Help! Any suggestions?

[jwilliams35]

I brewed a batch 2 days ago. It was my 5th all-grain batch, a British Blonde Ale. I aerated the hell out of the cooled wort and pitched my yeast (from a 1.5 liter yeast starter I made a few days beforehand) and placed in my temp controlled room at 70 - 72F. The next day it was bubbling away, but after 2 days, the bubbling has all but stopped. I've never had a fermentation complete that fast and it doesn't feel right. It was my 1st time using my new big mouth bubbler fermenter and I noticed the wide-mouth closure on it had been pushed up by the pressure, so it wasn't an air-tight seal. Could this have caused a problem? As soon as I noticed it, I taped it down and bungee corded it to keep it tightly closed... Any suggestions? Thanks!!

 

[Dcpcooks]

Your fine. It was pushing out c02 and it's highly doubtful it sucked anything in. I'd let it ferment for 7-10 days total then pull a sanitized sample for a gravity check.

Make sure it's sealed now. You can use a spray bottle with sani to help keep things clean. ( I always have a bottle handy and I spray stuff before and after I handle it.) Make sure you have a clean filled airlock and I'm sure you'll be good.

 

[jwilliams35]

Thanks - I hope you're right... I have never had a batch complete its fermentation in 2 days... but I will wait until it's been 10 days then measure the SG...

 

[kombat]

What kind of yeast? I've found that US-04 ferments out frighteningly fast, I imagine you used a liquid variant of that (London Ale?) and probably experienced the same thing.

 

[jwilliams35]

That's impressive... Yes it was London Ale yeast (Wyeast 1028)... So that is typical of that yeast??? Thank you for that information - good to know...

 

[flars]

Fermentations will complete faster when the beer is at the top end of the yeasts range. WY 1028 has a fermentation range of 60° to 72°F. The beer may have reached 74° to 75° during active fermentation if the ambient temperature of your fermentation room was 70° to 72°.

Warm ferments in the first few days can produce esters which may or may not be desireable. A simple swamp cooler can hold the fermentation temperatures mid range or at the lower end of the yeasts range.

 

[kingmatt]

Thanks - I hope you're right... I have never had a batch complete its fermentation in 2 days... but I will wait until it's been 10 days then measure the SG...

Just because your airlock isn't bubbling, doesn't mean that fermentation is over (especially if you think your fermenter may not be sealed properly). Has your krausen completely dropped? Is the beer completely clear (not turbid from active yeast chomping away)?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks - I hope you're right... I have never had a batch complete its fermentation in 2 days... but I will wait until it's been 10 days then measure the SG...

At a 72 degree room temperature, fermentation generally does happen that fast and sometimes even overnight.

I've personally seen fermenting beer be 10 degrees warmer than ambient air temperature in a very active fermentation. That means your beer likely was 80 degrees or maybe even more! It will go super fast at those high temperatures.

You may have some off flavors as a result of the high temperature. I'd recommend trying to keep the fermenting beer itself at under 70 degrees for most ale strains.

 

[Homercidal]

Agree with Yooper and also want to say to stop judging the completion of fermentation on the airlock. Buckets and BMBs are notorious for leaking. It's probable that the fermentation had slowed down enough to allow the CO2 to escape a small leak, rather than push past the weight of the airlock liquid.

 

[jwilliams35]

So, I'm learning from these responses that I am fermenting too warm? And I thought that was the ideal temperature, as I was using a heater to attain it. The room would naturally be at about 67F. I've never read anything about controlling the temperature of the fermenting wort other than maintaining the temperature of the room. Thanks for this information.

 

[EcuPirate07]

Agree with Yooper and also want to say to stop judging the completion of fermentation on the airlock. Buckets and BMBs are notorious for leaking. It's probable that the fermentation had slowed down enough to allow the CO2 to escape a small leak, rather than push past the weight of the airlock liquid.

If I had a nickel. We need to have a welcome email when people sign up that says, "Welcome to homebrewtalk, your airlock is not a sign of when your beer is done."

Anyways I have nothing useful to add everyone else has said it.

 

[jwilliams35]

Oh, and the beer is not completely clear. It is cloudy, though it's forming a nice trub layer on the bottom and only a thin layer of bubbles on the surface. But now I'm concerned that the flavor may be off... Recently I made a Belgian wheat beer and it specified to ferment it at 62F for the 1st 24 hours, then up to 65 for 24 hours, then to 70 until completion. So when it is NOT specified in a recipe, at what temperature should I ferment? Do the individual yeast packets specify an ideal temperature?

 

[Yooper]

So, I'm learning from these responses that I am fermenting too warm? And I thought that was the ideal temperature, as I was using a heater to attain it. The room would naturally be at about 67F. I've never read anything about controlling the temperature of the fermenting wort other than maintaining the temperature of the room. Thanks for this information.

When we talk about "ferment at 65 degrees", we are talking about the temperature of the fermenting beer, and not the room.

Fermentation itself produces heat, and in a moderate fermention, the beer may be 5-6 degrees warmer than ambient, while a vigorous fermentation may be 10 degrees warmer than ambient- so you can see that the room temperature is not a good guide to fermentation temperatures.

Those stick on thermometers are cheap, and pretty accurate, and you can see fermentation temperatures at a glance. Most ales are best fermented from 62-70 degrees, with a few exceptions. In most cases, a 62-64 degree room or fermentation chamber would be ideal.

And while the packages of yeast are woefully inadequate, the manufacturer's websites are terrific. For example, I am using Wyeast 1272 right now, and on their website it says:

With many of the best qualities that brewers look for when brewing American styles of beer, this strain’s performance is consistent and it makes great beer. This versatile strain is a very good choice for a “House” strain. Expect a soft, clean profile with hints of nut, and a slightly tart finish. Ferment at warmer temperatures to accentuate hop character with an increased fruitiness. Or, ferment cool for a clean, light citrus character. It attenuates well and is reliably flocculent, producing bright beer without filtration.

Origin:
Flocculation: Medium
Attenuation: 72-76%
Temperature Range: 60-72F, 15-22C
Alcohol Tolerance: 10% ABV


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