Fermenting???

Hello all and thank you all for assembling such a wealth of knowledge. I have been reading through a lot of old threads and am blown away by all of the available info.

I am a newbie and currently have to extract batches brewing. My 1st attempt is a NB kit for an IPA. Brew day and primary went well. I dry hopped in a secondary last week and am waiting another week to bottle. Definitely should have used some sort of mesh bag because there is now hop pellet residue floating on my beer.

I was so excited, I brewed my second batch as soon as I emptied, cleaned and sanitized my 6.5 gal carbuoy. An oatmeal stout from Brewer's Best this time. Steeping went well and I was able to stay within temp range for entire 45 min. Boil was issue free, but I almost had a boil over. Cooled and racked into primary using my auto siphon and the "whirlpool" technique. Pitched my yeast at 72 degrees and moved the fermenter to a dark corner of my dining room. Room temp is 67. Less than 48 hours later, the foam settled and it looks like the yeast has fallen to the bottom. My first batch kept a nice foamy head for at least a week. There are a few CO2 bubbles coming through the airlock but on once in a while. My newbie panic has set in and I am looking for advice. I brewed last Sunday.

Too early to take gravity readings?

Add more yeast?

Place in warmer spot?

I don't have any homebrew to drink yet, so it's hard to relax!

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

A lot of yeast work fast and can attenuate in less than a week. You can always check the gravity if you have any concerns fermentation, but I usually wait at least a week or two. Airlock activity is fun to watch, but isn't very good for diagnosing anything.

If you're truly worried about fermentation, I'd take a gravity reading at 7 days. If your gravity hasn't moved much, then yes try to warm it up/agitate it (but try to avoid introducing O2). If nothing happens after that, then you can re-pitch some dry yeast.

What yeast did you use?

 

Thanks for the reply. I pitched 1 pack (1 oz?) of Sachet yeast dry as recommended in the directions. My OG was 1.062 at 75 degrees.

 

Do you know what strain of yeast it was? "Sachet" only refers to a packet, or so I believe...

 

Sorry. I tried to look on the BB site and all it says is dry ale yeast.

 

Ah. Gotcha. Well in that case I can't give any insight on how fast it ferments. I'd just check a gravity reading in a few days or whenever really. Then you can make a decision from that data...

 

75 F, the yeast has worked fine. If you are concerned, take a gravity reading. It is 4 days, there is probably still a little activity going on. If it were me (but I've brewed hundreds of batches), I'd just ignore it for a couple of weeks.

If you take a gravity reading, remember to drink the sample. It will tell you way more about the beer than the gravity does.

 

Thanks! I'll wait a few more days and start taking some readings. I did drink the IPA that I took a reading on. Best flat beer I've ever had.

 

I cant say I've brewed hundreds of beers, but I've had samples that were boarderline bad and the beer turned out great. I've also had samples that were pretty good, and the beer turned out mediocre...

Don't let the taste of a sample make a decision for you...but I'm also not as accurate at tasting gravity points as my hydrometer, some people might be.

 

I just took a SG reading on my oatmeal stout after 10 days of slow action in the primary. My SG is 1.026 at 66 degrees F. Directions call for FG between 1.016-1.020. Yeast seems to have fallen out of suspension. Any suggestions?

Leave it be?
Pitch more yeast?
Move to a little warmer spot?

 

Move it to a warmer spot. It may not help but it can't hurt. Without seeing the exact recipe I'd hazard a guess that it might be done.

 

Thanks. I moved it to a warmer spot. To my wife's displeasure, it is now resting in the bedroom at 70 degrees. I plan on taking another gravity reading tomorrow. If it is still 1.026, I guess it's done.

 

Give it a couple days before taking a gravity sample. It will take some time for the beer to get warmed up and the yeast to have a chance to do their thing.

 

What yeast strain did you use? Some yeast, especially English strains, don’t process maltotriose as well as others. They may be done.

You might try gently agitating the yeast cake with a clean, sanitized spoon to re-suspend and encourage them along.

 

OG of 1.062 and current SG at 1.026 with an unidentified Ale yeast for a Stout. I would say that it is done fermenting. But it is not done. Leave it in primary for another week or two. Then bottle it and put it in a closet for a 2 - 4 months before drinking them.

If you are curious to the aging try one bottle each week and note the difference. Don't drink them all before the Stout reaches its peak at 6 months to a year.

 

Took another reading today (5 days since the last) and got the same 1.026. I guess it's done as many suggested. How will a higher FG affect my brew? I'm guessing lower ABV. Went ahead and racked to secondary too. Planning on giving it a few weeks, then bottling. I have 2/3 of my bottles filled with my first batch but should be able to empty about a case by then.

 

Your higher FG will give you a little bit sweeter of a beer and a little lower ABV. I always brew for taste not ABV. Often in this style sweeter is not a bad thing.

 

Thanks!