Freaking out

[kellysrepairs]

ok so I brewed a batch of american cream ale tuesday night. everything went great 6 gallon carboy primary.yeast active instant, wed night air lock blew off so put an overflow tube on. bubbled all night, thursday morning no more sound or bubbles I could see so went to investigate. temp was around 78deg. did I kill my yeast or is it done? temp down to 74deg but is it to late?

 

[beerbeerbeer123]

ok so I brewed a batch of american cream ale tuesday night. everything went great 6 gallon carboy primary.yeast active instant, wed night air lock blew off so put an overflow tube on. bubbled all night, thursday morning no more sound or bubbles I could see so went to investigate. temp was around 78deg. did I kill my yeast or is it done? temp down to 74deg but is it to late?

its possible that you are good..probably released alot of pressure from the fermenter thats why its not bubbling

 

[beerbeerbeer123]

just let it go for another week or 2 and watch for mold and possible contamination..cheers

 

[RM-MN]

The yeast is done with the acitve phase and while it isn't dead it will look like it might be. Don't worry, for this phase the yeast is hard at work cleaning up the intermediate products it created during the phase where it bubbles but this phased doesn't release any bubbles. You fermented this beer pretty warm and you will get some off flavors from doing that but a lot of them will go away with time which is why the above poster recommended more time. I'll recommend more time yet, a total of 3 to 4 weeks in the primary fermenter will help your beer a lot.

For your next beer, wait until the wort is chilled below 70 degrees, preferably all the way down to 60 to add the yeast. Then keep it in the low 60's for 5 to 7 days before warming it to the low 70's for another week or 2. You'll get much better flavored beer that way. When I learned temperature control during fermentation my beer really went up in quality.

 

[kellysrepairs]

Thanks RM-MN im learning as I go, right now it's a nice creamy deep yellowish color. so you think 3 weeks in primary? I have a secondary I was gonna do for 2 weeks also then 2 weeks in bottle. you think 7 weeks will do the trick?

 

[unionrdr]

At that point when all the bubbling slows or stops,initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly,uneventfully creep down to FG. Then give it 3-7 days after that to clean up by products & settle out clear or slightly misty. When the sugars are gone (FG) the yeast then start eating their own fermentation by products before settling out. This in effect cleans up the beer. If you can still taste a little bit of the off flavors,prime & bottle,giving the warm room temp phase 3-4 weeks minimum for the average gravity beer. During this time,I've had remaining off flavors clean up.
But be warned-this is not a cure all for those beers abused to the point where off flavors are really strong. Those won't age out completely. some will get worse,like infections.

 

[ctrlpabrewer]

I'll recommend more time yet, a total of 3 to 4 weeks in the primary fermenter will help your beer a lot.

For your next beer, wait until the wort is chilled below 70 degrees, preferably all the way down to 60 to add the yeast. Then keep it in the low 60's for 5 to 7 days before warming it to the low 70's for another week or 2. You'll get much better flavored beer that way. When I learned temperature control during fermentation my beer really went up in quality.

^^ This. I had a cream ale ferment at 78...let it alone for quite a while before doing anything, it will help.

 

[JLem]

I have never brewed a cream ale, but 74-78°F seems way too high for a fermentation temp. Other than some Belgian-style beers, most ales will taste better when fermented in the mid-60s. Once you get over 70°F, you are in danger of excessive fruity ester and "hot" fusel alcohol production. My impression of cream ales is that they are supposed to be rather lager-like, so i imagine the cooler the fermentation the better (within reason of course).

At this point, your fermentation is done - at 78°F it is not surprising that it took off fast and furious. To help mediate some of the potential off flavors from the warm fermentation, give it a couple of weeks before bottling. I'd try to drop the temp even more if you can too.

 

[kellysrepairs]

it's down to about 68, have fan blowing on the towel covering it . I hope that helps. should drop to mid 60's for rest of ferm, 3 weeks then 2 secondary?

 

[unionrdr]

Just leave it in primary. nosecondary needed.

 

[kellysrepairs]

really? secondary won't clear it more?

 

[the_trout]

Think of it like oil and water. If you leave it sit, it will separate. If you pour it into another container does it seperate faster? Not really.

What you can do is cold crash it before you bottle. By this I mean get it as cold as you can without freezing for a couple days before you bottle. This will help percipitate any remaining yeast out of the solution. This should only be done after your 3 week fermentation period is over.

 

[kellysrepairs]

Thanks a lot, makes way more sence now. thats perfect I live in denver would you think I could cover it on my north facing patio in the day about 45-50deg and bring it in at night for a couple of days?

 

[the_trout]

That should work. You can go even colder if you have a spot. I cold crash in a freezer at 35* but do what you can do. Im sure it will be fine. Remember to keep it out of the sunlight if you move it to an outside location. The light will skunk your hops. Cover it with a black trash bag or 2 or a cardboard box.