amazed at difference between 1st and 2nd batch fermentation! 2 days vs 12

[SeanOC]

So my first batch (extract brown ale) I pitched rehydrated Danstar and it took off like house on fire. Immediate bubbling, at 12hrs I had to switch to a blowoff tube in a 6.5gal carboy, bubbled like a snare drum for 2 days and then quit. Surprisingly I managed to hit my FG.

This second batch (coconut cream ale) has been a completely different experience. I made a 700ml yeast starter with a wyeast smack pack and let her rip. Took a few hours to get going but by 14 hrs I had a nice healthy krausen and steady airlock activity. From day 2 through 11 it was a consistent 1 bubble per second. Finally this morning on day 12 there is virtually no activity and the krausen has dropped. Maybe 1 every 30-40 seconds.

I'm guessing this is a more desirable type of fermentation although 12 days seemed like a long time. I'll check the FG later today and cold crash tonight or tomorrow unless you guys think I should wait a couple more days?

 

[SeanOC]

Day 12

 

[passedpawn]

I like to see fermentation completely finished by day 7. Pitching lots of healthy yeast will do that.

 

[SeanOC]

I like to see fermentation completely finished by day 7. Pitching lots of healthy yeast will do that.

I made a yeast starter and had it on the stir plate for 17 hours before pitching, matched the starter and the wort within 2 degrees. The smack pack was less than a month old. You think I had a low yeast count for it to take 12 days?

 

[passedpawn]

I made a yeast starter and had it on the stir plate for 17 hours before pitching, matched the starter and the wort within 2 degrees. The smack pack was less than a month old. You think I had a low yeast count for it to take 12 days?

Hard to say, but sounds like you did everything right. Lots of things cause those bubbles you're seeing, so it might not be fermentation at all. Anyway, don't worry about it. If you're bottling, giving the fermentation 2 weeks is best practice (I don't wait that long, but I keg and I typically use a ton of yeast saved from previous beers).

 

[SeanOC]

Hard to say, but sounds like you did everything right. Lots of things cause those bubbles you're seeing, so it might not be fermentation at all. Anyway, don't worry about it. If you're bottling, giving the fermentation 2 weeks is best practice (I don't wait that long, but I keg and I typically use a ton of yeast saved from previous beers).

Thanks, I'm going strait to keg as well.

 

[QuadConPana]

Could there have been a difference in how well the second wort was oxygenated?

 

[SeanOC]

Could there have been a difference in how well the second wort was oxygenated?

I swirled it around pretty good before pitching. The smack pack I used was under a month old and it swelled quickly. Temperature during fermentation ranged from 68-70 and the yeast called for 64-72. Im scratching my head on this one. Hopefully it tastes good. Will post the FG when I take a reading here in a bit.

 

[m00ps]

considering the 2 beers were entirely different recipes, I dont see how you can really compare them. Different grain bill, hops schedule, yeast, and yeast pitch rate. Also the second one had a random additive (real coconut im guessing?)

 

[SeanOC]

considering the 2 beers were entirely different recipes, I dont see how you can really compare them. Different grain bill, hops schedule, yeast, and yeast pitch rate. Also the second one had a random additive (real coconut im guessing?)

Yes bud the coconut hasn't been added yet. But I agree completely different recipes yes.

 

[spittybug]

After 100's of gallons of brewing, I think I can safely say the only thing to expect when fermenting is the unexpected. I've had batches that burn out in 48 hours and others that are still going after 10 days. While I've had the occasional one that didn't get as low as expected, they were typically the big ones that I probably underpitched by a fair amount. I've used dry, vials and the occasional smack pack. I only make starters for the vials.

Aerate well, ensure that your equipment is all clean so that nothing else gets a foothold and keep the temp in range and consistent and don't worry about how long it takes. That's my advice.

 

[m00ps]

out of curiosity, what exactly are you planning with the coconut? Its kind of a pain to deal with IME. I toast unsweetened flakes in my oven to bring out the taste and sanitize them. Ive added over 3 lbs (pretoasting) to a 5gal batch and it is defintiely there when fresh but quickly fades away

 

[SeanOC]

out of curiosity, what exactly are you planning with the coconut? Its kind of a pain to deal with IME. I toast unsweetened flakes in my oven to bring out the taste and sanitize them. Ive added over 3 lbs (pretoasting) to a 5gal batch and it is defintiely there when fresh but quickly fades away

Its just a coconut extract. Recipe calls for adding 1 day before bottling, I plan to add directly to keg.

 

[kh54s10]

Different recipe and different yeast will most often result in different activity of fermentation.

If you are looking at the bubbling in the airlock, don't. There are many factors which will make an airlock bubble quickly, slowly or not at all with a perfectly normal fermentation. I had a beer in secondary for about a month. One day the weather changed and the airlock started bubbling. It was atmospheric pressure and had nothing to do with the beer itself.

As long as your fermentations are within normal ranges of maybe 3 days to 10 or 12 days I would not fret too much.

Good aeration, healthy yeast of the proper amount will give the best results, but usually even if something is off a little the beer will ferment well.