Hello - First time brewer here. I'm on day seven of fermentation. I've got a nice foam head on the wort/beer. It's not growing in size but doesn't seem to be decreasing much either. Also I see a lot of very small particulates circulating (moving up the side of fermenter) very slowly inside the fermenter. Wondering if this is normal. I'm brewing a Hazy IPA and tomorrow I will be putting the second set of hops in the fermenter. Fermenter temp has been holding at 64-65 degrees Farenheit.
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High krausen. Sit back and enjoy the show. Sniff the airlock while you're at it.
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Patience. Per @DBhomebrew . Best advice.
Sounds like things are going as they should.
Every fermentation is different. Sometimes there will be a lot of thick krausen (the foam head on top), sometimes only a thin layer. Sometimes it drops, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there are a lot of things bouncing around (of varying sizes), sometimes not so much.
Hazies are a difficult first beer to pull off. I hope it continues to go well, but don't get too discouraged if you don't nail that one on the first try.
Every fermentation is different. Sometimes there will be a lot of thick krausen (the foam head on top), sometimes only a thin layer. Sometimes it drops, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there are a lot of things bouncing around (of varying sizes), sometimes not so much.
Hazies are a difficult first beer to pull off. I hope it continues to go well, but don't get too discouraged if you don't nail that one on the first try.
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7 days seems like a long time to still have active primary fermentation (which is what you apparently have). What yeast did you use, and what are you using to gauge the fermentation temperature? Ambient (outside air) temperature often has little to do with the actual temperature of the fermenting beer; yeast create their own heat while in the primary phase of fermentation. 64-65 is a good place to be depending on the yeast.
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Usually by two weeks or so everything has gone to the bottom. And just a little residue remains on top.
A few beers I've made left a lot of stuff floating on top or stuck to the sides above the surface level. But regardless of how much stuff is on the top or bottom, it's only the stuff between that you can easily rack away to whatever the next step in your process is.
A few beers I've made left a lot of stuff floating on top or stuck to the sides above the surface level. But regardless of how much stuff is on the top or bottom, it's only the stuff between that you can easily rack away to whatever the next step in your process is.
That's a tough beer to pull off for an experienced brewer let alone a first timer. Just remember, almost any oxygen exposure and it's oxidize. Do your best but don't get discouraged. Good luck!
@wdavis2003 - yeah, that's what I learned after getting the kit and doing my research before starting. I am worried about oxyenation since I have to add hops twice during fermenting. I did the first hopping on day three. Sanitized everything very well, cracked the lid and got the hop bag in as fast as possible. I will be adding the second set of hops today. I'm hoping it all works out, but it seems that there is a lot that could go wrong.
Take reasonable steps to limit needless oxygen exposure, but don't drive yourself nuts over it. There are a lot of other brewing basics you want get down before getting too worked up over that. It will still be beer in the end.
So here's an update on Day 8. Today was the day to swap out the initial dry hops and add the second batch. That went well, quickly swapped them and got the Carboy sealed back up again. What was new today is that the Krausen appears to be reducing and there was a new, lighter colored layer on the bottom of the Krausen. Good, Bad, anything to worry about?
All normal. That's just new bubbles forming under the shell of the older, darker krausen.
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All good. I could ramble on about yeast producing co2 dissolved in liquid with added hops being nucleation points causing some co2 outgassing, but that would be droll.
Today is Day 14 in the Fermenter. According to my Haze Craze recipe from More Beer, the final hops come out today and it's time to bottle. Wondering if I can wait a day or two more, as other activities this weekend are conflicting with the time needed to bottle. Is it critical to bottle right away or can you leave it for a few more days, and if so, how many? Thanks.
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Usually better to leave beer in the FV longer than to take it out to soon. But the name "Haze Craze" sort of makes me think of a heavily dry hopped beer. So maybe other things come into consideration. Such as how much O2 did you let into the FV when you removed those hops.
Regardless, a day or two longer isn't going to hurt anything. For the beers I've done that weren't dry hopped, the ones that stayed in the FV for up to six weeks were some of the best. Never a bad one.
The beers I've bottled at 10 days to 2 weeks have sometimes been good to great beer and other times not so great beers.
Regardless, a day or two longer isn't going to hurt anything. For the beers I've done that weren't dry hopped, the ones that stayed in the FV for up to six weeks were some of the best. Never a bad one.
The beers I've bottled at 10 days to 2 weeks have sometimes been good to great beer and other times not so great beers.
@hotbeer - you are correct, the Haze Craze IPA called for two dry hoppings, each for 5 days. The second one comes out today. I added and swapped them very quickly, but am worried about O2, especially today when I take the second set out. Fermentation appears to be done and won't be any CO2 creation to drive out any O2 that might get in today. Thanks much for the advice.
Two more days in the fermenter won't matter. If you aren't doing gravity readings, then an extra two days may even be advisable.
@GoodTruble - thanks much.
salli4102
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You are seeing just exactly what you should be seeing, a nice active fermentation.
salli4102
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Why are you "removing" or "swapping" hops? Never heard of that.
@salli4102 - the recipe called for adding hops on Day 3 of fermentation for five days, then remove those and put in another set on Day 8 for another five days. It's a Hazy IPA. First beer I ever brewed, so just following the directions.
If you haven't yet bottled, let it sit another 2 weeks in the fermenter. You'll be surprised how that improves the flavor.
It's his first batch, so no basis for comparison anyway. It will also just mature in the bottles, and he can taste the change in taste over the next few weeks.
@BrewZer, @GoodTruble - unfortunately, we started bottling at 4:00 PM Eastern, and I didn't see your advice until we were finished. Next time, I'll do that and as GoodTruble says, see how it compares. I do plan to leave it in the bottles for two weeks before cracking one open. Thanks for all the advice. Cheers!
Try one bottle (only one!) at a week, another at two weeks, a third at 3 weeks. Notice the changes in the taste? Now start drinking them as a hazy isn't forgiving of oxygen and will start staling quickly.
@RM_MN - will do. Thanks for the advice. Would kegging instead of bottling slow down staling?
Congrats on your first brew! It's a hard lesson to learn, but patience is required in this hobby. Your beer will be beer, no matter how long it takes. It'll only get better if patience is an ingredient.
With that said, I recommend 2 weeks in the fermenter, minimum. I typically let mine go for 4 weeks.
Also, it looks like you're using a glass carboy. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH GLASS! Do not use one of the handles that attach to the neck of the carboy - use a milk crate, or something to pick it up from the bottom. Especially when it has anything but air in it. Never use hot water to clean it.
Do a search on this forum for broken carboys. There are too many threads about it. Here's mine: Broke a Carboy Today
With that said, I recommend 2 weeks in the fermenter, minimum. I typically let mine go for 4 weeks.
Also, it looks like you're using a glass carboy. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH GLASS! Do not use one of the handles that attach to the neck of the carboy - use a milk crate, or something to pick it up from the bottom. Especially when it has anything but air in it. Never use hot water to clean it.
Do a search on this forum for broken carboys. There are too many threads about it. Here's mine: Broke a Carboy Today
@homebeerbrewer - I apprectiate the congrats and thanks for the advice on patience. I ended up with the beer in the fermenter for 16 days. And I have a plastic carboy that came with my kit from MoreBeer.
salli4102
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Huh. I never heard of that but, well, okay. Have fun. I hope it turns out delicious.
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Short answer, it can. There's so much to read about limiting O2 exposure, mainly post boil, and a keg can help. Whether using fermentation gas to purge the keg during fermentation and using "closed transfer" into said keg, or even fermenting and serving in one keg. Anything you do to limit O2 helps.
But it is a DEEP rabbit hole, down which you can go.
@balrog - thanks much. I'd read a few things about kegging keeping beer longer, but wasn't sure if it was that much longer to be worth the expense. I wouldn't mind getting into kegging at some point, but since this was my first attempt at brewing, I didn't want to get into all the extra expense.
OK -- it's been 12 days. Time to crack open a bottle and check the fermentation and clearing. And, of course, flavor...
good luck.
All, thanks so much for all the help and advice. We put a few bottles in the frig yesterday and popped the top on a few. For my first time brewing and what I found out was a difficult beer to brew for a first timer, it turned out really well. Most important, flavor was very good. Vanilla Mango Hazy IPA. It had good haze and good head retention. The color was a bit darker than I expected but I suspect that was due to the extract. I had a slightly lower ABV - 5% - than I was expecting. I think that was due to having the grains to tightly packed in the boil bag. The one that came with my kit was small. I would definitely go with a bigger bag to get more circulation around the grains. Although I had some anxiety during the process, all your advice alieviated it. Overall, a great experience, lots of fun, made it a family affair and everyone had fun, and now we're enjoying a pretty good beer. I've read a lot since starting and watched a lot of good YouTube videos. Can't wait to apply what I've learned and start the next batch. Best to all.
