Did I goof?

[kwm5067]

Good morning all,

I had the pleasure of making a sweet stout this weekend and all went well util 12 hours into fermentation. 1.080 OG responded well to 2 packets of s-33. I pitched at 67 deg into a well aerated wort into my 7 gal. SS brew bucket. Had activity about 3 hours later to my surprise.
By the next morning she was super active. Now, I have a temp control system to monitor ferm temps and keep them consistent but for some reason this time I didn't use it.
Skip ahead to midday and the temps are up to 78 deg due to all the activity. This is where I start to worry and kicked myself for not using my chiller.
I had the bright idea of sanitizing the coil on my other brew bucket lid, quickly changed it over and set the temps on my regulator to bring it down to 70. When it got to 70 about 20-30 mins later fermentation continued for another 2 hours or so and then everything stopped. Before leaving work this morning I checked again and not a single indication that fermentation is still going. When I get home I plan to do some gravity readings but I have a feeling I screwed up either way. Either the yeast burned through the entire batch already because of the temps, or I effectively stopped fermentation with the somewhat drastic change in temps. I guess my question is if I haven't reached expected FG over the next few days do i attempt to re-pitch or leave it be and see how it turns out?

 

[ProblemChild]

or your lid is not sealed properly and the co2 is leaving the fermenter by means other than the airlock. If chiller coil is not installed tight, gas could be getting out there. Just a thought.

 

[kwm5067]

or your lid is not sealed properly and the co2 is leaving the fermenter by means other than the airlock. If chiller coil is not installed tight, gas could be getting out there. Just a thought.

It is sealed properly. It fermented for 2 hours after the lid swap. If I put the lid on without using the 4 clamps on the brew bucket it will not seal, but when you snap all 4 down it bubbles immediately indicating the seal it tight.

 

[kh54s10]

My guess is at the warm temperatures the ferment peaked early. Just because you are not getting bubbling in the airlock does not mean the beer is not fermenting. It is just not creating much co2 any longer. I would leave it alone for another 6-8 days then take your gravity readings.

 

[kwm5067]

My guess is at the warm temperatures the ferment peaked early. Just because you are not getting bubbling in the airlock does not mean the beer is not fermenting. It is just not creating much co2 any longer. I would leave it alone for another 6-8 days then take your gravity readings.

True. I'll tough it out and hope for the best. thanks

 

[thehaze]

S-33 is not a great attenuator and will finish quick, stopping pretty high, but that is not an issue with a (sweet) stout. I had to try S-33 and I remember it fermented pretty agressively and was finished quick. A few points higher than expected, but the beers turned out OK.

I also remember it likes a bit of heat... One IPA-ish I fermented at around 22C/72F.

 

[GunBrew]

As others have pointed out, the yeast may have just finished quickly. However, dropping the temp by 8 degrees in 20-30 minutes could very well have shocked the yeast and caused it to floc out. (Some yeast strains are more temperamental than others.) You could try to rouse the yeast by (gently) shaking/swirling the fermenter. Professional brewers rouse yeast by bubbling CO2 up from the bottom valve on a fermenter. The gravity will obviously be your best indicator of progress - if it's too much trouble to take an early sample, then just stay the course as suggested earlier. The good news is that even if the yeast quit early and doesn't kick back up, you can always pitch more. You could even add a different yeast that attenuates more than the original yeast.

 

[ericbw]

S-33 is finicky. I have had it stall like it was done for a week, then come back "on" and take another week to finish. I think the change in temp probably made it decide to drop out.

I would let it sit and see if anything else happens with it.

Why are you using S-33 for a stout? Just curious.

 

[kwm5067]

S-33 is finicky. I have had it stall like it was done for a week, then come back "on" and take another week to finish. I think the change in temp probably made it decide to drop out.

I would let it sit and see if anything else happens with it.

Why are you using S-33 for a stout? Just curious.

That's very weird that it came back. I did a reading today and was around 1.050. So i have a few choices i think? Let it ride and see if I get there or re-pitch. If i decide to re-pitch, do I aerate again? Never had to re-pitch yeast so not sure of the procedure. Should i treat it as if I'm pitching yeast for the first time?

I chose s-33 because I'm trying a recipe I was interested in that required it and it seems to be getting good feedback.

 

[ericbw]

I would wait a week then repitch. Don't aerate again.