I posted a thread here a couple of weeks ago. I had a blonde ale that got dinged for acetaldehyde at a recent competition. I was pretty sure that my issue had been a combination of low fermentation temps making the beer ferment slower along with pulling the beer too soon. It was my first temp controlled ale and I used to be on a standard schedule of a 1 week primary, a week in secondary than straight into the keg or bottle.
Works ok mostly, if you're fermenting at room temp. But in a 60-65F fridge, not so much. I am pretty sure I burned myself again.
I had an IPA that had just hit the keg about the same time I got my scoresheets back on the blonde. I had done it with the same schedule. A week on the yeast in the primary, rack to the secondary and into the keg.
About 2 weeks in keg, I tasted it tonight. The hops cover up some of the flavor, but the taste that I finally learned was the green apples of acetaldehyde is there in this beer too. It's not overpowering. It's not horrid. But it is present.
Now I need to figure out how to make sure history doesn't repeat with the saison and porter I have fermenting now.
The saison should be OK. It's 17 days into primary and at about 70ish% attenuation. I am going to pitch a little WLP001 or Safeale 05 this weekend and try to dry it out some more. I figure the extra yeast and another 10 days or so in primary should help combat the acetaldehyde monster.
My porter is an odd duck though. It's 10 days in the primary now with a double-pitch of WLP001. I have been fermenting at right around 65F (the digi thermometer I have in it ranges from 61F-71F throughout the day. It's in a fridge in a hot garage with a controller). But 10 days in, I am still getting a bubble every 3 seconds through my blow off rig. Is that normal for temp controlled ferments? I was planning on 3 weeks in the primary then a week of dry hop in the same primary before kegging.
I have not taken a gravity reading but I still have about 1/2 inch of krausen. Is 001 known to ferment this slow at low temps? SHould I kick it up or just leave it at its current temp and wait it out?
Works ok mostly, if you're fermenting at room temp. But in a 60-65F fridge, not so much. I am pretty sure I burned myself again.
I had an IPA that had just hit the keg about the same time I got my scoresheets back on the blonde. I had done it with the same schedule. A week on the yeast in the primary, rack to the secondary and into the keg.
About 2 weeks in keg, I tasted it tonight. The hops cover up some of the flavor, but the taste that I finally learned was the green apples of acetaldehyde is there in this beer too. It's not overpowering. It's not horrid. But it is present.
Now I need to figure out how to make sure history doesn't repeat with the saison and porter I have fermenting now.
The saison should be OK. It's 17 days into primary and at about 70ish% attenuation. I am going to pitch a little WLP001 or Safeale 05 this weekend and try to dry it out some more. I figure the extra yeast and another 10 days or so in primary should help combat the acetaldehyde monster.
My porter is an odd duck though. It's 10 days in the primary now with a double-pitch of WLP001. I have been fermenting at right around 65F (the digi thermometer I have in it ranges from 61F-71F throughout the day. It's in a fridge in a hot garage with a controller). But 10 days in, I am still getting a bubble every 3 seconds through my blow off rig. Is that normal for temp controlled ferments? I was planning on 3 weeks in the primary then a week of dry hop in the same primary before kegging.
I have not taken a gravity reading but I still have about 1/2 inch of krausen. Is 001 known to ferment this slow at low temps? SHould I kick it up or just leave it at its current temp and wait it out?