Been brewing beer for about 10years , all extract up till now. I think my first all grain batch in my new Fast Ferment conical fermenter was doomed from the start as I noticed no airlock activity during fermentation. Once fermenter was empty as after bottling I recovered the gasket down inside, must have fell off when screwing the lid on. I contacted fast Ferment and they said they were on the 4th generation gasket which they send me replacement. Anyway the beer was an American IPA and tasted more yeasty then expected and a few bottles were overly carbonated. The last couple I just dumped down the drain as they were way over carbonated and smelled off. Has anyone had this experience? Could it have been from the bad seal and oxygen exposure? Hopefully the next batch with the new lid seal gasket comes out better- I'll find out in a few weeks. Cheers!
First all grain batch not so good
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bucfan1234
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That may have led to your issue, but I am not sure.
I have a fermenting bucket with a lid that apparently doesn't seal tightly. Brewed a batch of pale ale with zero airlock activity, but the beer fermented completely and turned out fine.
That said, I kegged it on day nine or ten, had I let it sit in primary longer I may have had a similar issue to yours.
I have a fermenting bucket with a lid that apparently doesn't seal tightly. Brewed a batch of pale ale with zero airlock activity, but the beer fermented completely and turned out fine.
That said, I kegged it on day nine or ten, had I let it sit in primary longer I may have had a similar issue to yours.
No IPA should ever sit on the yeast for a month...
Cheers!
Cheers!
Got it off yeast from primary fermentation after 1 week, the concept with the fast fermenter is you just close the valve and empty collection ball with yeast instead of racking to secondary fermenter. At least that's the concept, not sold on it though.
It sounds more like a bad job of mixing in the priming sugar than oxygen exposure. I've had that happen a few times so now I usually make sure to stir the sugar into the beer when I have some in the bottling bucket (not clear full, just part way so it has more chance to mix).
Possibly infected? Increasing carbonation is a sign of infected beer, and you wrote that it 'smelled off"
If I have any doubt I don't re-use the yeast.
Keep at it though. If you have made good extract beer you can make good grain beer. It's just a few more steps.
If I have any doubt I don't re-use the yeast.
Keep at it though. If you have made good extract beer you can make good grain beer. It's just a few more steps.
Getting an IPA off the yeast quickly is not at all necessary. What you do want to do is get it bottled early and drink them fairly quickly because the hop flavor and aroma of an IPA will fade over time....
It could be oxidation or infection but not for sure. Buckets are notorious for leaky lid seals and produce good beers.
It could be oxidation or infection but not for sure. Buckets are notorious for leaky lid seals and produce good beers.
Having been brewing for 10 years you likely have a better idea than we can guess at for what went wrong with this beer. That said, unless it was a priming sugar -bad mixing - issue (you undoubtedlyare experienced there so not likely), it was likely something else...maybe an infection, but, you said it tasted "yeasty" to begin with.
What yeast? Did you take SG readings - had it stalled and you bottled it before it finished fermenting? I have had trouble with M44 stalling then taking off when I dry-hopped them and taking another week or more to clean up after restarting. So many variables.
Like you I brewed for years using extracts then switched to AG...and I too use a fastferment and have had the gasket fall in...bummer! I would encourageyou to not give up on either - AG or Fastferment! You will brew good beers!
Couple things on the Fastferment; wrap some teflon tape around the threads, this can help the seal even if it doesn't seat into the gasket as well as it should. Look at the top of the lid after you screw it on, you can see the gasket through there - is it in place? Get a strap wrench, this really helps to snug the lid up and to get it off...take care not to over-tighten and break the lid (experience!) Another little trick is to occasionally tap the sides of the fermenter - I use a short 2x4 block - to encourage the trub sticking to the walls to drop into the trub ball. This is not instantaneous so lightly tap and walk away, it will slide down.
Cheers! And happy brewing!
What yeast? Did you take SG readings - had it stalled and you bottled it before it finished fermenting? I have had trouble with M44 stalling then taking off when I dry-hopped them and taking another week or more to clean up after restarting. So many variables.
Like you I brewed for years using extracts then switched to AG...and I too use a fastferment and have had the gasket fall in...bummer! I would encourageyou to not give up on either - AG or Fastferment! You will brew good beers!
Couple things on the Fastferment; wrap some teflon tape around the threads, this can help the seal even if it doesn't seat into the gasket as well as it should. Look at the top of the lid after you screw it on, you can see the gasket through there - is it in place? Get a strap wrench, this really helps to snug the lid up and to get it off...take care not to over-tighten and break the lid (experience!) Another little trick is to occasionally tap the sides of the fermenter - I use a short 2x4 block - to encourage the trub sticking to the walls to drop into the trub ball. This is not instantaneous so lightly tap and walk away, it will slide down.
Cheers! And happy brewing!
Nobadays- thanks for the input, yes I'm sure nothing wrong with the priming sugar mixing. I'm leaning towards giving up on FastFerment and not AG; I really enjoy the all grain process. I'm going to see how my current batch comes out but most likely the last batch in the fast fermenter at least for now and going back my other equipment ( buckets& carboys) but I see myself upgrading to a stainless steel fermenter and skipping a secondary. I'm one of the people that first impressions stick, and my first impression of the FastFerment is not as I had hoped it would be- live and learn. Cheers!
Yeast was White Labs California Ale with starter, SG was 1.062 , final 1.015. I know my SG was within recipe limits but recipe did not list final. It was dry hopped last 5 days before bottling so maybe it did take off again? When I emptied the collection ball after 1 week the yeast in the ball was very thick like pudding, emptied two in a row like that. I think I emptied it a few days later again but was only 3/4 full and not as thick so I know it fermenting. Bottle conditioning temp was around 65 F. I just bottled my second all grain batch this past weekend so we will see how it comes out also in fast fermenter. I did get a good seal with new gaskets and leveling out the lid face, the lid face was peaked higher in the center by quite a bit so I sanded it flat. Cheers!
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