Fast start, quick decline

[dlabrie]

I brewed a 5 gallon, honey ale 2 days ago. 18 hours after pitching the yeast, I needed a blow-off tube. It continued to blow off for about 24 hours. Now, at about 50 hours I am only getting one bubble every 40 seconds. Is this something to worry about?

The yeast was a hydrated, Windsor dry yeast.
The OG was 15 Brix ( 1.061 sg)
temp 70 degrees

Thanks

 

[NTXBrauer]

70 degrees is a bit on the high side, and led to the aggressive up front fermentation you experienced. Was this the temp of the ambient air or your FV?

You may look to bring the temp of your FV down to 68 degrees to finish out with. I see no need to worry too much.

 

[dlabrie]

70 degrees is a bit on the high side, and led to the aggressive up front fermentation you experienced. Was this the temp of the ambient air or your FV?

You may look to bring the temp of your FV down to 68 degrees to finish out with. I see no need to worry too much.

I have a strip thermometer on my fermenter bucket. 70 is what it is reading. The pitching temp was probably 72-75. The brewing instructions said to ferment at 70 degrees.

is FV, final volume?

 

[BigFloyd]

I have a strip thermometer on my fermenter bucket. 70 is what it is reading. The pitching temp was probably 72-75. The brewing instructions said to ferment at 70 degrees.

is FV, final volume?

The instructions are wrong (as kit instructions so often are). 72-75*F pitch and 70*F ferment is too high for Windsor (which is a pretty fast-acting, quick ferment, low attenuation strain anyway). At those temps, it's very likely to give you some unpleasant flavors. Even pitching at 62*F and kept at a controlled 63-64*F (beer temp), Windsor wants to run hard and fast.

 

[NTXBrauer]

is FV, final volume?

Actually your Fermentation Vessel, which would be your bucket. Try and get your temp down a bit if possible. As BigFloyd mentions, there is a possibility of off flavors, when fermenting on the higher side for an Ale.

 

[dlabrie]

At the Danstar site this is what it says about the yeast.

Depending on the composition of the recipe, Windsor demonstrates moderate attenuation which will leave a relatively high gravity (density). Recommended fermentation temperature range for Windsor is 17° to 21°C (64° to 70°F).....Quick start to fermentation, which can be completed in 3 days above 17°C.

Does this mean it is done? And if it leaves a relatively high gravity what should my FG be if my OG was 15 Brix ( 1.061 sg)?

The FV is now at 68 degrees.

 

[AerationStation]

Northern brewer puts the attenuation of Windsor at 73-77%. Because of how quick you fermented this bad boy I'd assume you'd be on the low end (highly flocculant yeast like this will fall out of solution unless you ferment low and slow). Just some quick math at 73% attenuation is gonna land you in the neighborhood of 1.016

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[aslander]

Relax and give it time, then take some gravity readings.

 

[dlabrie]

When I take sg readings, I hate to use up so much wort. I have a refractometer and I know that alcohol affects its readings. I have been looking at sites that have calculators that factor in the alcohol, but when i try the two below, I get different readings.
site one site two

 

[kombat]

I hear you on the wasted beer when using a hydrometer to measure F.G. For my 1 gallon batches, I use a refractometer for both O.G. and F.G., and I use the conversion tool built into BeerSmith to do the correction for F.G.