Recent content by ariebsomer

Slow fermentation isn't necessarily a bad thing. :) I have had luck on a couple of occasions with a stuck fermentation by pitching a 'neutral' yeast and giving a gentle swirl to get things going again. Stuck fermentations can kind of be the luck of the draw in this regard. If ABV isn't too...

Well, since your gravity hasn't dropped, that rules out a bad lid seal... I actually used this yeast last year on a Kolsch and had some... "interesting" results. I did notice that it was an extremely SLOW starter - I think I was almost 72 hours in before I started to see action. I'm pretty...

You're fine. I've done a ton of extract and all-grain brews where I've dumped in all the hops residue and protein material left over after a boil into my fermenter - never had a problem. It always took a little more work to clarify my beers, so I use hop bags and try to filter some of the...

Couldn't agree more. I can't think of a single ale I've done that didn't have krausen and/or yeast rafts on top after a week. Rarely does every bit of particulate matter drop to the bottom with most typical ale yeasts.

I did a tripel this winter that didn't carbonate at all, which was a huge disappointment. It was most likely a combination of the alcohol content (10%) combined with the fact that I did a long secondary without much yeast trub transferred. I had recently added 5oz of corn sugar for my...

I'm doing a Vienna lager right now with the same yeast, as a favor for a friend who "just loves the hell out of Dos Equis Dark." Fermenting between 46-50, followed by a lengthy lagering period at about 40 degrees. How did you feel the Mexican yeast finished out compared to other lager yeasts...

I have to thank you, St. Pug - your advice was spot-on! After wrapping my fermentor up in some blankets, the coldest it's getting now is 46 degrees, with a swing up to 50 degrees at times. This is perfect. Glad I didn't go the 'common' route with it because of my paranoia! Thanks...

I've also found that sometimes racking off to secondary tends to get some yeast back into suspension and will drop you a few more points as well. Usually I use a racking cane to avoid too much yeast cake going into secondary, but if I feel like I might need a few more points, sometimes letting a...

Excellent. The blankets have actually helped some - my thermometer inside the wrap is about at 45 now, so I'm feeling a little less stressed about it. :) Do you use a starter for your lagers? I've normally just used a couple of smack packs, making sure they get a good start and swell up...

Thanks! Further details - 5 gal batch, OG 1.056. I was kind of leaning towards keeping it on the cold side - the temperature in the garage doesn't tend to swing more than a couple degrees usually. I checked it first thing this morning before the sun was up and saw it at 40 degrees, so hopefully...

I brewed a Vienna lager yesterday and pitched 2 packs of Wyeast 2124 Bohemian at about 62 degrees. I put my fermentor in the garage last night, as it's been around 45-48 degrees lately. However, we had a cold snap last night that seems like it will last a few days. Ambient temperature in my...