I believe I'm stuck

[BigFloyd]

Oh, the other thing was that it seems to have only hit 4.7% abv, but it seems to smell a lot stronger than that. There are also several sugar granules in the sample that I took. I'm sure that will fall out and clear up with time, but for now it seems like there's just a lot there...

That's not sugar, it's probably yeast.

At a 140 IBU, that's pretty hoppy. Since it tastes good, keg it, carb it and enjoy. It'll probably taste even better after a couple weeks in the keg.

 

[kenpotf]

You don't think it could go rancid in a couple of weeks? I mean, if I'm smelling that smell now, but it tastes okay, what could the smell be if it's not an infection? I used wlp001 as the yeast, and it was the first time I'd used it so I'm not sure if that's a normal trait...

I'd hate to keg it and have it go bad in a couple of weeks.

 

[BigFloyd]

The smell could mean something or it could mean nothing bad at all. If it starts tasting bad after a couple of weeks in the keg, then toss it and clean the keg thoroughly.

 

[kenpotf]

Thanks for all of your help

I siphoned the beer into the keg tonight, and I found the source of the smell. The blowoff bucket had mold in it that I noticed last night. I decided that I would pull that out and clean it. I pulled the bucket out last night and smelled the beer, but there was no acetone smell. I put the bucket in for the night and decided that I would siphon it tonight. When I pulled the bucket out, I noticed a layer of mold that was underneat the bucket in the freezer. I believe that's the source of the smell and not the beer itself. I tasted the beer tonight, and it tastes pretty awesome. I hope that I'm right, but the beer itself smelled perfectly fine, looks like a deep orangish-brown which is what I was going for. Thank you for saving me from throwing it out!

 

[BigFloyd]

I tasted the beer tonight, and it tastes pretty awesome. I hope that I'm right, but the beer itself smelled perfectly fine, looks like a deep orangish-brown which is what I was going for. Thank you for saving me from throwing it out!

If I happen make it over to McKinney before you kick the keg, I'll message you about trying a glass. Enjoy.

 

[winvarin]

Yes, you can definitely use too much yeast! Overpitching can create a bland flavor, under (or over-) attenuation, etc- but it's less common in homebrewing than underpitching.

I agree. Mainly because Jamil says so

Not to hijack the OP's point, but where do you draw the line as to what constitutes "over pitching?" 10%? 20%? Higher?

And how do you know if you've over pitched without breaking out a microscope and counting cells? (Full disclosure, I don't own a microscope).

You can use mrmalty.com vs. yeastcalc.com and get completely different recommended pitching rates. For that matter, you can use different experts' recommended settings on yeast calc and get different results.

I usually call it good if my calculated starter regimen comes within a few million cells of what the calculators say is my optimal pitching rate (most of them are fairly close). Sometimes I am a few million over, sometimes under. But even the authors of those calculators will tell you that you're just "ball parking" if you're not counting viable cells with a reliable piece of scientific gear.

So for those of us who want to rely on the calculators and make the assumption that our sanitation, viability and process are getting us "close", at what point should you worry about over pitching?

Personally, I don't worry unless my calculated starter growth is more than 10% off either way from the recommendation on yeastcalc (I use the setting based on Jamil's anticipated growth rate with a stir plate).

Using this setting and trying to bring myself within 10% either way, I have never noticed any characters in my beers that you'd associate with over pitching.

I guess I'm just wondering whether there is a threshold we should be worrying about either way (over or under). My 10% rule of thumb seems to be working. As long as I stay in that margin, my beers attenuate well and I do not have fermentation derived flaws.

I am just wondering Yooper. Do you think that's a good margin? Would you widen it? Narrow it?







Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[FatDragon]

Alright everyone here's an update. I left it completely alone for a week. I went to open it up this morning to see if the krausen fell, and I was hit with a "fingernail polish remover" smell. It smells like paint thinner/acetone. I'm assuming this stuff needs to be thrown out, and no, I haven't tasted it...

I've made the mistake with my last few brews of sticking my nose in the bucket to get a whiff as I prepare to bottle. Surprise! It smells harsh and acidic, just like I should have expected from breathing in a bunch of CO2. I could have dumped those 30 gallons of beer, but I decided to bottle anyway, and lo and behold, they're great!