IPA Questions

[peterd1]

Hi guys,

so I'm basically brand new to the world of home brewing and already love it. Obviously I already have a thousand questions but threads and google have proved fairly useful.

One i couldn't find the answer too (and im hoping someone out there will help) is to do with the Krausen (i believe).

SO, basically I started this brew 2 weeks ago today (IPA from a coopers kit), went on vacation and came back today and ran straight to my beer. After 2 weeks there seems to be quiet a bit of foam still sitting on the top of the beer (in a glass carboy). I know that the airlock is not a good indicator, as I have read that everywhere about a thousand times, but I'm still gonna mention that it is still bubbling very slowly.

So basically my question is, how long does it take to fall, and should I wait for it to fall before transferring/bottling?

It is sitting on the trub if that helps at all.

Thanks!

 

[kev211]

First off. Welcome to the hobby (addiction)!!

Second, you are definitely correct. The airlock is a good indicator, but doesnt necessarily mean that fermentation is, or is not happening (things dont always seal perfectly). Krausen doesnt always fall right away. Hell, Ive had batches where it never falls. Was it a 5 gallon kit? Do you have room in a refrigerator for the carboy? Cuz, what you can do is, put the carboy in the fridge in whats known as cold crashing. With the cold temperature of the beer it cant keep stuff in suspension as well so the krausen will drop. OR you can do what I would do and just rack your beer from under the krausen.

And, I doubt that its sitting on top of the trub . The trub is the stuff at the bottom of the fermenter (hop gunk, hot break, yeast, etc). If it hasnt fallen its sitting on top of the beer.

Hope this helps!

 

[luizffgarcia]

First thing i would check is the temperature you have your fermenter in, you want to provide your yeast with the right temperature to finish working.

Second would be, hydrometer tests for 3 days in a row, after two weeks your IPA should be finished meaning 3 steady readings. Do not attempt to cold crash without checking the gravity, because if it is still fermenting and you cold crash, you will create bottle bombs! The yeast will go dormant until you bottle, and then it will come back to activity at room temperature.

My IPAs always finish fermenting within 7 days, never seen any airlock activity after that...

 

[kev211]

First thing i would check is the temperature you have your fermenter in, you want to provide your yeast with the right temperature to finish working.

Second would be, hydrometer tests for 3 days in a row, after two weeks your IPA should be finished meaning 3 steady readings. Do not attempt to cold crash without checking the gravity, because if it is still fermenting and you cold crash, you will create bottle bombs! The yeast will go dormant until you bottle, and then it will come back to activity at room temperature.

My IPAs always finish fermenting within 7 days, never seen any airlock activity after that...

This is also good advice. Forgot to mention this. Check the gravity!! But all things considered, after two weeks you **should** be fine. But its always a safe bet to check cuz bottle bombs can do serious damage

 

[peterd1]

Yes! sorry, i just meant the beer is sitting on the trob still, and i did check the OG when we first started it (1.047). the temp is right around 22c and its a 5 gallon kit. I did think it was pretty crazy that the airlock was still going after 2 weeks, my first brew (which isnt ready to try yet but was the Canadian Blonde coopers kit) stopped all activity after about 5 days.

As far as checking the gravity of the beer in the car boy, im guessing the best/only method is to use a (sanitized) beer theif?

 

[kev211]

Yes! sorry, i just meant the beer is sitting on the trob still, and i did check the OG when we first started it (1.047). the temp is right around 22c and its a 5 gallon kit. I did think it was pretty crazy that the airlock was still going after 2 weeks, my first brew (which isnt ready to try yet but was the Canadian Blonde coopers kit) stopped all activity after about 5 days.

As far as checking the gravity of the beer in the car boy, im guessing the best/only method is to use a (sanitized) beer theif?

woah 22c is a little warm. Fermentation is exothermic which means it generates heat. Typically you want to keep yeast in the 64-68F range (17.75-20c). Since it generates heat, when ambient is 22 that means your beer may be closer to 23 or 24c which can generate off flavors. Yo may be ok, but in the future look at fermentation control. A lot of us use converted temp controlled chest freezers as fermentation chambers, or there is the budget method known as the swamp cooler method. Definitely look into that though. It will improve your beer 10fold.

A lot of things can cause an airlock to bubble. Changes in temperature, movement of the carboy can rouse the yeast and restart fermentation, etc.

Yes, a sanitized beer/wine thief is best way to extract beer from a carboy for gravity check but DONT POUR THE BEER BACK!! Once you take the beer out, leave it out. Putting the beer back is a surefire way of getting an infection. Drink the sample, they can be quite tasty.

 

[peterd1]

Ok so small correction, just checked and its just slightly below 20c. i used a better termometer (a floating one not the sticker on the side) and yes it was sanitized haha.

OG was 1.047 and SG now is reading 1.005.

 

[peterd1]

Actually one more question. If i make up 5 gallons of sanitizer (STAR SAN) how long is it good for? i have it in a 5 gallon bucket with the lid on.

 

[kev211]

Actually one more question. If i make up 5 gallons of sanitizer (STAR SAN) how long is it good for? i have it in a 5 gallon bucket with the lid on.

If you used de-mineralized water (distilled) it will last a long time. As long as it has a pH of 3.5 or lower and isnt cloudy it means its good to use

 

[MagicMatt]

Yes, a sanitized beer/wine thief is best way to extract beer from a carboy for gravity check but DONT POUR THE BEER BACK!! Once you take the beer out, leave it out. Putting the beer back is a surefire way of getting an infection. Drink the sample, they can be quite tasty.

Just wanted to quell the fear on this one.

Obviously you will sanitize the thief prior to pulling a sample. In that case, just sanitize the hydrometer as well, and then the beer can indeed go back into the carboy.

This is if you're using the type of thief with the floating stopper on it (not the ones where you have to use your thumb to create the vacuum). In fact, you never have to take the thief out of the carboy. Just slide it all the way in until it rests on the mouth, drop in your hydrometer and note your reading. Then just pull the thief out, depressing the floating stopper on the inside wall of the carboy, and the beer will flow out and trickle down the side, no splashing or oxidation. Then just pull the thief (still containing the hydrometer) out of the carboy.

Only on the final sample I take will I keep the sample to taste.

 

[kev211]

Just wanted to quell the fear on this one.

Obviously you will sanitize the thief prior to pulling a sample. In that case, just sanitize the hydrometer as well, and then the beer can indeed go back into the carboy.

This is if you're using the type of thief with the floating stopper on it (not the ones where you have to use your thumb to create the vacuum). In fact, you never have to take the thief out of the carboy. Just slide it all the way in until it rests on the mouth, drop in your hydrometer and note your reading. Then just pull the thief out, depressing the floating stopper on the inside wall of the carboy, and the beer will flow out and trickle down the side, no splashing or oxidation. Then just pull the thief (still containing the hydrometer) out of the carboy.

Only on the final sample I take will I keep the sample to taste.

While Im sure you can do this with little fear of infection I dont think its worth the risk. Obviously the thief is already gonna touch the beer anyways and the alcohol in the beer will ward off any nasties from the thief; that being said though, I would rather dump the 1/4 pint than risk my ~$40 batch and 2-3 weeks of waiting to try and save a little beer. And plus, the sample is tasty, its still beer, and its still being drank

 

[MagicMatt]

$40 batch?!?!? You brewing with gold flakes over there?

Seriously though, my most expensive batches are the juice bomb IPAs because of all the hops, and even those rarely hit the $30 mark. My cheapest beer, a pilsener, is just under $9 for 5.5 gallons.

And those 1/4 pints add up over time. If you take 4 samples, that's a whole pint!!! I'm not interested in drinking cloying under-attenuated beer, which is why I only drink the final sample once gravity has stabilized. If you're one of those people that just sticks their primary in a corner for a month and calls it done, then sure go for it.

 

[kev211]

$40 batch?!?!?

You brewing with gold flakes over there? My most expensive batches are the juice bomb IPAs because of all the hops, and even those rarely hit the $30 mark. My cheapest beer is just under $9 for 5.5 gallons.

And those 1/4 pints add up over time. If you take 4 samples, that's a whole pint!!! I'm not interested in drinking cloying under-attenuated beer, which is why I only drink the final sample once gravity has stabilized. If you're one of those people that just sticks their primary in a corner for a month and calls it done, then sure go for it.

Gold flakes add a ton of flavor. i suggest trying it

Ok, 30-40. Typically beginner brewers spend closer to 40 because theyre not buying in bulk. So I went a little higher. Most of my IPA's are still low 30s though. I ferment for 2 weeks. I can guarantee you that my beer has never been, nor will it be under-attenuated after 2 weeks. And if it was, leaving it for a few more days wont bring it down that much more to make it not cloying. We could go round in circles all day on this, but I still dont think that its really worth it to dump it back in. Id even rather water my hops with it . But thats the beauty of homebrewing. Different strokes for different folks, but in the end we're all making beer

 

[BassElement]

Used to drink my samples, decided to try dumping it back in and haven't had any issue in the past 5 batches so that's my method now. But either way the beer gets drunk so the bottom line is you gotta do what you can live with - no sense doing something that will make you stressed out for a few weeks just to save a bit of final product. Cheers!