Fermentation question

[oolaa]

Hi!

I just made a 4gl wort with an OG of 1.102. I aerated ambitiously and pitched one White Labs Super High Gravity Yeast.

In retrospect I think I should have put more vials into the wort.

Do you think that it will ferment nicely anyway? I would be happy if I reach 9% abv.

 

[cshamilton]

Well. A starter for something that big is really needed, so that you don't stress the yeast. I'm guessing that strain can handle more, but you are likely to have effects of stressed yeast (off flavors) and risk it getting stuck. If you can get another vial soon, I recommend it.

 

[oolaa]

I think I can get it in 48 hours. Will that do the trick or is it too late?

 

[cshamilton]

Well that's pushing it, at this point let it ride if fermentation is slow/poor get some dry yeast US05 or Nottingham. If it gets stuck you could add a big starter of the hi grav yeast later on.

 

[oolaa]

Thanks for your advice!

After a few hours in the fermenting barrel, the wort started showing alot of activity with vigorous bubbling in the airlock, so I guess the yeast is having a good time despite the high OG.

 

[tooldudetool]

There's no question that one vial of yeast will start fermenting in high gravity wort, the question is how many undesirable flavors and esters will the yeast throw out as they try to consume the sugars. Without a proper starter you are forcing the yeast to work without enough yeast cells to properly do the job of fermenting the beer clean. Possible issues are under attenuation (keep in mind, as the beer ferments the abv will continue to rise, which puts stress on the yeast), fusel alcohols (rubbing alcohol, or hot flavor), increased esters or diacetyl. Its good you aerated well, that helps with their reproduction phase, just be sure to keep fermentation temp under control, especially for the first 3-4 days, with an OG that high the yeast will certainly be generating some heat... You didn't mention what style you brewed, but your yeast choice is a bit strange, it isn't recommended for many styles... I'm pretty sure its usually used for the production of moonshine... Why else would you want a 25% abv beer?

 

[oolaa]

Thanks for the advice!
In which span should I keep the temperature for best results?
Actually, Im so new at brewing that I just want to experiment to see what works. Eventually I want to be able to make belgian style strong ale and barley winr, but this is mostly a fun experiment.

 

[tooldudetool]

According to White Labs web site, 65-69 degrees... I would try and target the lower end of that range. And that would be beer temp, not ambient room temp. The beer temp can be 5-8 degrees hotter than the room its in, so that's why fermentation temp control is usually one of the highest priorities for home brewers. Those stick on lcd thermometers are usually pretty accurate. If your beer gets up into the mid seventies in the first few days it will produce some hot solventy flavors with an OG that high... That's cool you are experimenting, that's one of the great things about home brewing, you can do whatever the hell you want, and its the best way to learn what works and what doesn't. And at the end you have beer! For your next brew I would suggest looking in the white labs and wyeast websites for which yeasts work best with which styles. Or go the simple route and use Safale 05 dry yeast. When properly rehydrated one pack contains twice as much yeast as a vial or smack pack, which usually means no starters to worry about and its a great clean yeast to use for many styles... I use it all the time.

 

[SpentBrains]

This definition page and some of it's associated links, helped advance my understanding of the yeast growth process, even after a few years of brewing without a good understanding and making some good beers in spite of myself:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteur_effect