First brew underway

[lowtones84]

Yeah, English yeasts can be a bit finnicky. I might just give the bucket a gentle swirl once a day.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Soon my first two batches will have been bottle conditioned for 3 weeks. What is the minimum amount of chill time needed to get the remaining CO2 dissolved in solution to help with the head formation and clear the beer up a bit?

 

[lowtones84]

To me two days chilled is minimum. But you have a lot of beer on your hands for one person, so trying one after chilling overnight wouldn't be too much of a waste.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

To me two days chilled is minimum. But you have a lot of beer on your hands for one person, so trying one after chilling overnight wouldn't be too much of a waste.

I'm going to start giving it away at the 3 week mark (Friday) and needed to know a reference point to tell people that have never really had homebrew, as well as myself to make sure I am not under chilling it.

 

[lowtones84]

Don't underestimate some tutoring on pouring technique, either. Getting a bunch of yeast in the glass will put a lot of people off immediately. They might get annoyed, but too bad! They got free beer.

This video actually isn't amazing, but the clear bottle helps:

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Still not sure if I'll be able to bottle this guava haze IPA... The flavor profile is surely altered after letting the flavoring and priming sugar sit for this long in the bottling bucket. I created the starter and pitched it yesterday, there seems to be no activity whatsoever. I did another reading today and it's still around the 1.026 mark

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Update : I pitched my second yeast starter right into the bottling bucket and after adding priming sugar and flavoring already.

As of April 4th the FG has gone to 1.022 which is still too high. Recipe says FG should be 1.010 - 1.014. So it got mildly close to the high end of the range, but still not quite. Mine yields ABV of roughly 5.10% whereas it should be as high as 6.75% best case and 6.5% worst case.

What would you do? Stir it daily for another week and bottle? Toss? Bottle ASAP? The beer and yeast have been sitting with guava flavoring and priming sugar for a while now, even though they're only supposed to come into contact with them during bottling day. I'm at a loss for this one! It's just a kit, $35 or so, but at this point, it's become personal.

Cheers.

 

[lowtones84]

I would check in 3 days. If it hasn't moved, I'd say it's time to bottle.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

This has been the weirdest brew. It fermented to around 4% ABV, then did nothing for two weeks apparently. On this fourth week I pitched a started made with the same yeast and nothing for 3 days. Now it has started to bubble again, tastes stronger and has become darker! I left it at 74F after I pitched the starter.

Here's to hoping when I go to bottle it tomorrow the FG is on target!

One thing I want to clarify before I bottle it tomorrow :

I prepared to bottle it, meaning I added priming sugar and transferred to the bottling bucket, and added guava flavoring, then let it sit for however long post bottling day after pitching yeast again. Looks to be 10-12 days after pitching a starter.

Should I add more priming sugar as though I never did in the first place?

 

[McKnuckle]

Yes, because your original priming sugar fermented out, and is no longer available to carbonate the bottled beer.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Yes, because your original priming sugar fermented out, and is no longer available to carbonate the bottled beer.

I just wanted to make sure, I will hopefully check FG tomorrow and it will indeed have been fermented out! Cheers

 

[KookyBrewsky]

After pitching the yeast and waiting yet again, it barely got to 1.022... I'm not sure it's worth bottling

 

[McKnuckle]

It sure isn't worth dumping without even letting a few bottles condition and age.

But, my friend, this is why brewing 5 gallons of every single beer is not always prudent! Strongly suggest again that you try some small batches as you get used to the ins and outs of brewing. Or at least do that for recipes with lots of funk and experimentation in them, such as anything remotely associated with guava.

Your stout is done, done, done, and perhaps a bit abused by your attempts to resuscitate it. Bottle at least a portion of it and move on. I don't think anyone asked about your mash temp in this thread. What was it, and are you sure? A high-ish mash will easily cause English yeasts to attenuate in the 60% range, as yours did.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

It sure isn't worth dumping without even letting a few bottles condition and age.

But, my friend, this is why brewing 5 gallons of every single beer is not always prudent! Strongly suggest again that you try some small batches as you get used to the ins and outs of brewing. Or at least do that for recipes with lots of funk and experimentation in them, such as anything remotely associated with guava.

Your stout is done, done, done, and perhaps a bit abused by your attempts to resuscitate it. Bottle at least a portion of it and move on. I don't think anyone asked about your mash temp in this thread. What was it, and are you sure? A high-ish mash will easily cause English yeasts to attenuate in the 60% range, as yours did.

My chipotle porter and chocolate stout turned out fine. This guava hze was my fourth batch which is the only one that's been problematic. I had to do what homebrewing.org calls "steep-to-convert", sort of a mini mash. I steeped just a bit of grain for roughly 40 minutes, but I still used a large amount of LME as per the recipe.

The Guava Haze IPA, I followed the directions precisely and the temperature never got too high while steeping the mini mash and experienced this unknown issue. My mash temperature was within 1-2 degrees of what the kit said for the entire 40 minutes, I sanitized as I always have, did everything that I normally do which has produced fine extract beers so far. Still unsure about where the issue came from. My OG was spot on.

 

[lowtones84]

What were you using to measure temp, and what was the mash temp exactly? I would still bottle it just to see the result of all of that.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

What were you using to measure temp, and what was the mash temp exactly? I would still bottle it just to see the result of all of that.

Mash temp was done with a crystal thermometer ziptied to the handle at the proper depth, and fermentation temps are taken with an infrared thermometer after the first night. This new bucket I'm doing a minor cold crash in holds temps really well compared to my old bin, I might not even need a fridge if I insulate this and get a temperature probe.

Brewer's Best steep-to-convert : 1) determine water volume 2) steep to convert : raise temp to 155F, place bag of grains into pot, and I kept the temperature as close to 150F as I could, it might have dipped low a few times, perhaps high, I really can't recall as I was so focused on it and it was kind of difficult on the stove. But the vast majority was around 150F for 45 minutes 3) rinsed grains. That was it, basically a mini BIAB that still used LME.

It wasn't substantially lowered LME, I think it was 6.5lbs the recipe called for.

Might as well just bottle it tomorrow. With the amount of times I've opened and closed the fermenting bucket trying to get it to ferment various ways and stirring it daily, I greatly increased chances of airborne infection. Should be interesting.

 

[lowtones84]

Depending on how accurate your crystal thermometer is, and the fact that it sounds like you were mashing with an active flame stovetop, your mash temperature may have been significantly higher (or just inconsistent) than expected. If you're accidently mashing around 160 or even a bit higher you'll likely end up with a less fermentable wort, which is really the only explanation for an otherwise extract recipe ending that high, especially after being transferred and more sugar added to restart fermentation. That should have kicked even a very sluggish yeast back into action.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Depending on how accurate your crystal thermometer is, and the fact that it sounds like you were mashing with an active flame stovetop, your mash temperature may have been significantly higher (or just inconsistent) than expected. If you're accidently mashing around 160 or even a bit higher you'll likely end up with a less fermentable wort, which is really the only explanation for an otherwise extract recipe ending that high, especially after being transferred and more sugar added to restart fermentation. That should have kicked even a very sluggish yeast back into action.

So my OG being spot on doesn't really indicate that everything went correctly? I have an electric stove with a flat top that covers the entire bottom of the pot.

 

[lowtones84]

No. A high mash temperature will still extract sugars (giving you the correct OG), but more sugars that are unfermentable. There are many variables, but the basic idea is that the lower end of mash temperatures (I consider below 150F) produce a more fermentable wort and higher mash temperatures (upper end of 150F) produce a less fermentable wort.

This is almost certainly what happened, plus a bit of lazy yeast likely. So you need an accurate thermometer, and once you stir in the mash well and find the temperature is correct, take it off of the burner and wrap it in a sleeping bag, heavy coat, whatever really to insulate. When I do small batches indoors this is the method that I still use and it works totally fine.

That was a good introduction to the processes of All Grain brewing for you!

 

[KookyBrewsky]

No. A high mash temperature will still extract sugars (giving you the correct OG), but more sugars that are unfermentable. There are many variables, but the basic idea is that the lower end of mash temperatures (I consider below 150F) produce a more fermentable wort and higher mash temperatures (upper end of 150F) produce a less fermentable wort.

This is almost certainly what happened, plus a bit of lazy yeast likely. So you need an accurate thermometer, and once you stir in the mash well and find the temperature is correct, take it off of the burner and wrap it in a sleeping bag, heavy coat, whatever really to insulate. When I do small batches indoors this is the method that I still use and it works totally fine.

That was a good introduction to the processes of All Grain brewing for you!

Yes it was apparently! I have since upgraded to a propane burner for the 10 gallons I will have to heat, no way at all could my electric stove heat up 10 gallons of water. I await my replacement kettle! I will be brewing the Centennial Blonde from HBT, then my own pale ale recipe attempt

 

[lowtones84]

Good luck! As you get into mashes and stuff like that, you really need to do some internet research. A lot of people also like John Palmer's How to Brew book. Basic technique and some grasp of the scientific principles at play starts becoming more important. Yes, it gets more complicated, but also more fun and rewarding.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Good luck! As you get into mashes and stuff like that, you really need to do some internet research. A lot of people also like John Palmer's How to Brew book. Basic technique and some grasp of the scientific principles at play starts becoming more important. Yes, it gets more complicated, but also more fun and rewarding.

Thanks! I'm drinking my third batch as we speak, wow did it turn out well. It's the Great Lakes pale ale that I had to use an emergency British yeast on even though I think it called for American. Chocolate stout was great, chipotle porter was great, Great Lakes pale ale is the best so far. The infamous Guava Haze IPA will be hit or miss, but my fifth batch... woo, that is gonna be killer. I did everything perfectly and it tasted absolutely excellent when I checked FG. Tomorrow I'll use a calculator to properly assess priming sugar for carbonation and bottle the Guava Haze and American pale ale.. (so far I've just used 2/3 cup of corn sugar I believe it was). I have a kitchen scale I use for coffee that comes in handy for everything else. From now on I'll be far more precise with what I do, calculate priming sugar, mash requirements, and whatever else.

At that point, I'll be onto all-grain! I do have one extract left, another American pale, but we'll see when I get to it. I'm very happy with my results, this is a rewarding hobby. Chemistry was essentially my favorite class in high school but I didn't pursue it in college, I'm glad I can explore it through beer soon.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

The Guava Haze IPA is bottled and officially over with. What a weird strange trip it's been! Not sure this stuff will even be drinkable, but... it came with labels. I bottled it alongside what I feel will be my best batch yet and the first beer I possibly prefer over a few store bought crafts I've tried, because my third batch (Great Lakes pale ale) got close to that status, and wasn't done 100% correctly.

American pale ale... I await thee! (to bottle condition)

Cheers, probably my last post in this thread unless it's useful to anyone and they comment