First High Gravity Brew Question

[ThatGuyMike]

So, I brewed up my first High-Gravity batch 5 days ago. I made a 1L starter, and the OG was 1.088. About 7 hours after I pitched the yeast (it may've been sooner, but that was the first I checked on it), I noticed the airlock bubbling nicely, but no krausen or anything. The following day, it had a thin head of foam on it, and a good deal of bubbling. I thought maybe it was still revving up, but then the day after that the bubbling calmed down. At this point, looks like there's no activity going on in there.

This may be completely normal, but given it's my first High-Gravity batch, I had a potentially false preconceived notion that the fermentation should've been a bit more vigorous then it ended up being. I've been thinking about taking a gravity reading and seeing where it's at. My question would be (aside from the classic "is this normal," which I am wondering), does it sound like I may've not built a big enough starter? Not sure if I should get another smackpack and add that, or if I should just leave well enough alone Thanks!

 

[slicksmix]

I'm a newb too but ill help the best I can...

What is your gravity. That should tell u if your brew is on track. In my one experience doin a high gravity beer (Belgian tripel) my fg was 1020, which is what I believe high gravities are supposed to stop at

So, if u r there, cool. If not then I'd consider yeast nutrient or new yeast... could somebody with more experience chime in if I'm wrong?

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

What yeast did you use? I've had WLP001 take a 1.110 OG beer down to 1.020 FG in 3 days.

You should've used a bigger starter than 1 liter for a 1.088 beer, but you'll probably still be fine. In the future I suggest using the yeast pitching calculator at mrmalty.com.

There is really no way to know what's going on for sure unless you do a gravity check. I would suggest doing that.

 

[discgolfin]

What yeast did you use? I've had WLP001 take a 1.110 OG beer down to 1.020 FG in 3 days.

You should've used a bigger starter than 1 liter for a 1.088 beer, but you'll probably still be fine. In the future I suggest using the yeast pitching calculator at mrmalty.com.

There is really no way to know what's going on for sure unless you do a gravity check. I would suggest doing that.

mr malty
Took the words out of my mouth. I usually use a 1.5 l starter for 1.06 to 1.07.
This calls for stepping up your starter or making a 2 liter starter. What yeast? & test your gravity. Oxygen is helpful. Do not go by the looks, test the gravity. For really big beers I step mine up more once and in the end it's 3 to 4 liters.

 

[jvlpdillon]

What temprature are you using to ferment?

It may just be too cold. Most Ale yeast perform best in the 60-70 range. There are exceptions though.

 

[ThatGuyMike]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I didn't have time to check the gravity yesterday, but today I'll do that just to see where I'm at. From now on, I'll follow Mr. Malty!

My temperature is usually around 67-69º give or take. A little on the high end. I actually think my last batch got a little fruitiness from the temp going a little high.

I'll post the results once I check.

 

[ThatGuyMike]

Ok. The Hydrometer read 1.030 at 65º. As mentioned before, there are no visible signs of fermentation, however I know that really doesn't mean there isn't anything going on behind the scenes. The flavors I was hoping for came through nicely; but, as you can imagine, it's a bit sweeter than I was expecting.

It's only been 6 days since I pitched the yeast. If anyone has any advice or predictions I'd love to hear 'em. Not sure how much (if at all) I can expect the reading to drop as time goes on.

 

[maida7]

swirl the fermenter and raise the temp into the mid 70's hold it in the mid 70's and keep your fingers crossed. wait a week or 2 and take another gravity reading. If it's ain't done by then you've got problems.

 

[ThatGuyMike]

Thanks maida, I'll do just that. If the gravity doesn't go down, would it make any sense to pitch more yeast? Or would the sugars remaining be unfermentable? Just curious.

 

[maida7]

yes if it doesn't finish on it's own, more yeast makes sense. but.... with all the alcohol and lack of oxygen, a new yeast pitch is kinda dicey. You could throw yeast in there and it would just fall to the bottom dead. To have any chance, you would probably need to make a big starter and pitch that at high krausen.

 

[ThatGuyMike]

Didn't even think about the alcohol & lack of oxygen causing a problem, but that makes sense. Would you recommend making a big starter & pitching it at high krausen over swirling the fermenter and keeping it at 75º for a week or two? Or should I still try that route & then do the starter if nothing changes?

Sorry for all the Q's. I appreciate the help though!

 

[ThatGuyMike]

Oops. Posted that twice somehow

 

[maida7]

Didn't even think about the alcohol & lack of oxygen causing a problem, but that makes sense. Would you recommend making a big starter & pitching it at high krausen over swirling the fermenter and keeping it at 75º for a week or two? Or should I still try that route & then do the starter if nothing changes?

Sorry for all the Q's. I appreciate the help though!

At this point it's only been 7 days in the fermenter so I would not give up on the original yeast completing the job. Swirl and warm.

What strain of yeast is this? Is this in a clear fermenter? Can you see is the beer is cloudy or not? Is yeast floating on top?

 

[ThatGuyMike]

What strain of yeast is this? Is this in a clear fermenter? Can you see is the beer is cloudy or not? Is yeast floating on top?

It's Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale. I'm not too familiar with it as a strain, so this all could just be completely normal for it. The beer is is black, but I don't recall it being too cloudy. And come to think of it there may be a wee bit of yeast floating on top still. Most has definitely settled at the bottom, but the top did have what looked like a few remnants of yeast (if I'm examining it correctly). If it is yeast though, the vast majority of it has settled to the bottom.

I'll swirl, warm, and hope for the best. If it stays too sweet, I may just have to ask my girlfriend to make a huuuuge batch of Stout cupcakes