Yeast wisdom

[IslandLizard]

I wouldn't worry if you can't raise temperatures. I never have done that even though I get why people would do it. I would just let it ride for a while longer to finish.

Exactly!

@THESULLI
You could place her in a somewhat warmer area if you have one. Or use a heating pad or blanket, but you don't want it on the whole time just enough to warm her up 2-5 degrees over (or for) the next few days until she's totally done.

Keeping temps consistent is actually more important. Temp fluctuations can cause problems such as her going dormant during a temp drop. That's what you want to prevent.
The best improvement a home brewer can make is controlling ferm temps.

For example, aside from a temp controlled freezer I often use a large Igloo cooler with just enough water so the 1 or 2 fermenters won't start to float. I chill with a few frozen water bottles once or twice a day, and heat (if needed) with an aquarium heater. A thick sleeping bag covers and insulates the whole setup.
Just be careful with glass carboys, they get very slippery. Always use a Brewhauler or a crate to keep, lift and move them with.

 

[THESULLI]

Exactly!

@THESULLI
You could place her in a somewhat warmer area if you have one. Or use a heating pad or blanket, but you don't want it on the whole time just enough to warm her up 2-5 degrees over (or for) the next few days until she's totally done.

Keeping temps consistent is actually more important. Temp fluctuations can cause problems such as her going dormant during a temp drop. That's what you want to prevent.
The best improvement a home brewer can make is controlling ferm temps.

For example, aside from a temp controlled freezer I often use a large Igloo cooler with just enough water so the 1 or 2 fermenters won't start to float. I chill with a few frozen water bottles once or twice a day, and heat (if needed) with an aquarium heater. A thick sleeping bag covers and insulates the whole setup.
Just be careful with glass carboys, they get very slippery. Always use a Brewhauler or a crate to keep, lift and move them with.

I had never done the temp raise on my other batches and they turned out great so I shouldn't worry about it. The problem is that I am a perfectionist and knowing that I can improve it a little by raising temps with no means to do so at the moment is maddening haha! Like I said, I am trying to choose no to worry about it. I do like the aquarium heater idea though!

The only temp variation was roughly a 2 degree upswing a couple of days ago. It lasted for about a day and a half, then fell back down all by itself. The temp of the room never changed, just the fermenter. I am assuming it has something to do with the vigorous activity in the fermenter? Yeast are alive. I guess it would make sense that while they are most active, that vigorous activity would be a little exothermic? It's the only thing I can think of since the outside temp stayed perfectly consistent all the way through. Which means the extra 2 degrees had to be coming from the inside of the fermenter.

I was looking at the grainfather conical and glycol chiller. I am not prepared to spend that kind of money at the moment but it seems that option would give you the most control. Specially if you are fermenting more than 1 batch.

 

[IslandLizard]

I had never done the temp raise on my other batches and they turned out great so I shouldn't worry about it. The problem is that I am a perfectionist and knowing that I can improve it a little by raising temps with no means to do so at the moment is maddening haha! Like I said, I am trying to choose no to worry about it. I do like the aquarium heater idea though!

The only temp variation was roughly a 2 degree upswing a couple of days ago. It lasted for about a day and a half, then fell back down all by itself. The temp of the room never changed, just the fermenter. I am assuming it has something to do with the vigorous activity in the fermenter? Yeast are alive. I guess it would make sense that while they are most active, that vigorous activity would be a little exothermic? It's the only thing I can think of since the outside temp stayed perfectly consistent all the way through. Which means the extra 2 degrees had to be coming from the inside of the fermenter.

I was looking at the grainfather conical and glycol chiller. I am not prepared to spend that kind of money at the moment but it seems that option would give you the most control. Specially if you are fermenting more than 1 batch.

Yes, fermentation IS an exothermic process. The inside of a fermenter can easily be 2-8 degrees higher than the surroundings. The larger (wider) the fermenter the more that becomes an issue. The outside surface (*r^2) becomes smaller relatively to the increase in volume (*r^3).

The water in the Igloo cooler is a large water jacket, it has a lot of thermal mass that keeps temps in the fermenters from fluctuating much. It literally sucks the heat out of the fermenters during the height of fermentation. The aquarium heater rarely comes on until I want to raise the temps a little, and slowly. I stop adding frozen water bottles when heating.

Aside from price, for small batches a fermentation chamber (a fridge or freezer controlled by an Inkbird temp controller) is better and easier than a glycol system. There are a few other reasons.

My upright freezer will hold two 6.5 gallon fermentation buckets. Most of the year my lower level bathroom (underground) remains at a perfect 65-67F. I condition kegs in that area too. Such as that Imperial Pumpkin ale for a year until it became exquisite.
Be inventive with the use of your current spaces.

 

[THESULLI]

Awesome! I love this hobby...

My upstairs is a couple degrees warmer than the downstairs. Maybe I will move everything up there for a few days. Hopefully I don't disturb everything that has fallen out of suspension too much.

 

[IslandLizard]

Awesome! I love this hobby...

My upstairs is a couple degrees warmer than the downstairs. Maybe I will move everything up there for a few days. Hopefully I don't disturb everything that has fallen out of suspension too much.

Good idea! Even if some trub swirls up a little, it will all settle out over a few days.
Keep transparent fermenters covered. Light doesn't do beer any favors.

Just in case, be careful moving large, heavy glass vessels (carboys). Aside from the sheer weight and being a cumbersome shape without grips, they are... glass! Them breaking can cause serious injuries. Use a Brew Hauler or a crate for transport.

 

[THESULLI]

Good idea! Even if some trub swirls up a little, it will all settle out over a few days.
Keep transparent fermenters covered. Light doesn't do beer any favors.

Just in case, be careful moving large, heavy glass vessels (carboys). Aside from the sheer weight and being a cumbersome shape without grips, they are... glass! Them breaking can cause serious injuries. Use a Brew Hauler or a crate for transport.

Yeah glass never seemed like a good idea to me when I had other options available. Just seemed like wayyy to much glass and weight to be moving around. I went for all plastic fermenters. I really like my fermonster minus the lid being nearly impossible to get back off once its screwed down all the way. I remember hearing something about light and beer so I cover the fermonster when it's in use. Other that that, the rest of my fermenters are buckets. Still a pain to be moving around but way better than a full glass carboy I imagine.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yup, Fermonsters are great from what I've seen and heard! Don't own them myself, I use buckets, they come with a handle. [EDIT] Maybe I'm lucky, mine seal really well, I can even pressurize them.

 

[THESULLI]

I have been reading John Palmer's "How To Brew" for the last couple of days. I just came across the section on how to calculate your yeast pitch based on OG, volume, and style. Interesting read so far. Some of it is a little above my pay grade though... Great book!

 

[IslandLizard]

I have been reading John Palmer's "How To Brew" for the last couple of days. I just came across the section on how to calculate your yeast pitch based on OG, volume, and style. Interesting read so far. Some of it is a little above my pay grade though... Great book!

Yeah, you got to skip some sections and save for later.
For example, the dissertations on mash tun geometry and triple decoction mashing started to hurt my head. When I needed to build a mash tun I came back to it. Same for decoction mashes. There are quite a few areas so specialized, they only make sense when you want to get into them.

See it as a good reference too.
I still grab that book regularly. Just looked up cereal mashing, again, to get the exact ins and outs on the process and temps used.

Yeast starter calculators:
BrewUnited's Yeast Calculator
Mr. Malty (just click on the warning to activate Flash, it's safe there)

 

[THESULLI]

Yeah, you got to skip some sections and save for later.
For example, the dissertations on mash tun geometry and triple decoction mashing started to hurt my head. When I needed to build a mash tun I came back to it. Same for decoction mashes. There are quite a few areas so specialized, they only make sense when you want to get into them.

See it as a good reference too.
I still grab that book regularly. Just looked up cereal mashing, again, to get the exact ins and outs on the process and temps used.

Yeast starter calculators:
BrewUnited's Yeast Calculator
Mr. Malty (just click on the warning to activate Flash, it's safe there)

Yeah I have skipped a few sections already. I could tell at first glance that a lot of it is well beyond me at this point haha. Thanks for the calculators! It's always easier when I can have the computer do the math for me.

 

[Aki]

Thank you for the answers and tips. This was my first brew and I misunderstood how to calculate needed amount of yeast, hence the overkill. My OG was 17 points lower than it was supposed to be so it's now like 3 times more than required yeast instead of 2 times. We'll see in few weeks how it turns out.

 

[THESULLI]

Well, Just took a gravity reading. Currently sitting at 1.018. I am going to give it another couple of days and take another reading. If it stays the same, it's kegging time! Pretty excited about this one. As it stand right now, it should be 8.14%!

 

[Stormcrow]

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I have the trial version for now. It will give me a basic idea of how to navigate the program.

I haven't tried beersmith yet (love his podcast though). I've been using a free app called "wort." So far, no complaints. I've actually been pleasantly surprised with how much it does.