasted was terrible I am hoping it cleans itself up

I used Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager. I believe that's different from the one you used (I think it's equivalent to M76 though I've never used/seen that brand at my LHBS so it's a guess)

Overall I'm not enamored with the two beers I've done with this yeast under room temp pressure fermentation (Marzen, doppelbock), but I don't think it's related to the process. There were no off flavors or fusel alcohols--just kind of an unpleasant, highly malt-forward taste. I was looking for something much cleaner and crisper, but in other threads I was directed to use a different yeast, that 2206 has been described as being a less clean/crisp lager yeast.

It did improve after about 4 weeks in the keg at 38F, but still misses the mark for my tastebuds. Curious to hear how this one changes for you over time since it's so young currently.

 

[apache_brew]

Rack and lager, then brew and Eisbock and dump that on the yeast cake!