misterkidd
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
so Ive been fermenting my Belgian Golden Strong (measured OG 1.076, estimated FG 1.015) with Mangrove Jack M27 Belgian Ale Yeast (a new yeast for me). However, due to lack of simple temp control facility, I have been fermenting vastly below the recommended range. So far below, that frankly Im surprised that it has been fermenting at all! And naturally, like everything in home brewing, there is a range of opinion about the possible effects of this. So just for the sake of healthy debate, I was wondering what are the possible effects on my beer (assuming it ferments at all!)? Here are some facts and figures :
+ I pitched (dried yeast straight into wort) at around 26C (80F). Beersmith calculated that the appropriate amount of yeast was pitched so no underpitch.
+ Vigorous fermentation (healthy Belgian-style krausen, steady airlock activity) commenced some time between 4-24hrs in, and now 4 days later the krausen has fallen, although there remains some airlock activity. I believe that the fermentation was pretty active for around 3 days. Currently 5 days in. Forum comments indicate that this yeast is a bit of a monster, so it wouldnt be totally unheard of for the bulk of fermentation to be complete in this time even at this ABV (I think ).
+ The advised range for the yeast is 26C-32C (79-90F). The ambient temperature has been around 15C (59F) at night and 20C (68F) during the day, although I have not measured these accurately. I currently have no facility to measure the actual temperature of the fermenting wort, but we can probably assume well below the advised range. The fermenter has been wrapped in blankets, so has likely been protected from some of the temp fluctuation.
+ Provisionally, my plan is to just let this sit in primary fermentation for a few weeks (? 4-6) before bottling, possibly with a vague attempt at a cold-crash using ice-packs from the freezer for 48hrs before I do this.
As an aside, I still have the option of a water-bath to raise the temperature if people think thats a good plan. And of course re-pitching is always an option if things stall altogether (although there is no clear evidence that fermentation is stuck anyway). My main interest is in how the beer will be affected taste-wise (ester and phenol wise specifically).
I will, of course, be posting tasting notes once this beer passes my lips
^_^
so Ive been fermenting my Belgian Golden Strong (measured OG 1.076, estimated FG 1.015) with Mangrove Jack M27 Belgian Ale Yeast (a new yeast for me). However, due to lack of simple temp control facility, I have been fermenting vastly below the recommended range. So far below, that frankly Im surprised that it has been fermenting at all! And naturally, like everything in home brewing, there is a range of opinion about the possible effects of this. So just for the sake of healthy debate, I was wondering what are the possible effects on my beer (assuming it ferments at all!)? Here are some facts and figures :
+ I pitched (dried yeast straight into wort) at around 26C (80F). Beersmith calculated that the appropriate amount of yeast was pitched so no underpitch.
+ Vigorous fermentation (healthy Belgian-style krausen, steady airlock activity) commenced some time between 4-24hrs in, and now 4 days later the krausen has fallen, although there remains some airlock activity. I believe that the fermentation was pretty active for around 3 days. Currently 5 days in. Forum comments indicate that this yeast is a bit of a monster, so it wouldnt be totally unheard of for the bulk of fermentation to be complete in this time even at this ABV (I think ).
+ The advised range for the yeast is 26C-32C (79-90F). The ambient temperature has been around 15C (59F) at night and 20C (68F) during the day, although I have not measured these accurately. I currently have no facility to measure the actual temperature of the fermenting wort, but we can probably assume well below the advised range. The fermenter has been wrapped in blankets, so has likely been protected from some of the temp fluctuation.
+ Provisionally, my plan is to just let this sit in primary fermentation for a few weeks (? 4-6) before bottling, possibly with a vague attempt at a cold-crash using ice-packs from the freezer for 48hrs before I do this.
As an aside, I still have the option of a water-bath to raise the temperature if people think thats a good plan. And of course re-pitching is always an option if things stall altogether (although there is no clear evidence that fermentation is stuck anyway). My main interest is in how the beer will be affected taste-wise (ester and phenol wise specifically).
I will, of course, be posting tasting notes once this beer passes my lips
^_^
