Hot and heavy at first.....then nothing

[JWWard03]

Hi all. I brewed a batch of Caribou Slobber by Northern Brewer the other day and it smells really good. I put the yeast in (LalBrew® Windsor British Ale Dry Yeast) and it started foaming and burping within a few hours. It was very active for 48 hours and has since stopped doing almost anything. The temp in the room it's in stays around 70 degrees. Is this normal with that brand/style yeast? I'm still going to leave it in primary for a couple weeks and see what happens.

 

[kh54s10]

Seems a little fast but not out of the question. 70 degrees is a bit high, fermentation creates heat so your wort temperature might have been as high as 10 degrees warmer. This will make fermentation faster but could also create off flavors. Always look at the temperature range for the yeast and keep the fermentation temperature about the middle of the range.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Is this normal with [Windsor] yeast?

My experiences with Windsor in the upper 60s are similar to what you are seeing.

I'm still going to leave it in primary for a couple weeks and see what happens.

Seems reasonable.

Caribou Slobber by Northern Brewer

Extract (or all grain)? 5 gal batch?

 

[hotbeer]

You basing that on what you see going on in the beer or the airlock?

Go by what you see in the beer. It'll probably pick back up gradually over the next few days.

 

[Joeywhat]

It be like that sometimes.

Fermenting beer is a living thing, and it's not always the same.

 

[Immocles]

Agree with @BrewnWKopperKat
I've only used Windsor about 3 times, but each time has been quick, violent and short. I also think its a good idea for you to let it sit a couple weeks yet.

Also, that might be my favorite kit. I quit buying kits quite awhile ago, but that slobber kit is so damn good.

 

[JWWard03]

My experiences with Windsor in the upper 60s are similar to what you are seeing.



Seems reasonable.


Extract (or all grain)? 5 gal batch?

Extract kit - 5 gallons

 

[JWWard03]

Agree with @BrewnWKopperKat
I've only used Windsor about 3 times, but each time has been quick, violent and short. I also think its a good idea for you to let it sit a couple weeks yet.

Also, that might be my favorite kit. I quit buying kits quite awhile ago, but that slobber kit is so damn good.

Thanks. The smell was really good during the boil. Quick, violent and short is a good description.

 

[Immocles]

Thanks. The smell was really good during the boil. Quick, violent and short is a good description.

Looking through my logs, they all pretty much concur that visual. obvious fermentation was completed within 2-3 days. I believe my FG generally ended up just slightly higher than I would generally expect, but still in that 65-70% range. I've another packet of Windsor in the fridge that I'm dying to test out in a pale ale.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Extract kit - 5 gallons

One of the relatively unique characteristics of Windor yeast is that it doesn't ferment maltotriose (link).

With extract-based recipes, this will result in a beer with a higher FG. Recipe software may be able to estimate this (but it is an estimate).

If you measure FG before packaging, you're looking for a stable FG for a couple of days that is "relatively close" to what was estimated.

 

[Snuffy]

Windsor is beginning to sound a lot like a girl I dated in highschool.

 

[Beermeister32]

I think I dated her too...!

 

[Yooper]

{snort} thanks for the laugh- and now let's get back on topic. Thank you!

 

[Snuffy]

I received an extract kit of NBs Caribou Slobber as a gift once and it came with Windsor dry yeast. I remember it as a fast starter and seemed to wind down about the end of day three. My process then was 2 weeks primary, one week secondary and bottle condition 2 weeks. Room temp was about 68f. Came out fine. Never had a Moose Drool, but CS is a good brown ale.