Beer going bad during the summer

[pdxal]

I agree with lack of temperature control is a big issue here. Massive underpitching has got to be part of the problem too.
Per Mr. Malty's yeast pitch calculator (love it or hate it) 15 gallons of a 1.048 OG beer needs 505 billion cells.
Unless these beers are infected, those two issues would be the first to tackle. If they're infected, the sanitation needs to be improved first, then the temp and pitch rate.

 

[Hello]

Hopefully you can tell the "powers that be" that they will drive business into the ground if they keep this up. They can be great in the winter but winter won't matter if they're screwing customers by ignoring basic brewing techniques in the warmer months.

 

[TimmyWit]

OP, where is this brewery? I would love to get in the brewery business myself and I figure if I could find a place where the customers are that forgiving, it would make my path a little easier .

Seriously, there's either a troll here or a really interesting story.

Is the owner incredibly wealthy? That's the only way I see this playing out. Some millionaire thought it would be fun to open a brewery but didn't have time to consider how to go about it. He/she was a friend of yours and was impressed with a few batches of homebrew you made so you got hired as the head brewer. If the story is anything like this, congrats! You are one of the luckiest people on the planet and I am jealous!

 

[cheezydemon3]

OP, where is this brewery? I would love to get in the brewery business myself and I figure if I could find a place where the customers are that forgiving, it would make my path a little easier .

Seriously, there's either a troll here or a really interesting story.

Is the owner incredibly wealthy? That's the only way I see this playing out. Some millionaire thought it would be fun to open a brewery but didn't have time to consider how to go about it. He/she was a friend of yours and was impressed with a few batches of homebrew you made so you got hired as the head brewer. If the story is anything like this, congrats! You are one of the luckiest people on the planet and I am jealous!

It is not a brewery.

 

[TimmyWit]

It is not a brewery.

Ah, sorry bout that. OP, even though you don't work at a brewery, I am still jealous that you work in a building where you brew beer for customers.

 

[podz]

Ah, sorry bout that. OP, even though you don't work at a brewery, I am still jealous that you work in a building where you brew beer for customers.

It's a "Brew On Premise" (BOP). People come there and pay to use the equipment to make their own beer.

Not a very good business model if they don't have temperature control.

 

[incredityler]

Ah, sorry bout that. OP, even though you don't work at a brewery, I am still jealous that you work in a building where you brew beer for customers.

I'm basically a waiter.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Lol.

incredityler would probably have done more research than the dopes he works for.

 

[incredityler]

I really have done a lot of research, and despite this thread ruining my credibility of having any beer knowledge i take this stuff seriously and I love brewing. I learned a lot from this thread and I've talked to the owner about fixing things

 

[TimmyWit]

You're doing fine incredityler. I completely misunderstood the situation and for that I apologize. Now that I know what's going on, I'm still jealous. You're still around brewing all day while I'm riding a desk. You have a cool job. Hopefully you can get in the owner's ear and get those ferm temps under control. Do you also have the unfortunate duty of informing the customer when their beer doesn't turn out?

 

[incredityler]

Yes I do have to inform customers but like I said the customers are pretty forgiving. I think the thing is that homebrewers are just what the title says, they brew at home. Most of our customers have little to no beer knowledge they just like the beer they get in the end and if they don't we refund them or let them make another beer. I think of this place as a mr. Beer kit, a step to serious homebrewing except the customers done clean any mess and their wives don't yell at them for the smell

 

[cheezydemon3]

You're doing fine incredityler. I completely misunderstood the situation and for that I apologize. Now that I know what's going on, I'm still jealous. You're still around brewing all day while I'm riding a desk. You have a cool job. Hopefully you can get in the owner's ear and get those ferm temps under control. Do you also have the unfortunate duty of informing the customer when their beer doesn't turn out?

People that dumb can NOT be paying incredityler what he is worth.

Don't quit your desk job.

 

[incredityler]

People that dumb can NOT be paying incredityler what he is worth.



Don't quit your desk job.

Hahaha thank you for that I do agree completely

 

[j1n]

I really have done a lot of research, and despite this thread ruining my credibility of having any beer knowledge i take this stuff seriously and I love brewing. I learned a lot from this thread and I've talked to the owner about fixing things

If anything its the owner of the BOP that you work for who's credibility is all out the window. i mean what kind of idiot opens a BOP without any knowledge of how to brew. Its obvious the owner knows nothing about brewing since he doesn't even care for controlled fermentation temps. If i was going to go to a BOP and pay them to use their equipment, id expect gygcol chilled conical fermentors.

 

[podz]

People that dumb can NOT be paying incredityler what he is worth.

Don't quit your desk job.

They're probably not dumb and lack of temperature control was very likely an intentional cost-control measure. They probably realize that it costs far more to control temperature than it does to refund the ocassional customer, because most of the customers really are clueless when it comes to brewing and wouldn't know a bad tasting beer if it hit them in the face.

 

[incredityler]

Is there a BOP like that in this world?

 

[incredityler]

They're probably not dumb and lack of temperature control was very likely an intentional cost-control measure. They probably realize that it costs far more to control temperature than it does to refund the ocassional customer, because most of the customers really are clueless when it comes to brewing and wouldn't know a bad tasting beer if it hit them in the face.

That was probably the case when the place opened, but now with people being more into craft beer either this place needs some changes or it won't last long.

 

[j1n]

Is there a BOP like that in this world?

idk.. what im saying is that id expect much better equipment than what an average home brewer would have. And a lot of home brewers have ways to control fermentation temps. mostly via chest freezer or minifridge. So with that said to go up would be conical fermentors with glycol chilling.

That was probably the case when the place opened, but now with people being more into craft beer either this place needs some changes or it won't last long.

I would think you would want to invest the money to control the fermentation temps so that your customers get GOOD beer consistently so that they would keep coming back and using the place. Also if the beer is really good then they will help advertise via word of mouth.

Also you should address with the owner about the under pitching issue. I would think you could sell more yeast as well. tell the customers that they can call ahead and pay extra for you to make a starter for them or they can buy extra yeast when its time to pitch.

 

[ncbrewer]

It seems like one room, insulated, where the temperature is maintained in the low to mid 60's wouldn't be very expensive in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Hello]

Yes I do have to inform customers but like I said the customers are pretty forgiving. I think the thing is that homebrewers are just what the title says, they brew at home. Most of our customers have little to no beer knowledge they just like the beer they get in the end and if they don't we refund them or let them make another beer. I think of this place as a mr. Beer kit, a step to serious homebrewing except the customers done clean any mess and their wives don't yell at them for the smell

It is a sad to see a company decide that their customers won't know better and they'll actually just refund the ones who do. Why not actually run a good business and do your best to actually make a great end product?

 

[cheezydemon3]

They're probably not dumb and lack of temperature control was very likely an intentional cost-control measure. They probably realize that it costs far more to control temperature than it does to refund the ocassional customer, because most of the customers really are clueless when it comes to brewing and wouldn't know a bad tasting beer if it hit them in the face.

Couldn't disagree more.

Temp control is relatively inexpensive compared to refunds and RUIN OF REPUTATION.

It is only time before this runs rampant on EVERY brew forum in the USA.

WHERE IS THIS PLACE?

 

[incredityler]

We're working on the fermentation room now as I have brought it to the owners attention.

As for pitch rate, are the guidelines different for partial mash brewing vs. all-grain.

My goal obviously was not to bring the business I work for down to the ground. This is how I scrape by and pay rent for the time being, that being said there are these things that I'm trying to convey to other people here to try and fix problems

 

[hunter_le five]

As for pitch rate, are the guidelines different for partial mash brewing vs. all-grain.

Pitch rate is based on wort volume, style, and gravity. How the wort was made does not matter.

Glad the owner is willing to address the temp control issue.

 

[incredityler]

Okay I didn't read too much but I thought using malt extract may have made the yeast's job easier.

I'm working all these things out with my boss and I think things are headed in the right direction

 

[hunter_le five]

Nope, wort is wort. Starting with the "boil" stage and everything subsequent, the process is identical. Yeast don't know the difference.

Here's a dancing banana -->

 

[incredityler]

Nope, wort is wort. Starting with the "boil" stage and everything subsequent, the process is identical. Yeast don't know the difference.

Perfect thank you

 

[dyqik]

However, the attenuation of extract worts is often lower than the all grain equivalent. Under pitching can make this worse. The best solution is appropriate pitching of healthy yeast and ramping the temperature up during fermentation, as well as modification of the recipe to compensate.

 

[incredityler]

However, the attenuation of extract worts is often lower than the all grain equivalent. Under pitching can make this worse. The best solution is appropriate pitching of healthy yeast and ramping the temperature up during fermentation, as well as modification of the recipe to compensate.

What temp are you talking? Because this whole thread has been about how the temp is too high in the room

 

[Ilan34]

What temp are you talking? Because this whole thread has been about how the temp is too high in the room

That is true. You'll want to keep the temperature of the beer steady between 64-68 degrees (dependent on the type of yeast and beer style of course). However, as fermentation slows down (could be 48 hours after pitching, could be 4-5 days), it's important to start ramping up the temp, preferably slowly, to about 70 or so. This helps the yeast finish its job eating sugars, and also allows them to clean up off-flavors before going dormant.

 

[incredityler]

Okay so it's still too hot, I've been monitoring the temps since I started the thread, it's a constant 72 to 74 during the day and I'm working out a plan for fixing the temp right now