My first brew- help!

[joshkellogg]

I would like to start by saying hello, and thank you! I've been reading the forum for a couple of weeks now, and finally embarked on my own endeavor. I bought the deluxe glass kit from northern brewers, and cooked up some Irish red ale two days ago. This went smoothly. When I pitched the dry yeast, wort temp was about 78... A little high I now know. I stored it in my bedroom in the closet, as I have the bed temp control in this room.
The me t day (first full day of fermentAtion) temp was about 76, and the carboy went crazy. I ended up sanitizing and using the blowoff setup thing. Temp kept dropping, and today is at 68. I've noticed there is very little actual foam or obvious reaction appending- just muck stop to the top of the carboy from the previous day. I still hear frequent co2 release in my bucket. What's goin on? Thanks!

Josh

 

[joshkellogg]

Sorry this was sent from an iPhone. Meant to say next day...

 

[daveooph131]

It's still fermenting nothing to worry about.

 

[unionrdr]

Sounds like fermentation slowed down with the dropping temp. Initial fermentation could be finishing up too,since the krausen dropped.

 

[joshkellogg]

Sounds like fermentation slowed down with the dropping temp. Initial fermentation could be finishing up too,since the krausen dropped.

So am I doomed? What should I be doing?

 

[brewkinger]

My first ever batch was Irish Red Ale using the deluxe kit from NB.

If I remember correctly, Nottingham is the dry yeast that comes with that kit.

So to answer your question:
Nottingham is very good and fast yeast which I have seen finish up in around 2-3 days, especially if it starts out at higher temps like you did.

I also would recommend ALWAYS using blowoff tube with all beers, especially when using Nottingham!

It sounds like everything is A-OK with your current scenario. To quote another forum member(s):
It will slowly and uneventfully creep down to final gravity over the next week or two and then be ready to bottle.
If possible, decrease your temps for the last 2-3 days and cold crash for real clarity.

 

[joshkellogg]

Thanks brewkinger! When you say ready, do you mean ready for bottlin or ready for a smaller carboy? Thanks

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks for the quote! When it gets down to a stable FG,technically it's ready to bottle. But I like to leave it for another 3-7days to settle out clear or slightly misty before priming & bottling.

 

[invictusbrew]

Thanks brewkinger! When you say ready, do you mean ready for bottlin or ready for a smaller carboy? Thanks

There are tons of threads on these forums about moving your beer from primary fermenter into a secondary vessel, and the general consensus is to just keep it simple and leave it in primary unless you're adding additional items (like oak chips, etc etc). It's especially unnecessary considering this is your first brew and I would recommend you keep it as simple as possible. Having used NB kits in the past, I believe they recommend an additional week in primary for kits they say to use a secondary in - IMO you should just use this tip and go three weeks in primary, then bottle it. Again, this is all in the spirit of keeping things simple as the secondary just helps to clear the beer out a little more. If you decide to use a secondary anyway, read up on this before doing so.

Good luck and congrats on getting started in such a deliciously fun hobby!

 

[unionrdr]

I think you can get it just as clear in primary. Especially if you use irish moss,etc. These will keep it clear when it chills down (no chill haze).

 

[brewkinger]

Thanks for the quote! When it gets down to a stable FG,technically it's ready to bottle. But I like to leave it for another 3-7days to settle out clear or slightly misty before priming & bottling.

I thought you would appreciate that Union!

 

[DrunkleJon]

Clearing can be done in either primary or secondary. It is 'done' when you can get equal hydrometer readings over three days, but giving it a little time to rest on top of the yeast cake will not hurt things any. Before you bottle, I find it is best to relocate the fermentation vessel slowly and let it sit for a while to let it re-settle out before transferring to your bottling bucket.

As for using a secondary, I agree with the above. Secondary is not really necessary unless you are doing some extended aging, adding things like oak(though you can do that in primary as well), or need to free up your primary fermenter for another batch.

 

[joshkellogg]

Still fermenting in the primary... Thanks for all the input!