Just Checking

[nlavon]

I have to say this group has been very responsive to a former homebrewer taking the hobby back up after 20 years.

Basically, I tried to brew an IPA referenced in the 1991 version of the Complete Joy of Home Brewing called Palilalia India Pale Ale.

7 pounds of DME, 1.5 lbs specialty grains, 2 tsp gypsum, 1.5 oz of N Brewer hops for boiling, 3/4 oz Cascade for finishing and one package of Fermentis su-04 ale yeast.

I was able to cool the wort down to 74 in the kettle after 30 min in the sink with cold water and ice. Put in the primary fermenter, put the airlock on, and all was good for the 5 gallon ferment. Active bubbling almost immediately. SG was 1.063. I did not get a temperature for the wort in the hydrometer flask but it probably was at 74. I also forgot to take this reading before pitching so I grabbed a sample about a minute after pitching the yeast.

It sat overnight but when I went to check on the fermenter the next morning, some foam blew through the airlock and got all over the bucket. I quickly sanitized a new airlock, stuck it through, and bubbling continued. But soon after 24 hours had gone by, the bubbling in the airlock stopped completely.

I read around the site in and in other forums that a lack of bubbles in the airlock is not that big of a deal and I should leave the thing alone for a while. I am going on vacation and won't be back to the fermenter for about two weeks. I also read leaving the beer in the primary after fermentation won't kill it and may condition it further.

So,I plan to leave the thing alone so the remaining yeast can do its work. Will there be enough left come bottling time to produce carbonation in the bottles? I used one package of yeast; the recipe called for 1-2. Would the additional package of yeast have made a difference in keeping the bubbling going? Is it a goal to keep the bubbling going, or does that really not make a huge difference in the end? The beer doesn't smell bad and the temp where the primary is stored--in a basement shower stall, is 72-74 F. That's the best I can do in my house.

Any advice gratefully accepted.

 

[ricshayne]

72-74 is a little on the high end for an IPA but you'll be fine. at the very least in the future you'll want to invest in a swamp cooler or cool brew jacket or something like that to control ferm temps. airlock activity doesn't mean anything as a lot of buckets don't have an airtight seal and the escaping CO2 will choose the path of least resistance. no need to worry about anything bad getting in the bucket either as the co2 getting pushed out will prevent anything from getting in. Ive had 9% beers ferment all the way down without a single bubble in the airlock. the only way for sure to know when your beer is done fermenting is by stable gravity readings using a hydrometer.

Your beer will be fine in the bucket for 2 weeks. I've left beers in primary for two months with no ill effects.

and yes, there will be more than enough yeast in suspension to carb your beer

 

[nlavon]

Now I can go on vacation!

Relax..don't worry....etc.

Thanks!

 

[pvpeacock]

Welcome back to brewing. I started back in the early 90's too and then took 20 years off. No need to worry. You will have plenty of yeast for bottling. Remember the yeast multiply as part of the process. That's why you will see some people talking about making a "starter" before pitching their yeast -- to multiply the number of yeast they ultimately pitch.

One of the things I learned after getting back into the brewing is the importance of fermentation temperatures. About my 5th or 6th batch fermented in the mid to high 70's and tasted absolutely awful -- like jet fuel. You really need to find a way to control fermentation temperatures to keep them down in the low to mid 60's for ales/ipa's Good luck.

 

[kh54s10]

I have to say this group has been very responsive to a former homebrewer taking the hobby back up after 20 years.

Basically, I tried to brew an IPA referenced in the 1991 version of the Complete Joy of Home Brewing called Palilalia India Pale Ale.

7 pounds of DME, 1.5 lbs specialty grains, 2 tsp gypsum, 1.5 oz of N Brewer hops for boiling, 3/4 oz Cascade for finishing and one package of Fermentis su-04 ale yeast.

I was able to cool the wort down to 74 in the kettle after 30 min in the sink with cold water and ice. Put in the primary fermenter, put the airlock on, and all was good for the 5 gallon ferment. Active bubbling almost immediately. SG was 1.063. I did not get a temperature for the wort in the hydrometer flask but it probably was at 74. I also forgot to take this reading before pitching so I grabbed a sample about a minute after pitching the yeast.

It sat overnight but when I went to check on the fermenter the next morning, some foam blew through the airlock and got all over the bucket. I quickly sanitized a new airlock, stuck it through, and bubbling continued. But soon after 24 hours had gone by, the bubbling in the airlock stopped completely.

At 74 degrees the yeast will chew through the sugars very fast. Not necessarily for the better. Look into controlling your fermentation temperatures. I like mic sixties for most ale yeasts.

I read around the site in and in other forums that a lack of bubbles in the airlock is not that big of a deal and I should leave the thing alone for a while. I am going on vacation and won't be back to the fermenter for about two weeks. I also read leaving the beer in the primary after fermentation won't kill it and may condition it further.

Again the warm temperature will have made the yeast work fast.

So,I plan to leave the thing alone so the remaining yeast can do its work. Will there be enough left come bottling time to produce carbonation in the bottles? I used one package of yeast; the recipe called for 1-2. Would the additional package of yeast have made a difference in keeping the bubbling going? Is it a goal to keep the bubbling going, or does that really not make a huge difference in the end? The beer doesn't smell bad and the temp where the primary is stored--in a basement shower stall, is 72-74 F. That's the best I can do in my house.

Any advice gratefully accepted.

One package is plenty of yeast. Especially if you rehydrate the yeast. For that recipe one package was probably fine without rehydrating.

More yeast will not make the bubbling last longer. If anything it will allow the yeast to process the sugar faster. How long it bubbles is not important. It will stop bubbling when the sugars are gone.

Again, look to lower your wort temperature while fermenting. It is important in the first few days, so it is too late on this batch. "swamp cooler"

 

[z-bob]

It would be better if you could keep the beer cooler (like in the 60's) for the first 2 or 3 days of fermentation. After that, letting it rise is okay -- and sometimes even good. (I just barely know what I'm talking about here)

Let the beer sit in the primary for a couple of weeks while you are gone, and 72° is just fine. It should be ready to bottle when you get back. You won't need to add any new yeast, there will be plenty still in suspension.

 

[nlavon]

I did google swamp cooler and saw some interesting ideas that could lead to another construction project. I agree, I need to lower the temperature where I park the fermenter. If I can build one of those things, I have a shower stall as part of a bathroom in a finished room off the basement. Such a thing would work well there where I can close doors and keep things cool. I once bought a small refrigerator at a yard sale that was to be used for storing beer. It got used for everything else. But if I see one...thanks for the advice.

 

[MindenMan]

You could put a "rope tub" in the spare shower. They are a bucket you could put a keg into to ice down. Cheap at Wally-world. Throw a tee shirt on your fermenter, put in tub, and fill with as much water as to not float the fermenter. If you can't get a fan in there, can you make ice bottles to swap out for the first two days or so? Do what you can with what you have to work with and relax.

 

[z-bob]

[For next time] Put the fermenter in a plastic tub and dump a 10 pound bag of ice around it when you pitch the yeast. Add more ice the next day, and then don't worry about it after that.

Or use Belle Saison yeast and let the temperature do whatever it wants. (I'm gonna try that soon, but the local homebrew store doesn't sell Belle Saison so I will have to order some)

 

[nlavon]

Those are great ideas and cheap, too! Making ice bottles is not a problem. Thanks!