In-Process Primary Fermentation

[butterblum]

Hey guys, I pitched two packs of Wyeast 1056 into a bucket full of a DIPA (~1.072) about 19 hours ago. Fermentation is already chugging along.
I have had troubles in the past maintaining a constant fermentation temp, so I rigged up a waterbath with a small aquarium pump and a 50W aquarium heater. I placed it in my basement, which is a healthy 55 degrees. I placed my fermenter in the bath when the water was about 66 degrees (warming up, because the aquarium heater has a minimum setting of ~68 degrees). I checked this morning and the water temp was holding steady at about 71 degrees, with the ambient air around 55. I unplugged the heater for about 2 hours, and the water temp had dropped to about 68 degrees.
My question is this: should I try to lower the temp by unplugging the heater? Or is my fermentation fine with the water temperature where it is at? Is it better to hold it at a constant 70 degrees, or to try and maintain it at 68 (although it will most likely fluctuate between a 65-70 degree range depending on when I unplug the heater and plug it back in)?
Thanks

 

[WayFrae]

It sounds like you need a temperature controller. If you are somewhat handy and like DIY you can make one out of an STC-1000 which is only about $17 on Amazon.

To answer your question, it is usually better to try and maintain a constant temperature than to have it fluctuate. Personally, I feel that 71° is a little bit high with 1056. I like 1056 at about 65°.

 

[butterblum]

Do you think it would make a difference if I implemented something like this in 2 days (because of shipping)? Or is 3 days into primary fermentation too late?
Thanks

 

[kombat]

The first 3-5 days of fermentation are the most critical in terms of temperature control. That's when the yeast will produce the majority of their flavour contribution to the beer. Personally, I feel 68-70 is too high for an IPA, and with a Double IPA, I'd be ready with a blowoff tube because I'd expect to see a very vigorous fermentation.

 

[butterblum]

Just ran out and got the junction box, receptacle, and wire. The controller will be here tomorrow. Hopefully I can allow for a nice slow drop to about 64 degrees and hold it there when I have it assembled tomorrow.

 

[WayFrae]

Just ran out and got the junction box, receptacle, and wire. The controller will be here tomorrow. Hopefully I can allow for a nice slow drop to about 64 degrees and hold it there when I have it assembled tomorrow.

Nice! It might not help this brew a whole lot but it will definitely help your future beers!

 

[butterblum]

The kit I used recommended a 1-2 week stay in the primary fermenter, and a 10 week stay in the secondary. What temperature is secondary fermentation usually held at?

 

[WayFrae]

I don't ever do a secondary really. With my DIPA I just do primary for an extra week after the beer is done fermenting, then bottle and condition for 3 weeks or longer.

 

[kombat]

The kit I used recommended a 1-2 week stay in the primary fermenter, and a 10 week stay in the secondary. What temperature is secondary fermentation usually held at?

Ignore the instructions. You don't need a secondary. Hold the beer temperature (not ambient) between 63 - 65° F for the first 5-7 days, then let it warm up to room temperature (70 - 75° F) for another 2 weeks. Then bottle (optionally cold-crashing and fining with gelatin first).

 

[trentm]

Just ran out and got the junction box, receptacle, and wire. The controller will be here tomorrow. Hopefully I can allow for a nice slow drop to about 64 degrees and hold it there when I have it assembled tomorrow.

Your controller will be a benefit to your future beers but let me suggest not dropping the temp of this beer. It is likely the fermentation will have peaked by the time you get your controller set up and by dropping the temperature at that point could cause the fermentation to stall. Just ride it out at the temperature you have it at now. Possibly increase to 72 toward the end.

 

[eadavis80]

I'l share with you my own experience using aquarium heaters and baths of water as we have a similar situation. In my 58ish degree basement I have plastic tub of water. In there sits a primary plastic bucket with a stick on thermometer. My thermometer read 71, but when I actually took a temperature of the wort inside (while taking a gravity reading and only seconds after having it removed from the bucket), I found the wort was only 64 degrees. Because I was using WYeast 3711, which was a warmer temperature yeast, I then increased my aquarium heater some - to the point where the stick on thermometer on the bucket read 79 degrees. A day or two later when I took another temperature reading, I found the contents of the bucket was where I wanted it to be for that yeast strain - in the 70's. In short, I guess I learned that perhaps plastic is a poor conductor of heat as the water temp read X, but the contents of my bucket was actually less.

 

[butterblum]

Thank you for your help eadavis80.
I am a mechanical engineering student, so I do have some knowledge of heat transfer. I know that having a bucket in 70 degree water with the top exposed to 55 degree air will result in more heat transfer to the surroundings than a bucket in 70 degree water with the top exposed to 75 degree air.

Also, can someone explain why secondary fermentation is unnecessary for this beer? Do I dry hop in the primary? Why would the maker of the kit suggest this if it is not necessary?
Thanks guys.

 

[kombat]

Also, can someone explain why secondary fermentation is unnecessary for this beer?

For starters, the term "secondary fermentation" is a misnomer. It's not like once you transfer it, it suddenly and spontaneously begins fermenting again. I suppose if you transferred it too early, it could still be fermenting, but that would merely be the tail end of the primary (only) fermentation.

The closest thing to a true "secondary fermentation" that takes place in beer brewing is when bottle carbonating your beer. You mix in some addition sugars immediately prior to bottling. Once bottled, the yeast find the new sugars and consume/ferment them, infusing your beer with carbon dioxide.

To answer your question, moving the beer from one vessel to another simply doesn't do anything. You're not accomplishing anything. It doesn't result in clearer beer (if anything, it results in cloudier beer because you're disturbing it), it doesn't encourage the yeast to clean up any faster or more thoroughly. It's an outdated holdover practice from the days when home brewers merely mimicked what pro brewers were doing on their large scale systems. In big breweries, they move the beer to secondary because at their massively larger volumes, osmotic pressure can crush the yeast cells, resulting in yeast autolysis and causing associated off-flavours. Also, breweries typically only have a limited number of expensive fermenters, and they want to free it up for the next batch, so they transfer the beer to a simpler, cheaper vessel to finish cleaning up.

Do I dry hop in the primary?

Sure.

That said, there are indeed a couple caveats. Contrary to what I just said above, there are indeed a couple good reasons why home brewers might want to transfer the beer to a secondary vessel.

• If you're going to be aging the beer for a long time (i.e., months), you should get it off the yeast.
• As with the big brewers, if you only have a limited number of "fancy" fermenters, and you want to brew another batch, you might want to move the beer to a cheaper vessel to finish up.
• If you're planning on re-using the yeast, but your beer has only been fermenting for a week or two, you might want to rack it to another vessel so you can get at the yeast and re-pitch it.
• If you plan on re-using the yeast, but you're also planning on adding post-fermentation ingredients (such as fruit, wood chips, dry hops, vanilla beans, whatever) and you don't want to contaminate your yeast, you would be wise to move the beer to another vessel to keep your yeast "pure" for re-use.
• Some people are concerned that dry hopping in the primary risks stifling the hop character, as some of the hops can sink into the yeast cake and fail to fully release their hop oils into the beer (instead it's lost in the yeast cake).

Why would the maker of the kit suggest this if it is not necessary?

Habit/tradition/failure to update instructions in light of modern research.

 

[butterblum]

I have an interesting update.
I built the controller and submerged the temperature probe in the water bath. I have been keeping a floating thermometer in the water bath in the meantime, which I have been getting my temperature readings from. The floating thermometer read 65 degrees F, but the controller read 16.3 degrees C (or 61.3 degrees F). I took a dial thermometer that I had just ordered, which I used while steeping, but almost threw away because of temperature reading differences, and measured the bath, and it also read a hair less than 62 degrees. So it means one of two things:
1) My fermentation temperature has been okay (because the dial thermometer and controller are correct) for the last three days, but I undershot the water temperature during steeping (flavor grains from an extract kit)
2) My fermentation temperature has been a little high, but my steeping temperature was correct (because the floating thermometer was correct).

 

[WayFrae]

Well the fact that 2 of 3 thermometers are reading the same tells me the floating one is off but the easiest way to find out is to fill a cup with ice and then add some water but not enough to make the ice float. Give it a stir for about 10 seconds and then test the thermometers. They should all read 32°F or 0°C.

 

[butterblum]

General question here:
So I accidentally let my water temperature drop a bit to about 66 degrees with the incorrect thermometer. I raised the temperature back up to about 66 degrees using the "correct" thermometers (which is probably about 71 degrees on the incorrect floating thermometer, which I started at). My fermentation has slowed a bit (using only the airlock as a guide), but I don't think it is anything to worry about. If fermentation does quit before FG is reached, should I pitch more yeast?
Thanks

 

[WayFrae]

General question here:
So I accidentally let my water temperature drop a bit to about 66 degrees with the incorrect thermometer. I raised the temperature back up to about 66 degrees using the "correct" thermometers (which is probably about 71 degrees on the incorrect floating thermometer, which I started at). My fermentation has slowed a bit (using only the airlock as a guide), but I don't think it is anything to worry about. If fermentation does quit before FG is reached, should I pitch more yeast?
Thanks

The FG will be whatever the yeast decide it will be. Neither you nor the recipe have a say in the FG. You can predict where it will end but the yeast are done when they are done. If there aren't any sugars left for the yeast to eat then they will stop eating. Pitching more yeast won't change that. Generally, after about 2 weeks you can take a gravity sample and then take another one a couple days later and if they are the same then you have reached final gravity and can bottle it.