After cooling, before Fermenting

[park242]

Does anyone know if it is important or advised to strian the cooled wort going into the fermenter? All those hops are still in it and I am not sure whether that is common practice or whether it even matters at that point.

 

[dale1038]

Lots of people try to strain the hops. I haven't found a good way to keep them out. Or else I'm too lazy at this point to care. They all go in my fermenter!

 

[park242]

Lots of people try to strain the hops. I haven't found a good way to keep them out. Or else I'm too lazy at this point to care. They all go in my fermenter!

Cool, Because they all went in there and I was thinking uh oh, because I like the hops flavor but I was worried that it would become overpowering if they just sat in there like that through the fermenting process.

 

[Walker]

I don't think it really matters if they go in or not (I've done it both ways), but the easiest thing to do is buy a mesh bag and put your hops in there before throwing them into the kettle. That allows you to just pull the bag out at the end and the hops are gone.

Large paint strainer bags from a hardware store work very well for this.

 

[park242]

I don't think it really matters if they go in or not (I've done it both ways), but the easiest thing to do is buy a mesh bag and put your hops in there before throwing them into the kettle. That allows you to just pull the bag out at the end and the hops are gone.

Large paint strainer bags from a hardware store work very well for this.

Since youve done both, is there a difference?

 

[Zamial]

I am a strainer...

I do exactly as the op suggests. I cool the wort to pitching temp or near room temp then I use a colander across my ale pail with a fine mesh bag and strain out all the stuff that I can. I have gotten much clearer beers from doing this and rest better knowing my darker beers do not have chewy bits in them...

It is a PITA to do but even with a hop bag I probably still will do this just for the peace of mind.

 

[Walker]

Since youve done both, is there a difference?

I only had a couple of beers where I put all the hops into the fermenter (I almost always filter or bag the hops) but I didn't notice anything other than more crap at the bottom of the fermenter.

 

[park242]

How about after the fermenting is done, do you strain at that point before you bottle it? seems like that would solve the chewy bits problem. Or would that get rid of too much yeast to properly carbonate?

 

[Walker]

How about after the fermenting is done, do you strain at that point before you bottle it? seems like that would solve the chewy bits problem.

I use secondary fermenters, so when I racked to secondary I just avoided most of the crud. Then when I racked to the bottling bucket, I avoided anything that made it through the first time.

Or would that get rid of too much yeast to properly carbonate?

There is a ton of yeast in suspension in your beer that is not going to be filtered out by any mesh bag. You don't need to worry that part.

 

[park242]

Ok, since I'm a little green, what are the benefits of a secondary fermentation?

 

[Walker]

It used to be a common practice with the idea being that it helped the beer clear faster, but current wisdom says that it is not necessary. I am not touching that subject with a 10 foot pole, but I continue to use secondaries because the carboys are smaller and I can fit more of them into my fermentation chamber.

 

[park242]

After doing a little reading, it just seems like a good idea to secondarily ferment. Clarity being one and I guess an overly yeasty flavor can be avoided. Sounds like good policy.

 

[jeffmeh]

After doing a little reading, it just seems like a good idea to secondarily ferment. Clarity being one and I guess an overly yeasty flavor can be avoided. Sounds like good policy.

Apparently, you do not have access to Walker's ten foot pole, lol. Either method done correctly will make good, clear, not overly yeasty beer. The key is to be patient and let the beer reach final gravity in the primary, whatever you choose to do after that.

 

[park242]

Ah, patience..... much easier when you have a batch ready to drink while babysitting a fermenting batch. Not the case here unfortunatley. I have done kits in the past but this is my first all grain try so I want to do right by it. 2 days in the fermenter at this point.

I also cant keep the temp any lower than 76 degrees. Is that ok?

 

[Timboosh]

Saw a video the other day where the guy stirred his wort to a good whirl-pool so the hops settled in the middle of the brew kettle, then racked from his brew kettle to his primary, similar to racking from a primary to a secondary off the trub...

the approach made sense to me and would probably be easier than dealing with strainers... but then again, I'm a total newb too...

 

[jeffmeh]

Ah, patience..... much easier when you have a batch ready to drink while babysitting a fermenting batch. Not the case here unfortunatley. I have done kits in the past but this is my first all grain try so I want to do right by it. 2 days in the fermenter at this point.

I also cant keep the temp any lower than 76 degrees. Is that ok?

76F is not ideal for most ales, as it can cause fusel alcohols and off-flavors. What type of beer is it? Is that the temperature of the beer, or the ambient air temp? Fermentation can raise the temp as much as 10 deg higher than ambient air, although I have not experienced a difference greater than 5 deg. You may want to rig up a swamp cooler, fermentation chamber, or some other type of temperature control for your future brews. There is plenty of information on here regarding those things, and how to set them up.

I am fortunate to have a basement that stays pretty cool in the summer, an A/C unit to make it even cooler in my cold-side brew room, and a chest freezer with temperature control if I need to get even more precise. Healthy, adequate yeast and fermentation temperature control are truly the two most important levers to creating great beer.

 

[park242]

Yeah, I figured as much. I am making an American Pale Ale. I am reading the temp from the adhesive gauge on the side of the carboy. I have it in the darkest, coolest area of the house. We dont have a basement or anything like that, a closet is the best I can do. Are there any suggestions on what a less than pro guy should do about this?

 

[Walker]

Apparently, you do not have access to Walker's ten foot pole, lol.

Actually, I did pull out my 10 foot pole last night after contemplating the last few brews I did in which I did not use a secondary. My opinion is that it helps my beer clear up faster.

 

[ndsgr]

I'll touch Walker's 10 foot pole.

If you want to secondary, by all means, secondary. I don't anymore because I wasn't noticing a difference.

Seems as though there are many religions that brewers follow. Just pick the one that works for you. My religion is to leave the beer alone as much as possible. Of course, different styles require different techniques...

...and to the OP, I leave the beer in primary for 4 weeks usually. I also don't strain my wort. I haven't noticed any problems.

 

[park242]

Sounds like the differences are nuanced at best. 4 weeks in the primary? Is leaving it there for that long advisable? I thought I would do a gravity test at 2 weeks and if I am where I think it should be, I would bottle it at that point.

 

[Ohio-Ed]

Walker... appears I'm stalking you. I think is is the third thread today where I posted right behind you...

I whirlpool in the BK to leave trub behind. This works OK, but takes patience (which I don't always have) to let the "swirl" stop rotating and things to settle.

I secondary. I have a 10 gallon batch in a primary right now that I am going to rack to corny kegs for secondary (first time I've used corny's as a fermenter).

Ed

 

[PVH]

Yeah, I figured as much. I am making an American Pale Ale. I am reading the temp from the adhesive gauge on the side of the carboy. I have it in the darkest, coolest area of the house. We dont have a basement or anything like that, a closet is the best I can do. Are there any suggestions on what a less than pro guy should do about this?

Yeah - stick the primary in a larger container filled with water below the level that will float the primary. That alone will keep your temp down a bit. You can also add some towels hanging on the primary and over the sides of the container and hit them with an electric fan. To get even colder, add big ice cubes or frozen water bottles periodically. It's easy to get the temp down 10 degrees F this way.

 

[guitarsophist]

The guys at the LHBS I go to recommend straining the wort with a large kitchen strainer when you pour it into the fermenter. This not only gets most of the hop debris out of the wort, but also aerates it, which you want at this point. They also sell the kitchen strainer, of course. I think this makes the need for a secondary fermentation less, but don't tell that to these guys because they will scold you for not doing secondaries. I have only been doing this for three months, but so far it seems that brewing is part logic, part science, part inspiration, part tradition, part whimsy, part luck, and part block headed stubbornness. Great fun though.

John

 

[park242]

Yeah - stick the primary in a larger container filled with water below the level that will float the primary. That alone will keep your temp down a bit. You can also add some towels hanging on the primary and over the sides of the container and hit them with an electric fan. To get even colder, add big ice cubes or frozen water bottles periodically. It's easy to get the temp down 10 degrees F this way.

I will definatley try the towels with a fan technique. I will look into cutting up a trash can and partially submersing the primary. Winter is so much easier.