Hoping for quick answer!

[UglySister]

I am in the middle of my mash and I'm planning to rack last week's brew to a secondary during my boil so I can reclaim yeast from the yeast cake. The problem is, it's still fermenting rather actively. Bubbles in air lock are 3 seconds apart. Here's my question:
What are the odds of foaming over in a carboy at that rate? It's a very low gravity (OG*1.034) lager fermenting at 149°-150°.
I don't want to ruin it or make a mess, but I don't have yeast for this current brew otherwise.
The only other thing I considered is storing the new wart until fermentation slows and pitching yeast at that time.

 

[Frodo]

By 'foaming over' I assume you mean a big krausen developing in a carboy that doesn't have much headspace. After a week of fermentation, the beer is probably past the point where that'd be a big concern. If in doubt attach a blow-off tube rather than an airlock for a couple/few days to be sure. I'd be a little more concerned about causing a stall in carbonation by moving it, but that's maybe an unfounded concern. It's a bigger risk to let the new wort sit for more than a few hours or a day without getting yeast into it--the new wort could sour if you wait too long.

 

[khannon]

I would say if you have a way of keeping the wort sanitary, that might be your best bet..

A lot of your question depends on volumes of beer/wort. You could transfer the beer and use an blow-off tube if worried about foaming over, but I'm not a big fan of transferring active fermentation as there just seems like too many ways for it to go wrong.

 

[tjramsey]

I vote you go ahead and rack to secondary, (and set up a blowoff tube if you can.) I doubt it will do much harm, and since you started mashing already, might as well. That's what I'd do in your shoes at least.

 

[KAMMEE]

If you have an active Krausen, you may be able to just get yeast off the top of the original beer, and transfer it. That yeast is super healthy and very active, so you need less than if you had grown it up from a starter. However, if your other beer isn't finished, you want to leave it as is because you'll end up with compounds that are unpleasant, especially in a lager, that can only be consumed by active yeast. Transferring at this point would likely arrest the fermentation or stall it out, so don't transfer it all. I would suggest cooling the wort down and putting it in the fridge or if its cold, possibly in the garage (somewhere lower than 40 degrees F) until you can get some ale yeast or dry lager yeast in sufficient quantities to pitch into your current beer. Don't wait more than a day or two at most though, bacteria can still take hold in that time and active yeast is the best way to stop it from changing the result of the beer. If you're willing to try the top cropping method, and your other beer's yeast is on the surface you could try that method too.

 

[InLimbo]

If you have an active Krausen, you may be able to just get yeast off the top of the original beer....

I agree with most of what you said, except for top cropping a lager. OP said he's brewing a lager so unless he's in a conical and can get fresh yeast from the bottom, he's not going to be able to crop off the top. The krausen top of a lager is a lousy place to get viable yeast from. Ales yes, but lager strains not.

It's a very low gravity (OG*1.034) lager fermenting at 149°-150°.
I don't want to ruin it or make a mess, but I don't have yeast for this current

Gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're not actually fermenting a lager at 149º

Storing wort can be tricky, due to it being a giant vat or nutrients waiting for something to eat it. If you are confident that your sanitation practices, you could probably rack to a sanitized keg, keep it as cold as possible, and pitch the yeast after your current beer is fermenting. Have you taken a gravity ready on your current lager? Have you done a diacetly rest on your lager yet? I'd hate for you to pull the yeast off of something that isn't done fermenting, because chances are you're going to shoot yourself in the foot if this beer hasn't fully attenuated.

 

[UglySister]

Thanks for your replies. I put the wart in a sanitized bottling bucket and put it in the kegerator. Hopefully the other beer will finish fermenting today or tomorrow.

 

[kh54s10]

Don't leave the beer in the bottling bucket for too long. There is too much headspace and you risk oxidizing your beer.

I would have used a true secondary, Carboy or Better Bottle of the right size. Only a little bigger than the wort you have. I doubt you would get much krausen build up.

I also hope your lagering temperature is a typo. If not you are about 100 degrees too warm.

 

[UglySister]

One more thing, should I bring the wort up to the same temperature as the one I'm taking the yeast from before doing it? I'm thinking once the fermentation stops (or mostly) I'll move the wort next to it for a few hours before proceeding. Maybe move it in the morning and pitch after work.

 

[UglySister]

Just found my typo. I meant 49°-50°. Anyway, bubbles are still 3 seconds apart this morning. I just read the recipe again and it does say to ferment 7 days or until fermenting slows and rack to secondary. I'm thinking this might be slow enough but...
This was my first time using a smack pack. The yeast pack said to smack at least 3 hours before use and leave at 70°.
I definitely gave it over 3 hours but temp may have been in the upper 60's. Still I would think even it the temp slowed it down and it got a slow start, the main fermentation would have have happened by now. It's been 8 days. There should be a nice yeast cake for me to take from and it will finish up in a carboy secondary.
Does anyone disagree?

 

[UglySister]

Don't leave the beer in the bottling bucket for too long. There is too much headspace and you risk oxidizing your beer.

I would have used a true secondary, Carboy or Better Bottle of the right size. Only a little bigger than the wort you have. I doubt you would get much krausen build up.

I also hope your lagering temperature is a typo. If not you are about 100 degrees too warm.

Regarding your concern about air space and oxidation, remember this is wort not beer. Oxygen is good for wort, bad for beer right? So I assume there is no issue with the air space. I actually intend to pour the wort back fourth between the two bucket to get some air in there before I repitch the yeast.

 

[oujens]

How long has it been fermenting? What yeast? Are you sure your beer in the fermenter is not just off gassing co2? If gravity is stable its complete. Sometimes the beer warms and the co2 in the solution is released which is why you see bubbles in the air lock. If this is the case, go ahead and transfer to your serving vessel and get the other beer fermenting. It's not ideal to leave your beer unfermented for too long for risk of infection. The recent LoDO threads indicate that excess oxygen exposure can harm malt flavor and aroma, but most likely its not going to ruin your beer.

 

[UglySister]

How long has it been fermenting? What yeast? Are you sure your beer in the fermenter is not just off gassing co2? If gravity is stable its complete. Sometimes the beer warms and the co2 in the solution is released which is why you see bubbles in the air lock. If this is the case, go ahead and transfer to your serving vessel and get the other beer fermenting. It's not ideal to leave your beer unfermented for too long for risk of infection. The recent LoDO threads indicate that excess oxygen exposure can harm malt flavor and aroma, but most likely its not going to ruin your beer.

Gravity is 1.014.
Original was 1.034 (poor efficiency, should have been 1.040)
FG according to recipe should be 1.010
8 days so far.
It's under 2.63% ABV right now. That's practically an N/A beer. If it tastes good, that might be good for certain occasions I suppose. 😕

 

[oujens]

Gravity is 1.014.
Original was 1.034 (poor efficiency, should have been 1.040)
FG according to recipe should be 1.010
8 days so far

OK, yes you probably need to let it finish. It may or may not get to the predicted FG depending on multiple factors so gravity measurement will tell you if its done. Definitely plan on giving your beer more than a week to ferment completely and clean up next time.

 

[kh54s10]

Regarding your concern about air space and oxidation, remember this is wort not beer. Oxygen is good for wort, bad for beer right? So I assume there is no issue with the air space. I actually intend to pour the wort back fourth between the two bucket to get some air in there before I repitch the yeast.

It has fermented, at least most of the way. So it IS BEER! If you pour it back and forth between 2 buckets you WILL oxidize the beer and ruin it.

DO NOT do this.

I doubt seriously that you need to use any more yeast.

Just give it a little more time to ferment then proceed.

 

[UglySister]

It has fermented, at least most of the way. So it IS BEER! If you pour it back and forth between 2 buckets you WILL oxidize the beer and ruin it.

DO NOT do this.

I doubt seriously that you need to use any more yeast.

Just give it a little more time to ferment then proceed.

How could it have fermented? I boiled and chilled it to 32°. I have not introduced any yeast whatsoever. Unless some rogue yeast that thrives at 32° got in there, it must still be wort. Am I missing something?
Additional comment:
I read back a ways and I understand how you would confused. The beer I have been talking about that is bubbling slowly is from 10 days ago and I am waiting for it to finish enough to go to a secondary so I can get the yeast off the bottom. The beer I am talking about pouring was brewed on Sunday and is still waiting for that yeast. I plan to get some oxygen into it right before pitching the yeast.
Do you agree with me on that idea?

 

[UglySister]

I'm going to collect a half cup of the yeast cake and introduce it immediately to the waiting wort and then wash the rest of the yeast and refrigerate so I don't have this problem again next Sunday.
What a headache this was!
Thanks for all the input!

 

[kh54s10]

How could it have fermented? I boiled and chilled it to 32°. I have not introduced any yeast whatsoever. Unless some rogue yeast that thrives at 32° got in there, it must still be wort. Am I missing something?
Additional comment:
I read back a ways and I understand how you would confused. The beer I have been talking about that is bubbling slowly is from 10 days ago and I am waiting for it to finish enough to go to a secondary so I can get the yeast off the bottom. The beer I am talking about pouring was brewed on Sunday and is still waiting for that yeast. I plan to get some oxygen into it right before pitching the yeast.
Do you agree with me on that idea?

I did read that you had some fermentation and you were talking of adding more yeast to the one already fermented.

I see that there are replies about the transferred beer, and others about the waiting wort. I got them confused.


Your procedure of aerating is good. On the wort that has not been pitched with yeast.