More questions from the new guy...

[UNOmar]

Sorry for the amount of questions this past week, but everyone's been so helpful.
My current problem is as follows...
After 4 days in the primary the bubbling slowed down to < 1/min. I decided to rack to the secondary. While racking, I checked the SG and found that despite bubbling heavily for the first 24 hours (including blowing the lid on my fermenter) it has only dropped from 1.073 to 1.060. The bubbles are still consistently less than 1/min but not stopping. I'm using Doric Ale yeast and the temp is ~ 61 degrees. I realize this is pretty much the bare minimum for the yeast.
As much as I would like to let this slowly ferment it's way to the 1.015 I'm hoping for, I have a friendly competition with some friends on March 10 . Would it be more advantagous to pitch more yeast or move the carboy somewhere slightly warmer (~65 degrees).
I like to condition in the bottles for at least 2 weeks so I'm hoping this can be ready by the 24th.
Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

No point in pitching more yeast...you've already got them as evidenced by the bubbling. I'd say moving it somewhere warmer would definitely help things.

 

[cgravier]

i would have chose to ferment at 65f which is pefect for an irish ale yeast...why did you choose 61f? to me youve got it backwards, 61f is perfect for secondary. I also would have let it sit in the primary a full 7 days, or more, you have a pretty big beer that is going to take alittle longer than regular strenght ales.
i wouldnt pitch more yeast, just move it to the 65f spot and leave it there for 2 weeks or so.

 

[david_42]

Another vote for warmer. As you noted, 61F is really low for an ale yeast.

 

[UNOmar]

i would have chose to ferment at 65f which is pefect for an irish ale yeast...why did you choose 61f? to me youve got it backwards, 61f is perfect for secondary.

I have a closet in my (unfinished) basement that was perfect for fermenting in the summertime. I guess I didn't really think about it when I set the primary there this time as this is my first winter fermented beer.
I only racked to the secondary because the bubbles had significantly slowed and I assumed it just did it's job really fast.
Well, I guess I'll tend to my backwards beer when I get home. I should boil next, right?:cross: The hard part is going to be converting the malt back into grain...

 

[david_42]

Since you've already racked, you probably should pitch more yeast. Certainly there is some left, but not much.

 

[cgravier]

i guess if you really had it backwards you would start by pissing into your kettle and boiling that...seriosly though, you are lucky...you could probably make really good lagers in that closet. At least make some german ale/alt beers, or some cali-commons. My closet is at 63 and im loving it! i make cali-commons that come out as clean as a virgins thighs...

 

[oxford brewer]

Virgins thighs!!!!!...............there's something to make sure you have a mess at the boil

 

[Truble]

A couple of my ales have slowed down like that. I put them in the tub with some warm (relative to the fermenter temp) water, and let them sit. I notice increased action within 30 minutes.

 

[Beer Snob]

I would not go to heating pads now (I needed to do this a few times), but put a few blankets under the carboy and around it. That should warm it up a few degrees.

 

[casebrew]

This batch has been fermenting on my bedroom dresser, inside the carboy box. I hung my digital thermometer probe into the box, and it has been running 71 to 74 degrees, while the room has been about 70. Heat is from the fermentation. It has been since Saturday, now 6 days, still bubbling once/minute. Temp makes a big difference in speed.

I cut a hole in the bottom of the carboy box, and used lots of tape aroung the hole. I put the box over the carboy up side down, with bubbler sticking out the hole. And wad a rag aroung the bubbler. If I want to peek at the brew, I lift the box. When done with this brew, I'll turn box right side up to store the carboy.

Before I got this 6.5g carboy in a box, I used a 5 gal carboy. I put a couple tee shirts over the carboy, with the neck through the sleeves, offsetting the necks of the shirts. Worked good as a 'carboy cozy', but not as easy to peak into.

If you ferment on a concrete floor, I'd use some cardboard or an inch of newspapers to insulate it from the cold floor. Or some foam- I just picked some sheet of foam packing from the dumpster.

 

[UNOmar]

Ok, I've moved the carboy into warmer temperatures, but it's still bubbling very slow. Thinking I had pretty well killed of most of the yeast I decided to venture out and pick up another packet. Now the question is how do I pitch this yeast. I was originally planning on just dumping the packet into the carboy, but then I thought it might be better to extract some wort, heat it slightly, pitch and then pour. Does yeast need to be activated around 80 or can I get away with pitching it at 66?

 

[subwyking]

if your using dry yeast, which i think Doric Ale yeast is, then it would be advantageous D ) to pitch it in a starter first. you could use some of your wort, in theory it should be clean so i dont think you would have to heat it up to sanitize it. put the wort in a sanitized container, pour the yeast in it. shake it up really good and let it sit for a bit out of sunlight (which you wont have to worry about today, crazy snow last night) at room temp. Where abouts in O-town are ya?

 

[UNOmar]

Good point about not having to boil to sanitize the wort. I'll try that now.
I live out west by 168th & Center. It's not the shortest trip to Fermenters Supply for a quick "yeast fix", but hey at least I get to have the owner brighten my day...

 

[subwyking]

haha.. yeah frank (thats his name) is a pretty dead pan character. after about 10 trips there he just started warming up to me and my neighbor (we live in base housing down in bellevue). its no short trip for us either. frank is a wealth of knowledge though. ask him some beer questions next time your in there and hell warm up to ya.

 

[UNOmar]

I've been in there a few times and usually ask questions which usually yeilds a quick monosyllabic response. He was noticably better today, though. He actually used full sentences to answer me. I noticed he was darn near polite to the guy before me so maybe I just need to go there more often.

 

[subwyking]

we noticed the same sorta thing our 2nd or 3rd time in there. we think he probably runs into the problem of people coming in once or twice trying to make beer or wine, it turns out to be bad, so they give up. so he's not gonna put out the effort to be personable untill he knows your gonna be a repeat customer. just our own little conspiracy theory.