Beer from hell

[BuffaloEOD]

I am in the process of fermenting my third batch of beer- an Alaskan Amber Ale clone and it's a pain is the @$$. Primary fermentation caused an explosion of fermenting beer all over my spare bedroom. After 2 weeks of being in the primary fermenter it was time to put the beer in a "secondary fermenter" and cold chill at 40 degrees for 15 days. I forgot to take initial readings so I am shooting from the hip. I transported the beer to the basement where the chest freezer is located and had about a 3 cups the star san from my canning jar (one-way valve) leak into the carboy. I put the fermenter in the chest freezer on a mid setting and left it there for about 12 hours. To my surprise, well not really the way this brew was going, the fermenter has about 5 gallons of slush and well on its way of being frozen solid. I took the fermenter out of the freezer and let it sit at room temp (70 degrees). I bought an expensive temp control to use with the chest freezer and bought some dry yeast just in case I need to re-pitch it. Is it necessary to cold chill the beer and will I need to repitch some dry yeast for carbonation? I plan on bottling this beer so I will need some yeast for carbonation.

 

[PerryS]

I plan on bottling this beer so I will need some yeast for carbonation.

Summary:
1) Spare bedroom smells like beer
2) wort diluted with StarSan
3) frozen/thawed wort

First, I suggest abandoning all hope. Take a deep breath. Next, RDWHAH.

Now that your attitude is adjusted, I suggest adding enough DME/LME (of the appropriate type) to make up the initial SG for the StarSan Dilution. If you see yeast activity, congratulations! You managed to not kill the yeast. They can be rather tough little buggers; after all, they have probably endured worse in the last billion years or so.

If the yeast are truly dead (doubtful) re-pitch and let them munch on the DME.

At this point, you're back in-process. Do whatever you thought you'd do with the cold-crash (or not) and bottle-fermenting.

This is a great hobby, ain't it? The best part is drinking the incriminating evidence.

 

[AWNbrewer]

After 2 weeks in the primary and causing a huge mess the yeast have made the wort into beer (+1 you as long as everything was sanitised). Im thnking itll be alright. It may have some "off" flavors due to the wide swings in fermenting temperature but thats a part of the learning curve. Think of it as a way to try and help you learn what should this style taste like and what exactly are these (if there are any) off flavors. I say just use your priming sugar or whatever you have and bottle it. IF it turns out terrible you gave it your all. I shouldnt jinx myself, I have been brewing 2 years (still a noob here) and messed up a good portion of my brewing process. All of my beers turn out drinkable, some good, a few great, and I have only had to dump 1 batch, bottle by bottle. Wort production is fun, but the fermentation process is delicate and need to be piddled with as little as possible. Have fun and good luck! O 1 more thing I love the title of the post, Beer from Hell. Sounds like its a full body, high alcohol, dark, insanly hoppe stout er something.

 

[BuffaloEOD]

Thanks for the great responses. I think this is a learning experience and honestly I find it kind of fun working through these issues. I will refine the process next time and stabilize the temps better. I plan to throw the fermenter back into the chest freezer that is now at 40 degrees for the weekend and see if the beer clears up a little. Maybe I will try making your version of Beer from Hell that you described, sounds amazing.

 

[Varmintman]

Was this a kit or did you find a recipe. I tried this beer the other night and really enjoyed it. If you have the recipe could you post it

 

[GrogNerd]

2 weeks in primary before things started to go wrong, I would say you're OK

the Star-San is what I would be most worried about, ONLY if it were 3 cups UNdiluted. that's 1, ½, or ⅓ of an entire bottle! I'm guessing it was diluted, so if it was, I would say you're OK. the yeast like it, but you might get a little off taste from it

if it goes well, tastes OK, you might just go ahead and add 3 cups diluted Star-San, added to secondary, to your Beer From Hell recipe

 

[RM-MN]

Your beer will clear up with time if you don't chill it, it just clears faster by "cold crashing". It isn't a necessary step. Mine stay in the fermenter at least 3 weeks and they clear up fine and I am sure that the yeast are completely done by then.

You can avoid (on most beers anyway) the explosive fermentation by keeping the fermenter cool. Use a tub of cool water to set the fermenter in and keep the fermenter temperature in the low 60's by adding more cold water (OK) or ice packs (better) for the first 3 or 4 days. By now the yeast will have slowed down and the flavor profile will have been set so you can let it warm to room temperature for the rest of the ferment time. Don't rush your beer. Most of mine now go 3 weeks and make good beer. I let one go for 9 weeks and I thought it was better.

 

[BuffaloEOD]

Heres the recipe that I used:

Alaskan Brewing Co's Alaskan Amber clone

5 gallons, extract with grains; OG = 1.054 FG = 1.015; Bitterness = 20 IBUs

Ingredients:

1 lb. two-row pale malt
1/2 lb. medium crystal malt
1/2 lb. light crystal malt
5 lbs. Munton's unhopped light dried malt extract (DME)
4 AAU Cascade hops (1 oz. of 4% alpha acid)
4 AAU Saaz hops (1 oz. of 4% alpha acid)
1 tsp. Irish moss (last 15 minutes of the boil)
German ale yeast slurry (Wyeast 1007, White Labs WLP-029 or equivalent)
7/8 cups light DME for priming
Step by Step:

Crush pale and crystal malts. Steep in 2.5 gallons water at 150° F for 45 minutes. Remove grains, add DME and stir well. Bring to a boil, add Cascade hops. Boil 45 minutes, add Saaz hops, boil additional 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, cool. Add to fermenter along with enough chilled, pre-boiled water to make up 5.25 gallons.

When cooled to 68° F or so, aerate well and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68° F for ten days. Rack to secondary, condition cold (40° F) for fifteen days. Prime with DME. Bottle and condition at a cool cellar temperature (50° F) for two weeks. Serve at 50° F in a straight-sided altbier glass.

All-grain option:

Omit the dried malt extract and mash 8 lbs. pale malt plus the crystals (as above) in 12 quarts water at 152° F. Sparge with 15 quarts at 168° F.

Proceed as above from boiling and reduce wort volume to 5.25 gallons.

 

[Varmintman]

I am going to brew this. Thanks

 

[ilikeguns]

I am going to brew this. Thanks

with or without the late starsan addition?

 

[GrogNerd]

with or without the late starsan addition?

i just figgin choked on my coffee

what a great way to start off a friday brew weekend

and, as I do with 87.5% of recipes I come across... it's saved

but I'll wait until the results are in on the starsan before I actually brew it.

 

[BuffaloEOD]

To save money I diluted my star san....that way I can add it to more brews in the future. I am going to start another batch next week without the star san and do a side by side comparison when they are both ready to go. I am willing to bet the phosphoric acid in star san will do wonders for the overall profile of the beer and give it the extra edge I am looking for.

 

[RM-MN]

To save money I diluted my star san....that way I can add it to more brews in the future. I am going to start another batch next week without the star san and do a side by side comparison when they are both ready to go. I am willing to bet the phosphoric acid in star san will do wonders for the overall profile of the beer and give it the extra edge I am looking for.

It's worked for Coca Cola and Pepsi, it should work for you too?

 

[naga77777]

I'm pretty sure I read on here somewhere that diluted star-san would serve as yeast nutrient anyways. I wouldn't worry about it.

As an aside, my 3rd or 4th batch ever was a Milk Stout, that I dubbed "Batch from HELL" in the brew log. Boilovers, losing boil with additions, spilling wort allllll over the floor pouring into fermenter, etc etc.

I chuckled a little when I saw that I wasn't the only one having the same thought pattern.

 

[GrogNerd]

As an aside, my 3rd or 4th batch ever was a Milk Stout, that I dubbed "Batch from HELL" in the brew log. Boilovers, losing boil with additions, spilling wort allllll over the floor pouring into fermenter, etc etc.

how'd that one turn out?

 

[naga77777]

how'd that one turn out?

It was pretty rough, but I don't think it was due to any of the "Hell factors".

I've been chasing an off-flavor that appears in everything malt-forward I've made. IPA's have turned out beautifully.

I do believe my problem came from brewing with untreated/unfiltered well water, which leaves the brown stains inside toilet tanks and on showers/tubs. Best I can tell its the iron. I get a metallic aftertaste and a heckuva twang.

This was also before I started doing flameout LME additions, so could possibly have been due to scorched extract, although I doubt it. The late additions didn't fix the issue on malt-forward beers.


EDIT: i STILL drank every bottle of it, though

 

[BuffaloEOD]

I put the fermenter into my chest freezer and let it sit for the weekend and took a reading and taste sample. To my surprise the sample was pretty decent even with all the star-san and temp ranges. It tasted similar to Alaskan clone and I am anxious to bottle and try. I also have a Moose Drool clone ready for bottling that is also tastes good. For my first couple of batches so far so good.

 

[GrogNerd]

I put the fermenter into my chest freezer and let it sit for the weekend and took a reading and taste sample. To my surprise the sample was pretty decent even with all the star-san and temp ranges. It tasted similar to Alaskan clone and I am anxious to bottle and try. I also have a Moose Drool clone ready for bottling that is also tastes good. For my first couple of batches so far so good.

really have to actively TRY and ruin beer to actually ruin it; it's very forgiving