3.5 YEARS in the Secondary Fermenter

[Bones1948]

On 3/1/2014 I began brewing 5 gallons of Brooklyn Lager and after 10 days transfered to the secondary fermenter and placed into the lagering 'fridge set at 40 degrees for the 3-4 week duration in the secondary.

The recommended approximate final sp. gr. of 1.012 was attained so I set the lagering fridge to ~ 27 degrees to cold crash where it has remained to this day.

Slow forward 3 and a half years ( got real busy getting business in order for retirement. I prospered and didn't have time to tend to the brew): Today I checked the sp. gr. which was 1.010 which is 2-one-thousandths below the recommended ~ 1.012. It tastes like flat beer. (in reality a very fine tasting flat beer!)

No tubing to rack with at 5:00 pm today, stores are closed, so that is tomorrows project. I'll assume the yeasts in the 3 and a half year old secondary juice are either dead or have precipitated to the bottom so will add 1 tsp. activated Direct Pitch German Lager WYEAST to the sugar water which will be stirred into the secondary just prior to racking into wire cap bottles.

Any comments or suggestions? Prayers, maybe?

Stay tuned.

 

[cyberbackpacker]

Talk about committing to lagering! Your ideas sound spot on; I look forward to the taste report once it has carbed up!

One suggestion-- wire cap bottles? Regular crown cap bottles are perfectly fine for a lager. Also, if you have kegging capabilities, do that!

 

[Bones1948]

Talk about committing to lagering! Your ideas sound spot on; I look forward to the taste report once it has carbed up!

One suggestion-- wire cap bottles? Regular crown cap bottles are perfectly fine for a lager. Also, if you have kegging capabilities, do that!

I normally use crown cap bottles. However, not knowing the live yeast population (in billions) and viability of the German Lager Wyeast in 1 tsp. of of the goo (which, before activation, is also 3.5 years old [but according to my microscopic sample is multiplying and producing CO2]) I am hesitant to use the crown cappers in fear of exploding geysers in my beer closet. Hm-m-m-m-m: Age the crown capped bottles in my locked bomb-proof gun closet?

Thanks for the thought. Stay tuned. If You don't hear from me the first bottle sampling exploded and I didn't make it. Maybe I oughta have the Bomb-Squad expert open the first bottle?

sls

 

[AkTom]

Bottle one in a plastic soda bottle. You can feel it as it carbs.

 

[brewswithshoes]

That is indeed a commitment to lagering. Can’t wait to hear how it tastes once it’s carbed up.

I was thinking of brewing my octoberfest for ‘19 now, but you’ve got me thinking maybe I should be brewing my 2020 or 2021 version now !!!

 

[mongoose33]

Take another gravity reading in 3 days to be sure it's done.

 

[cloudybrewer]

Take another gravity reading in 3 days to be sure it's done.

Yeah, that 0.002 drop indicates the yeast isn't finished. What's the airlock doing?

 

[Craigmn]

He meant in 3 years

 

[The_Professor]

.......It tastes like flat beer. (in reality a very fine tasting flat beer!)......

I'm wondering what the brews IBU is.

 

[Bones1948]

Airlock was removed 3.5 years ago when the bubbles ceased.

Great ideas: What I'll do is rack a coupla-3 or 4 plastic soda bottles so to monitor carbonation by simply squeezing the the bottles. Also will monitor change in sp. gr. in 4th bottle. To make this more scientific I will fill an extra w/ tap water to serve as a control.

The Professor axxed about the IBU: What is IBU?

I just Googled IBU. International Bitterness Unit, a function of the degree of 'hoppyness' or bitterness of the IPA beers. The higher the IBU the more bitter the IPA.

The Brooklyn Lager clone at issue has a low IBU. For those of you who do not like IPAs this beer is for you. Get the Brooklyn Lager clone kit at the Austin Homebrew Supply in Austin, Texas. I've done several of their clone kits including Sam Adams Boston Lager and Alaskan Amber and have to say these beer clones done at home are far, far superior to the stuff you get at the store!!!

 

[The_Professor]

.....The Professor axxed about the IBU: What is IBU?

IBU is the bitterness level.
I'm wondering how hoppy the beer is.

 

[Bones1948]

See my last response. There is no hint of hop in this beer so you IPA guys would not like this.

 

[The_Professor]

.....The Brooklyn Lager clone at issue has a low IBU.....the Brooklyn Lager clone kit at the Austin Homebrew Supply......

I see the recipe has a dry hop addition added in secondary. This was in the whole time?
http://austinhomebrew.com/assets/images/RCPPDF/02919.pdf

 

[Bones1948]

The recipe posted in The Professor's response is different than what I used 3.5 years ago. (I purposefully added less bittering because I don't care for hoppy beer) But, yes the 1/2 oz Hallertau was added to the secondary fermenter.

 

[The_Professor]

.......the 1/2 oz Hallertau was added to the secondary fermenter.

Didn't mean to make it seem I was pulling teeth with my questions. Just wondering if the hop additions played a part in the beer being in good shape after all the time. Best of luck with it.

 

[Smellyglove]

You should call that beer "Rom".

 

[kh54s10]

Are you planning to use 3 1/2 year old yeast in a smack pack to carbonate with???? If so good luck. I would expect that nothing will happen.

 

[Bones1948]

CORRECTION: Wife brought to my attention the 3-1-14 brew date ain't 3 and a half years ago, in reality it is 4 years 9 months ago!!

I did indeed use the 4 year 9 month old smack pack. After activating it I noted it to swell so I put a few drops of it into some dextrose water and after a while observed, with the assist of a microscope, the yeasties were multiplying.

Yesterday I mixed 5cc of the 4 year 9 month old yeast with 8oz dextrose water in the usual fashion then mixed that w/ the secondary juice which increased the sp.gr. of the stuff from 1.010 to 1.015. On the suggestion of AkTom I also racked into a coupla clear sody water bottles. This morning I observed the presence of effervscence in the sody bottles (air bubbles floating in the plastic bottles indicating carbonation where there is none in the tap water control bottle) Also, I perceive a faint build-up of pressure in the sody bottles filled w/ brew and none in the control bottle. If this is so, then given the mere 18 hour interval of time since the addition of the yeast to the brew I think I may have added too much yeast. This is where the bomb squad enters the equation in a few weeks to open the first wire cap bottle......or, at some point I may need to vent the wire cap bottles after a week or so to off-set over-pressurization and explosion.

Stay tuned.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Well you might as well just go for the 3 month bottle condition to squeeze the full 5 years out of it at this point


It's a pitty in my eyes this did not happen to a RIS or a heavy Scotch Ale

 

[kh54s10]

Other than giving a yeasty flavor, you CAN'T add too much yeast. The yeast will consume the priming sugar until gone giving your level of carbonation based on the amount of sugar added. After the nothing more will happen.

You don't have to worry about over carbonated bottles unless you added too much priming sugar.

 

[Bones1948]

I looked up RIS. Is that similar to the Belgian Trappist Tripple Ales? Those are VERY difficult home brews. I failed at all 3 attempts.

Just now rummaging thru my brewing inventory I found an Austin Homebrew Supply Alaskan Amber ale kit of same vintage as the Brooklyn Lager. The extract has been in the 'Fridge since 3/1/14; the grass has been in the room temp pantry sealed in plastic bag. Will boil that up here shortly after lunch today. Stay tuned.

 

[Dland]

If you have the gear to keg and force carbonate, that is what I'd do.

 

[tll77]

You don't have to worry about over carbonated bottles unless you added too much priming sugar.

Yesterday I mixed 5cc of the 4 year 9 month old yeast with 8oz dextrose water

5 gallons of Brooklyn Lager

8oz dextrose is about twice as much as you would need for 5 gallons.

 

[kh54s10]

8oz dextrose is about twice as much as you would need for 5 gallons.

I didn't see that. The OP does have to worry about bottle bombs. From the sugar not the amount of yeast!!!

Good luck with the 4+ year old kits. I hope you don't have a discerning sense of taste.

IMO a Russian Imperial Stout is an easy to brew beer. The malty flavor masks off flavors well. Though it is difficult to hit the higher gravity spot on.

 

[Bones1948]

To clarify: 8oz dextrose water was the volume of water. It contained 4.5 oz by weight of Dextrose which is optimal for 5 gallons of American lager.

However, by sloppy method I lost ~ 25% of the secondary juice before I added the dextrose. That, of course, means there is too much dextrose in the stuff which means higher carbonation. The good news is I can weaponize the finished product (the wire-cap bottles are similarly shaped to the business end of a Rocket Propelled Grenade)

Regarding the 4 year 9 month old Alaskan Amber kit: We'll see. Nothing lost by trying. Realistically, a botched bottle of Alaskan Amber, a gold standard ale, is far superior to a can of Bud, Coors and any of the other off-the-shelf urology specimens available at the gro-store.

 

[TechFanMD]

I am curious - as nobody has mentioned....why would there have been any worry of bottle bombs (other than the end result having more priming sugar than normal). This thing was done fermenting 4 years and 8 months ago with a loooong diacetyl rest. The beer should be the least likely to have bottle bombs no matter how much yeast were added at bottling.

I doubt you'll have bottle bombs with the 25% extra priming sugar. It will be really carbonated but chill them really cold before opening, open over the sink and you'll probably be OK - maybe losing a few ounces to foam.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

To clarify: 8oz dextrose water was the volume of water. It contained 4.5 oz by weight of Dextrose which is optimal for 5 gallons of American lager.

However, by sloppy method I lost ~ 25% of the secondary juice before I added the dextrose. That, of course, means there is too much dextrose in the stuff which means higher carbonation. The good news is I can weaponize the finished product (the wire-cap bottles are similarly shaped to the business end of a Rocket Propelled Grenade)

Regarding the 4 year 9 month old Alaskan Amber kit: We'll see. Nothing lost by trying. Realistically, a botched bottle of Alaskan Amber, a gold standard ale, is far superior to a can of Bud, Coors and any of the other off-the-shelf urology specimens available at the gro-store.

Extract does not store well you mentioned it was extract, you have time to lose in my eyes

 

[Bones1948]

It's not the little bombs I'm worried about; it's the atomic bombs. Picture this: Coupla years ago Mother'n-Law opened a wire-bail bottle I sent her for Christmas resulting in Old Faithful spewing beer all over the ceiling. The next one did the same.

"Extract does not store well". That's what many have said about 4 year 9 month old secondary fermentation at issue and the 4 year 9 month old WYEAST Smack Pack. Perhaps all of you are absolutely correct about all of the above. BUT, in the interest of the art and science of brewing beer all would have to agree the effort must be undertaken. After all, the purveyors of malts, hops, extracts and yeasts are in the business of selling fresh products so of course they'll tell you to toss the old stuff. What if the purveyors of the beer ingredients are bull shifting us?

When I am finished experimenting with this expired shelf life stuff we'll all know the rest of the story. Right?

If all fails I can sell it to my Nerd Nephew Nick. It won't take much to convince him it's the best beer in Texas!

Stay tuned.