Beer Emergency--deploying for 7 months in less than 5 days

[SKYY]

Well it wouldn't be an emergency, but I have 2 x 5-gallon batches in secondaries right now, and a 5-gal in primary.

My problem is time. I don't have enough time to let these awesome beers sit through the normal fermentation process. The ones I racked to secondaries were near their projected final gravities, but still a bit high. They've been racked for over 7 days, so they'll *almost* be ready for bottling by the time I'm supposed to leave.

So, what's the best thing to do with these beers? Should I try to accelerate the process with artificial heat and bottle them at the last minute, or just relax and let them sit in carboys for the 7 months I'll be away?

I've heard different things about letting beers sit in secondaries for extended times--supposedly, you can let a beer sit indefinitely in a carboy. If that's true, let me know!

 

[Zamial]

FWIW these are all ales...

I have my Oktoberfest beers (the standard ofest and a dopplebock) as well as my St. Pats beers (Irish red and stout) that will remain in the primary fermenters for nearly 6 months, on the yeast and everything.

If these are wheat beers or light beers I would wait as long as possible then bottle if it was even a pale ale or heavier/darker beer I would leave it for when you return. Besides it will give you something to think about and look forward to.

 

[wittmania]

If you want them to age/mature while you're gone, rack off the yeast into a secondary and let them sit at room temp. There will still be enough yeast to finish up any fermentation and clean up during the next 7 months. If you want them fresh, get them in bottles and refrigerate them the whole time.

 

[SKYY]

Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking let them all sit in secondaries for eternity, while I do the Good Lord's Work, and then when I return to civilization, I'll bottle them and age them further.

 

[jestmaty]

This'll be interesting.....

General consensus says that there will be enough yeast left after many, many months.. enough to get your bottles to carb up.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you next Spring, when they're bottled up and hopefully carbonated

Stay safe

 

[cfrazier77]

Thank you for serving our country and stay safe.

 

[bottlebomber]

Bottle the two in secondary, and quickly mix up some apfelwein into the carboys

 

[wittmania]

SKYY, what beer styles are they? Curious more than anything. Some styles age a lot better than others (dark stuff, high gravity), while some are better as fresh and green as you can get them (hoppy stuff).

Also, I wouldn't worry about having enough yeast to carbonate after you bottle them in 7 months. Unless you're filtering your beer to remove the yeast, there will certainly be enough yeast left in suspension to carb up just fine. If you're really worried about it you could always add a quarter of a package of US-05 at bottling to guarantee that you've got fresh yeast to bottle condition.

The other thing you need to think about is oxygen exposure. If you've got glass carboys, nothing to worry about. If the beers are in ale pales they may pick up oxygen if they're in there for that long. Same thing for Better Bottles, though they claim that they are impervious to oxygen. Lots of different opinions about this, but something for you to think about if you're bulk aging beers.

Thanks for your service. Stay safe.

 

[bottlebomber]

The other thing you need to think about is oxygen exposure. If you've got glass carboys, nothing to worry about. If the beers are in ale pales they may pick up oxygen if they're in there for that long.

Have you ever experienced this? I've had beer in a bucket for a year and not noticed any sign of oxidation.

 

[ktblunden]

The other thing you need to think about is oxygen exposure. If you've got glass carboys, nothing to worry about. If the beers are in ale pales they may pick up oxygen if they're in there for that long. Same thing for Better Bottles, though they claim that they are impervious to oxygen. Lots of different opinions about this, but something for you to think about if you're bulk aging beers.

If the buckets remain closed there's not much risk of that. And what evidence do you have to counter BB's claims that they are impervious to oxygen? Statements like that without actual evidence are part of the problem on this forum. It confuses and worries new members needlessly.

 

[wittmania]

Not trying to worry anyone, but there are threads and threads and threads out there about this topic and many people believe that plastic in any form will allow oxygen through. I did not say it does or it doesn't. I just said it was something to think about since oxidation is one of the biggest concerns when aging a beer for a longer than normal period of time.

 

[bottlebomber]

Not trying to worry anyone, but there are threads and threads and threads out there about this topic and many people believe that plastic in any form will allow oxygen through. I did not say it does or it doesn't. I just said it was something to think about since oxidation is one of the biggest concerns when aging a beer for a longer than normal period of time.

There's also thread after thread where people indicate that sparge temps over 170 degrees will cause tannin extraction, but it's simply not true. Over time these myths will die out as homebrewers as a whole become more experienced and less superstitious. I think it's a good rule in general to not repeat something unless you've experienced it directly.

 

[Chap]

SKYY,
There are several of us homebrewers in Oki, if you need somebody to rack your beers or bottle them just let us know. I bet one of us could help a brother out! Stay safe.

 

[SKYY]

SKYY, what beer styles are they? Curious more than anything.*snip*

They're all high-grav brews.

One is a brown ale (1.084 OG...measured at 1.020 when I racked). This one has since been bottled. I tasted the drippings from the hyrdometer when I bottled it...and all I could say at the time was, "damn, this is going to be a good beer!"

Another is an IPA kit that I added an additional # of light DME and about 7 oz more hops, 3 of which were used for dry-hopping in the carboy, with a rough FG of 1.089 after brewing (so, it's effectively a DIPA). I racked it at 1.025, it's been sitting in a carboy for over a week, and I have not seen much activity since racking.

I also have another high-grav blonde. I don't have my notes handy, but it started with a high 1.080s OG. I let it sit in the primary for a week or so, and then I racked and dry-hopped it with some williamette hops for more aroma complexity. All observable fermentation activity has stopped in this one, although it continues to clarify with each day.

The last one, the one in the primary, is a standard Brewer's Best Holiday Ale (one of my favorites). Maybe it's their spice pack, but I've brewed this one three times, and I can't get enough of it. I'm seriously considering just bottling this one tomorrow, and dealing with the overcarbonation I'll probably get when I try to drink it in 7 months.

 

[SKYY]

Thanks again for all the helpful replies. I decided to bottle the two that were racked, and rack the one that was in the bucket. It turned out to be a good decision, thus far. I'll be sure to update this thread when I get back, so we can learn from my troubles.

You know you made a good beer when you find yourself "tasting" over a cup of the bottling bucket's leftovers. Both the IPA and the blonde reached their targeted FG, and I'm really glad I dry-hopped them and added oak chips to the process. I can't wait to see how they've aged when I get home in 7 months!

Chap, thanks for the offer, but I think I'm good for now. Besides, the last time a fellow Okinawan offered to babysit my brews, it was a Gunnery Sergeant from Camp Foster. I'd trust my life to a Gunny in combat, but I know better than to let them watch over my beers!

 

[DanH]

It has almost been seven months! I have seriously been waiting to hear how this turns out...

 

[SKYY]

Well, after what was supposed to be a 6-monther turned into a 9-monther, I'm back.

The beer in the carboy has developed a film of mold on the surface. Everything was sterlized/sanitized appropriately, and the airlock still had fluid in it. I'll post a picture later, for reference.

Since I have the time and bottles to do so, I'll attempt racking nonetheless. I'll update this thread once the bottling process is complete. I'm pretty sure it'll still be drinkable.

On the bright side, the beers I bottled turned out great.

 

[soapy45]

Thanks for your service to our country. Glad you're home safe. May God bless you with some great tasting beer!

 

[Clonefan94]

Since you are bottling, you obviously don't have a CO2 tank, but maybe you could get one of those little pistol grip things that use the small CO2 cartridges and try what I do. I don't trust regular air. Not just for the Oxygen, but for the other baddies that are probably floating in it. So, after I clean and sanitize my carboy, I always hit it with some CO2, to try and purge the regular air out of it. Then I rack the beer into it. I did have, one time, what looked like a little mold starting on the beer after a while in secondary. So, since then, I've always hit it with some CO2 to purge the air and have never had a problem since.

Really, I only worry about this for long term storage in secondary though. Usually when all my kegs are full and it's going to be a while before one opens up, or bulk aging and not wanting to take up a keg. It just seems a CO2 environment is probably better at keeping the little bugs at bay then any space with Oxygen in it.

And thank you for serving our country.

 

[Rbeckett]

Skyy

Hey man, just let us know how it works out when you get back. I would be very interested in hearing what a 7 month secondary does for the taste. I'm willing to bet that once you bottle and carb it it will be smooth and tasty. So keep us in the loop and Pop as many Taliban as they give you ammo for. One less to kill later when they come here with their brand of stupid.

Wheelchair Bob, A Vet......

 

[two_hearted]

Skyy

Hey man, just let us know how it works out when you get back. I would be very interested in hearing what a 7 month secondary does for the taste. I'm willing to bet that once you bottle and carb it it will be smooth and tasty. So keep us in the loop and Pop as many Taliban as they give you ammo for. One less to kill later when they come here with their brand of stupid.

Wheelchair Bob, A Vet......

Hey Bob, he's back now. This thread started 9 months ago. Instant gratification.

 

[DanH]

Welcome Back!!

 

[Sheldon]

welcome home and thanks for serving.

 

[cfrazier77]

Welcome home, I am glad you stayed safe! Thank you for your sacrifice and dedication to your country.

 

[fizgig]

Was the IPA hoppy at all?

 

[Afghanvet_2x]

Well, after what was supposed to be a 6-monther turned into a 9-monther, I'm back.

The beer in the carboy has developed a film of mold on the surface. Everything was sterlized/sanitized appropriately, and the airlock still had fluid in it. I'll post a picture later, for reference.

Since I have the time and bottles to do so, I'll attempt racking nonetheless. I'll update this thread once the bottling process is complete. I'm pretty sure it'll still be drinkable.

On the bright side, the beers I bottled turned out great.

Welcome back, glad the bottle beer turned out great

 

[Keith66]

I sincerely appreciate your and your family's voluntary sacrifice for my and my family's freedom. Thank you sir. Now RDWHAHB!

 

[SKYY]

Was the IPA hoppy at all?

Oh yes. I purposefully overdid the warrior in the brewing, and dry hopped with willamette.

 

[SKYY]

I sincerely appreciate your and your family's voluntary sacrifice for my and my family's freedom. Thank you sir. Now RDWHAHB!

Wish I had one. But I'll take your advice, and have one.

 

[PerfectD3]

Well, after what was supposed to be a 6-monther turned into a 9-monther, I'm back.

Ha! Same thing happened on my last trip. Welcome back!