Old ''mud'' in new wort?

[DubbinFive1Eight]

I was talking to a few friends of mine who are anything but veterans in the home brewing scene... And they were telling me how using ''mud'' from a primary fermentation (the gunk left on the side of the fermenter) can be used for flavor if you add it to a batch later on?

Sounds weird to me... But plausible. I did search the forum, but I don't know the proper name for what I call ''mud'', so if it's been discussed several times, please have mercy

So, if this is something done by home brewers, I'm just curious as to what it does, and how these leftovers should be stored between batches.

Thanks!

PS. Off topic, but can a third fermentation stage be applied, and if so, are there any benefits? I'm wondering because I have a blond ale in secondary fermentation now (glass carboy), and its a pain in the rear to take hydrometer readings. I'd rather open up a bucket and just drop the thing in

 

[LizardBrew83]

That "mud" is called krausen- the head that develops from primary fermentation. I have never heard of using it to flavor other beers. I could be wrong but they may be confusing it with the traditional german method of carbonating call "krausening." But that is totally different where unfermented wort is added before bottling instead of priming sugar.

Buy yourself a "thief" it makes getting samples easier from the glass carboy for taking gravity readings. Not much point in a third fermentor. There is debate whether a secondary is even necessary in some cases.

 

[klyph]

I was talking to a few friends of mine who are anything but veterans in the home brewing scene... And they were telling me how using ''mud'' from a primary fermentation (the gunk left on the side of the fermenter) can be used for flavor if you add it to a batch later on?

Sounds weird to me... But plausible. I did search the forum, but I don't know the proper name for what I call ''mud'', so if it's been discussed several times, please have mercy

So, if this is something done by home brewers, I'm just curious as to what it does, and how these leftovers should be stored between batches.

Thanks!

I've never heard of that. BTW it is referred to as trub (pronounced troob). You can reuse it as the yeast for a fresh batch, but I don't believe adding it to a batch that's already gone through primary would be beneficial. Maybe if the primary under attenuated and you're trying to knock it a few points lower. Or maybe they were thinking of krausening which is where you add fresh wort right before fermentation is complete. I don't know for sure, but I can't recommend pitching trub into an already fermented beer.

PS. Off topic, but can a third fermentation stage be applied, and if so, are there any benefits? I'm wondering because I have a blond ale in secondary fermentation now (glass carboy), and its a pain in the rear to take hydrometer readings. I'd rather open up a bucket and just drop the thing in

Unnecessary transferring could oxidize the beer. homebrewers are getting away from using secondary fermentation, I can't recommend a second racking unless you are really struggling with clarity and require a polished beer.

 

[DubbinFive1Eight]

Thanks for quick replies!

To clarify (which sounds like it wont make a difference lol), they suggested pitching the trub directly after you cool the boiled wort? Maybe thats the yeasting you were referring to? Not sure... I saved my trub in a sanitized ziplock, but if it has to do with yeasting, I probably won't mess with it. I'm pretty new to home brewing (This is only my 4th batch) and I'm still using kits... With some modifications. But I haven't fully learned the chemestry of how much needs to go where, when, so I don't wanna mess with yeasting yet.

Oh, and what happens if you oxidize the beer after most of the primary fermentation?

One of my recipies, dunno if its the dunkelweizen or the blond, says that airation is recomended directly before pitching yeast?

Thanks again!

 

[Skaggz]

Oh, and what happens if you oxidize the beer after most of the primary fermentation?

One of my recipies, dunno if its the dunkelweizen or the blond, says that airation is recomended directly before pitching yeast?

Oxidizing the beer after fermentation takes place can lead to a wet cardboard taste. Not desired in any style that I can think of right now.

It is always a good idea to aerate the wort directly before pitching the yeast. This will lead to a healthy aerobic respiration cycle that will guarantee a good quantity of healthy yeast cells to get the job done once anaerobic respiration (fermentation) starts.

 

[klyph]

Thanks for quick replies!

To clarify (which sounds like it wont make a difference lol), they suggested pitching the trub directly after you cool the boiled wort? Maybe thats the yeasting you were referring to? Not sure... I saved my trub in a sanitized ziplock, but if it has to do with yeasting, I probably won't mess with it. I'm pretty new to home brewing (This is only my 4th batch) and I'm still using kits... With some modifications. But I haven't fully learned the chemestry of how much needs to go where, when, so I don't wanna mess with yeasting yet.

Trub can refer to the sediment in the bottom of the kettle after boiling or the sediment in a fermentation vessel. They might have been saying "pitch" (get rid of) the "trub" (in the kettle) since it is recommended that you don't put the sediment from the kettle into the fermentor.

The terminology is confusing, I know. Ask your friends to clarify what they meant. I bet they are advising to not let the sediment from the kettle get transferred into the fermentor.

 

[DubbinFive1Eight]

Thanks for the post! And on that note, what can happen if you do transfer that sediment? ... It's something I forgot to do with my blond ale. However fermentation started within 24 hours at a healthy pace, and I transfered to a secondary fermenter within 7 days where all that sediment was seperated. Smells like I would probably drink it right now too lol so it couldn't have done much harm...

 

[northernlad]

Nothing will happen if you transfer the trub from your boil kettle, you just want to make sure you give it time to compact nice and tight before you transfer to bottling bucket or secondary.
It does mess up your volume calcs a little so i have made that adjustment and end up with 5.5 gallons into the fermentor to be sure I get a 5 gallon yield after the trub has settled.

 

[jfr1111]

That crap stuck to the sides is mainly hop resin, protein and other assorted stuff you don't want in your beer anyway, why would you want to add it back to ANOTHER beer is lost on me. Leave that thing alone. Some people do harvest yeast from the top of the beer, but they don't start to scoop the brown crumbly stuff from the sides of the bucket and conserve it for later use.

 

[DubbinFive1Eight]

That crap stuck to the sides is mainly hop resin, protein and other assorted stuff you don't want in your beer anyway, why would you want to add it back to ANOTHER beer is lost on me. Leave that thing alone. Some people do harvest yeast from the top of the beer, but they don't start to scoop the brown crumbly stuff from the sides of the bucket and conserve it for later use.

Haha, alright I guess I'll chuck it then. That IS the stuff they were referring to (to add to a new batch of unfermented wort later on).

Thanks