Fermentation Emergency?! (first brew)

[IrnThistleBru]

**5g batch currently in day 9 of primary fermentation (american amber ale), plan to rack to secondary**

Cold front came through last night and knocked my temp from between 64-68F down to 57-59*F. I am worried about yeast going dormant or just something going off from the drop in temp. Most recent SG reading is 1.11 ( below target )

American Amber Ale
Pitched 90% of 11.5g dry yeast packet Safale US - 05 @ 69*F
- vigorously stirred wort before sprinkling

Suggested ferm temp : 64-72*F
Actual initial ferm temp : 68*F

Expected OG: 1.052
Expected FG: 1.015

Actual OG: 1.053
Sp. Grav @ day 6 = 1.012 (already below target)
- Sludgy tan bubble layer over wort [normal?]

Sp. Grav @ day 9 = 1.011
- Sludgy bubbles are gone now just little bubbles here and there

What should I do?

-Rack to secondary and bring inside?
-keep in primary, Stir, and bring inside?
-Raise temperature before i rack to second.? Rack then raise temp?

Also I have read about cold crashing, might this cold front have just cold crashed my ale for me? I tasted my last hydrometer sample and it tastes pretty good but this is my first brew so IDK!

Help and Tips are greatly appreciated! about to brew again and would enjoy some professional/experienced input.. Anything I did especially wrong or right?

 

[TasunkaWitko]

It will be fine -

You might be tempted to bring everything back up to the desired temperature range and give the carboy a couple of kicks if you want, but I don't think it's necessary.

 

[MMP126]

Sounds like you screwed up your number in the post.

If you OG is 1.052, it cannot make its way up to 1.11. Either your mistyped, your hydrometer is broken, or you added stuff to your fermenter.

Please clarify.

 

[Gavin C]

**5g batch currently in day 9 of primary fermentation (american amber ale), plan to needlessly rack to secondary**

weather happened and I am trying, based on my understandable lack of experience as a new brewer, to decide which bad option to choose

Do nothing and bottle when you feel like it

or

Bottle the beer now because you feel like it.

Either option is fine as fermentation is complete.
1.053 to 1.011 is consistent with a normal complete fermentation for an ale of this type.

Secondary usage will do nothing to benefit the beer or your enjoyment of it.
Those ambient temperatures are fine for an ale.

Don't kick, warm, shake, rattle, roll or otherwise assault your beer in the fermentor. Never stir.

I would do nothing right now.

 

[Begin2Brew]

After 9 days and from 1.059 to 1.011, no krausen left your just fine, fermentation is most likely done. Check gravity tomorrow and if it is still at 1.011 I would drop the temp to 35F and crash it. Give it a few days at that temp then bottle it.

 

[IrnThistleBru]

Thanks. Quick Responses!

I think I will bring it inside and try doing the water tub and tshirt system because it is still dropping in temp outside.

First reason for racking to secondary was to free up my primary fermenting bucket for starting another brew. Or should I leave my amber in the plastic bucket and use my glass carboy to ferment my new brew?

Second reason was because apparently racking it to secondary gives the finished beer more clarity/less sediment which I would like so its more presentable when served.

 

[IrnThistleBru]

After 9 days and from 1.059 to 1.011, no krausen left your just fine, fermentation is most likely done. Check gravity tomorrow and if it is still at 1.011 I would drop the temp to 35F and crash it. Give it a few days at that temp then bottle it.

Probably wont intentionally cold crash since this is my very first brew, maybe next time if you guys recommend a cold crash. I think the cold weather might have helped my krausen dissipate maybe? idk

 

[curtisbrewer]

if your bottling your beer i wouldn't cold crash it , and i would say the best way to free up your primary ferm bucket is to get that beer into bottles and conditioning. even if there was no temperature event i don't think your going to see your final gravity go much lower than where you are at right now. if your kegging , then i would say cold crash it and keg in a few days to a week.

 

[DaWhip]

Secondary won't hurt it if you need to free up your bucket. I still secondary a lot for the same reason. If it were me, I wouldn't bother adjusting temps any more. Your yeast flavors are set and the yeast that haven't already settled out will keep cleaning things up for you at those temps if you let it warm back up at it's own pace in the house. Regardless of whether it is your first brew or not, I would recomend the cold crash after a week or so of secondary if you have the means to do it. I wish I had started cold crashing from the beginning, but it really won't be a big deal if you don't. The secondary is kind of the slow way to get the same results as cold crashing your primary. If you secondary and cold crash, all the better (or at least not worse) and you have some bulk aging done too which helps most beers.

 

[Kharnynb]

If you really want to start a new beer, just grab an extra bucket, buckets are cheap.

For your current beer, just wait a few more days.
how are you bottling? straight from your main bucket or from a bottling bucket? mass carbonation or drops?

 

[IrnThistleBru]

Mixed feelings on whether to rack to secondary for another week or wait a few more days in primary and then bottle. Only racking to secondary as per recipe instructions, no experience.

Ok so plan is:

1 bring inside
2 evaporative cooling with tshirt to bring back to 64-68 range
3 leave a couple more days
4 Rack to bottling bucket and bottle or rack to secondary for another week

Cheers! btw the last hydrometer sample tasted delish so I'm very relieved, and not so worried about my beer being ruined

 

[oujens]

Thanks. Quick Responses!

I think I will bring it inside and try doing the water tub and tshirt system because it is still dropping in temp outside.

First reason for racking to secondary was to free up my primary fermenting bucket for starting another brew. Or should I leave my amber in the plastic bucket and use my glass carboy to ferment my new brew?

Second reason was because apparently racking it to secondary gives the finished beer more clarity/less sediment which I would like so its more presentable when served.

Don't worry too much. I usually ferment an ale for 10 days and then cold crash and keg (or transfer to bottles). As a new brewer you are given instructions to utilize a secondary, but for an ale most experiences on this board would tell you its not necessary. In fact, you could do more harm than good. Each time you transfer you could expose your wort to oxygen or possibly infection. If bottling, I would pull it inside and package it when ready. If kegging, you could leave it outside to get a cold crash and then package it.

As for clarity, before I used whirlfloc or gelatin I found my beer to clear after a few weeks of conditioning in the bottle or the keg. Most sediment in your bottles will be from yeast if doing bottle conditioning. Sediment will settle in kegs and then will be pulled out on your first draw. Even if its a bit hazy, it will still be beer. If you have off-flavors or haziness i would guess more than likely it was something that occurred prior to your 9th day of fermentation. I don't know that a secondary can provide you commercial quality clarity. I believe you need to use a fining for this.

 

[Kharnynb]

wait about 5-6 days, rack to bottling with priming sugar and bottle.

 

[oujens]

Mixed feelings on whether to rack to secondary for another week or wait a few more days in primary and then bottle. Only racking to secondary as per recipe instructions, no experience.

Ok so plan is:

1 bring inside
2 evaporative cooling with tshirt to bring back to 64-68 range
3 leave a couple more days
4 Rack to bottling bucket and bottle or rack to secondary for another week

Cheers! btw the last hydrometer sample tasted delish so I'm very relieved, and not so worried about my beer being ruined

Didn't see this prior to my last post, but do step 1, ditch step 2, step 3 is optional but wouldn't hurt if you have time, go straight to bottling when you are ready.

 

[whovous]

If you cannot cold crash and/or don't want to cold crash, then my vote is to bottle right now.

 

[IrnThistleBru]

This picture was when I took my day 9 sample after the freezing weather dropped my temp to 55-57.
2 days before this there was slimy bubbles up to the the line on the sides 64-68F.

Considering its dropping below freezing, I brought my bucket into the closet. Its slowly warming planning to keep it below room temp (64-68) on temp strip.

Planning to rack to secondary to avoid getting yeastie gunk spread into my bottling bucket (if I were to rack to bottle bucket straight from primary)

 

[PADave]

You are doing more harm to your beer taking that lid off than the little temp change did.

 

[Kharnynb]

just leave the lid on.
siphon carefully to bottling bucket and bottle when it's done.

all this opening and moving to secondary etc, is just increasing the chance to infect or oxigenate the beer.