Activity in Fermenter

[BrianB]

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.

 

[BrewZer]

OK -- it's been 12 days. Time to crack open a bottle and check the fermentation and clearing. And, of course, flavor...

 

[GoodTruble]

good luck.

 

[BrianB]

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.