Whoops.....wort before fruit in secondary

[Rossweiser]

Good morning.

A little background: first brew, apricot wheat ale is the goal, started 8 days ago, only using a secondary fermentation because of the fruit.

Last night I was moving to secondary fermentation and my plan WAS to add the fruit into the carboy, then rack the wort on top to aid in mixing with out adding unnecessary oxygen.

Well I got too damned excited (NERD ALERT!) and starting racking the wort, after a minute or two I realized my pure was still sitting on the counter....so I finished racking the wort, I didn't want to stop the siphon and add unnecessary oxygen. Once the wort was finished I poured in the purée, installed a bung and blowoff (heard horror stories about violent fermentation when adding fruit) wrapped my carboy in a light blanket to protect it from light and went to bed.

This morning I woke up and immediately checked the blowoff. Nothing violent was happening, and the fermentation was coming along nicely at about one bubble every second or so. I plan on leaving the blow off in place for a day or two and then switching to my airlock

Here's where I have some questions since I'm very green.

1) My bung didn't want to stay set in the neck so I rigged a wire set up much like a champagne bottle. How do I get the bung to stay in the neck?

2) Will there be a different outcome because the fruit was added second? Or will it be ok?

3) With the blow off setup I used a one gallon jug filled with starsan mix. Is this good or am I paranoid and wasting starsan?

4) Should I even bother switching to an airlock?

5) How does letting the secondary sit for 30ish days sound?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Cheers.


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[chickypad]

- Yeah when the stoppers are wet they often pop out, I like the carboy caps instead. Once it's dry you can usually jam it in good,
- If you poured gently there should be no problem adding the fruit after, you just don't want to splash too much.
-You don't need a gallon of starsan, I use a smaller jug with about 2-3 cups.
-I usually don't usually bother changing to an airlock unless aging - which brings me to your last question. For a wheat beer I'd leave it on the fruit for about a week then package. Wheat beers are good young and you're going to lose fruit character aging. IME it's like dry hopping, you get most of the fruit character out in the first week or so then it starts to be less bright.

 

[JimRausch]

Good morning.

A little background: first brew, apricot wheat ale is the goal, started 8 days ago, only using a secondary fermentation because of the fruit.

Last night I was moving to secondary fermentation and my plan WAS to add the fruit into the carboy, then rack the wort on top to aid in mixing with out adding unnecessary oxygen.

Well I got too damned excited (NERD ALERT!) and starting racking the wort, after a minute or two I realized my pure was still sitting on the counter....so I finished racking the wort, I didn't want to stop the siphon and add unnecessary oxygen. Once the wort was finished I poured in the purée, installed a bung and blowoff (heard horror stories about violent fermentation when adding fruit) wrapped my carboy in a light blanket to protect it from light and went to bed.

This morning I woke up and immediately checked the blowoff. Nothing violent was happening, and the fermentation was coming along nicely at about one bubble every second or so. I plan on leaving the blow off in place for a day or two and then switching to my airlock

Here's where I have some questions since I'm very green.

1) My bung didn't want to stay set in the neck so I rigged a wire set up much like a champagne bottle. How do I get the bung to stay in the neck?

2) Will there be a different outcome because the fruit was added second? Or will it be ok?

3) With the blow off setup I used a one gallon jug filled with starsan mix. Is this good or am I paranoid and wasting starsan?

4) Should I even bother switching to an airlock?

5) How does letting the secondary sit for 30ish days sound?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Cheers.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Welcome and congratulations on your 1st brew!
A: 1. The stopper may stay in better after it dries off. Starsan tends to be 'slickery'. Wiring it on was a good idea.
2. Should not be any difference in adding the fruit 1st or 2nd, assuming that by now it's all mixed in/settling to the bottom.
3. I use starsan in my blowoff jug. Water is OK, but I just save some of the starsan that i used when I was sanitizing my fermenter.
4. You can leave the blowoff on or switch after a couple days. Up to you. I usually switch, but only because it's one less jug to trip over.
5. You can let it sit for 30 days if it fits into your bottling/kegging schedule. But you don't have to. 1 or 2 weeks is plenty to get all the fruit goodness.
6. Oops, you didn't have a 6. Good luck!

 

[Rossweiser]

Much appreciated Chickypad. I'll look into carboy caps. As far as the blowoff jug there is only about 1.5 qts in the jug. But none the less I will look at ways to improve it.



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[flars]

Agree with chickypad.
Make sure your blow off container is at or below the level of the of the fermentors base to reduce the chance of a back siphon.

 

[Rossweiser]

Roger that flars. The carboy is on a 2" stiff foam mat to insulate it from the floor. The jug is directly on the floor. I'm so paranoid about my sanitation it's guaranteed to be the one thing that is never underdone. Most likely it will be overkill.


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[aiptasia]

Here's where I have some questions since I'm very green.

1) My bung didn't want to stay set in the neck so I rigged a wire set up much like a champagne bottle. How do I get the bung to stay in the neck?

Buy one that fits. A good bung should fit in about halfway before meeting with resistance, and you can press it in to 3/4 of the way in the lip of the carboy. Wetting the bung with some starsan can help lubricate it. If it keeps popping out and is too hard to install, it's too big and can be stepped down a half size. Take it to your LHBS and get one a half size smaller.

2) Will there be a different outcome because the fruit was added second? Or will it be ok?

It should be fine if you sanitized the fruit before you puree'd it. Did you freeze the fruit and/or soak the whole fruits in starsan? Apricots can be covered in wild bugs and yeasts and they need to be sanitized a bit before they're used.

3) With the blow off setup I used a one gallon jug filled with starsan mix. Is this good or am I paranoid and wasting starsan?

Wasting starsan. You only need to fill the jug with starsan to a level that covers the end of the tube.

4) Should I even bother switching to an airlock?

You'll never need one if you use a blowoff tube/bucket combo.

5) How does letting the secondary sit for 30ish days sound?

Terrible. You should just use a hydrometer and draw out some samples with a wine thief, auto siphon or sanitized turkey baster. It's ready to rack and bottle when the specific gravity stops falling and stays the same for 2-3 days in a row. Then, just rack and bottle/keg with your priming sugar.

 

[kh54s10]

Agreed with everything already said except you don't need to I use so much Starsan. You can get suck back for various reasons. You only need enough to keep the end of the tube submerged. I use about a cup in a margarine tub, which sits in a pot in case it overflows.

Even then, bad microbes cannot fly and will not go up the tube unless you have some sort of airflow pushing them through.

 

[sweetcell]

1) My bung didn't want to stay set in the neck so I rigged a wire set up much like a champagne bottle. How do I get the bung to stay in the neck?

your wire cage thing is a good idea. rubber bungs often pop out. this is why i've switched to soft plastic stoppers (like http://morebeer.com/products/universal-stopper-hole.html)

2) Will there be a different outcome because the fruit was added second? Or will it be ok?

will be ok.

3) With the blow off setup I used a one gallon jug filled with starsan mix. Is this good or am I paranoid and wasting starsan?

1 gallon is more than you need. the end of the ose need to just barely be sticking in the starsan. so you don't need a full gallon of the stuff. get the hose to touch the bottom of the jug, then add a few ounces. just enough to cover the end by a half-inch or so.

4) Should I even bother switching to an airlock?

up to you. no need to, but might be more convenient. no hose to trip over, no star san to knock over, easier to move, etc.

5) How does letting the secondary sit for 30ish days sound?

probably too long. a week, week and a half should be plenty.

 

[chickypad]

Buy one that fits. A good bung should fit in about halfway before meeting with resistance, and you can press it in to 3/4 of the way in the lip of the carboy. Wetting the bung with some starsan can help lubricate it. If it keeps popping out and is too hard to install, it's too big and can be stepped down a half size. Take it to your LHBS and get one a half size smaller.

Just be careful going too small, or your next thread will be "help! the bung fell in my carboy".

 

[Rossweiser]

JimRausch,

Many thanks. In face the starsan in my blowoff jug is leftover starsan from sanitizing my carboy before racking. Waste not want not right?

I will probably switch to the airlock for that same reason.

And what are your thoughts on sitting in secondary given it's a wheat beer. Just trying to get a myriad of opinions here on that topic mostly.


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[Rossweiser]

Everyone. Thanks so much for all the advice.

I do want to clarify that the jug isn't "filled" per se. There is maybe 1-1.5 of starsan & water. My question should've been whether or not starsan water vs tap water. But you've all answered that.

As far as sitting for 30 days I do believe I'll go with the average consensus of 1.5 weeks. Which "unfortunately" means my equipment will be available for a second brew......shucks!

Thanks a million.


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[petrolSpice]

Carboy caps are cool, but the quality control on them is horrendous. I sift through about a dozen at the LHBS before I find one that I know will seal. The inside of them can be quite lumpy leading to leaks. I also use a hose clamp to ensure it's sealed to the carboy.

 

[JimRausch]

JimRausch,



And what are your thoughts on sitting in secondary given it's a wheat beer. Just trying to get a myriad of opinions here on that topic mostly.


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Wheat beers are usually 'delicate' flavored and usually meant to be consumed early, so I agree with the general consensus- give her a week-week and a half on the fruit then bottle.

 

[Rossweiser]

Roger that.

Again. Thanks all.


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