Need Recipe Suggestions for my first homebrew - a 5L IPA

[Jag75]

I'm not sure I'd even chance that if there was a green layer . But then again it may be fine . I would wait for some of the science guys on here who really know what to look for and what's safe or what's not .

 

[IslandLizard]

Been almost 36 hours since I pitched the yeast, and there is no activity in the airlock.

So I opened the lid of the Fermenter to see this. Is it infected? I had checked once yesterday and there was a green layer on top which has disappeared now.

36 hours is a little short for a verdict.

Don't judge fermentation by (lack of) airlock activity. Chances are that bucket doesn't seal well enough and fermentation gas escapes around the rim, going unnoticed.
Use a hydrometer sample to test your gravity, that will tell you exactly where she stands. But it's a little early, IMO.

What kind of yeast did you exactly pitch and how much? The 2 grams of dry yeast in your recipe may well be enough. How is that yeast stored, especially after it has been opened?
What temp is that at?

Few observations:
That looks like a huge headspace and not much beer. Or is it mere perspective? (Super) large headspaces can be problematic.
I hope you re-sanitized both the lid, paying special attention to the groove and the rim area of the bucket before snapping the lid back on.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

36 hours is a little short for a verdict.

Don't judge fermentation by (lack of) airlock activity. Chances are that bucket doesn't seal well enough and fermentation gas escapes around the rim, going unnoticed.
Use a hydrometer sample to test your gravity, that will tell you exactly where she stands. But it's a little early, IMO.

What kind of yeast did you exactly pitch and how much? The 2 grams of dry yeast in your recipe may well be enough. How is that yeast stored, especially after it has been opened?
What temp is that at?

Few observations:
That looks like a huge headspace and not much beer. Or is it mere perspective? (Super) large headspaces can be problematic.
I hope you re-sanitized both the lid, paying special attention to the groove and the rim area of the bucket before snapping the lid back on.

So i've been told that it is not infected. And there are yeast rafts floating on top of the beer. I'm gonna wait for a week and then check the gravity again.

Also you're probably right about air escaping from the sides of the bucket. Should I stick some tape all over the sides of the lid to ensure some amount of sealing?

It is a 10 Litre bucket with about 5.5 Litres of wort. I pitched about 3 grams of yeast which was branded as 'American IPA Yeast'. I got my yeast from a local homebrew shop here. Not professional, but I guess he rebrands the yeast. I will keep some US-05 with me though.

The yeast is stored in an airtight pouch inside another airtight pouch and in the fridge. I leave it out at around 25 degree C before pitching. This time I did not re-hydrate it, just dumped it straight from the packet. And yes i sanitized the packet before opening.

 

[IslandLizard]

Also you're probably right about air escaping from the sides of the bucket. Should I stick some tape all over the sides of the lid to ensure some amount of sealing?

Nah, tape won't make an airtight seal on something like that, might just goo things up.

So i've been told that it is not infected. And there are yeast rafts floating on top of the beer. I'm gonna wait for a week and then check the gravity again.

A slight foaminess is an indication the yeast is working, lag phase.
Don't keep pulling that lid, peak through the airlock hole if you must. An keep good sanitation, you don't want spoilers dropping in.

It is a 10 Litre bucket with about 5.5 Litres of wort. I pitched about 3 grams of yeast which was branded as 'American IPA Yeast'. I got my yeast from a local homebrew shop here. Not professional, but I guess he rebrands the yeast. I will keep some US-05 with me though.

Yeah, I thought it might be perspective. 5-6 liters of headspace isn't all that much.

That yeast may very well be US-05, U.S. West Coast (IPA) yeast, allegedly sourced from the Sierra Nevada brewery.
Perhaps he buys them in 500 gram bricks and repackages them. There could be some issues doing that... Moisture from the atmosphere being picked up by the yeast granules may wake them up prematurely, before they get pitched, possibly depleting their sterol reserves.

Fermentis does not recommend repackaging or storing opened then resealed packages of yeast for over 2 weeks, even in a fridge/freezer. A opened 500 gram brick should thus be used up within those 2 weeks. Of course they also prefer to sell little 11 gram pouches over 500 gram bulk bricks... But, dry yeast is pretty high tech, actually, so there maybe some truth there, or somewhere between the extremes.

All that could explain experiencing longer lag times as the yeast's viability may be reduced due to the repackaging efforts.

They also don't endorse re-hydration before pitching anymore. Sprinkling the dry granules onto the wort surface is now recommended, so that may work in your favor here.

I doubt acclimatizing the dry yeast before sprinkling makes a lot of difference, but it won't hurt. It also reduces condensation on and in the package.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Nah, tape won't make an airtight seal on something like that, might just goo things up.

A slight foaminess is an indication the yeast is working, lag phase.
Don't keep pulling that lid, peak through the airlock hole if you must. An keep good sanitation, you don't want spoilers dropping in.

Yeah, I thought it might be perspective. 5-6 liters of headspace isn't all that much.

That yeast may very well be US-05, U.S. West Coast (IPA) yeast, allegedly sourced from the Sierra Nevada brewery.
Perhaps he buys them in 500 gram bricks and repackages them. There could be some issues doing that... Moisture from the atmosphere being picked up by the yeast granules may wake them up prematurely, before they get pitched, possibly depleting their sterol reserves.

Fermentis does not recommend repackaging or storing opened then resealed packages of yeast for over 2 weeks, even in a fridge/freezer. A opened 500 gram brick should thus be used up within those 2 weeks. Of course they also prefer to sell little 11 gram pouches over 500 gram bulk bricks... But, dry yeast is pretty high tech, actually, so there maybe some truth there, or somewhere between the extremes.

All that could explain experiencing longer lag times as the yeast's viability may be reduced due to the repackaging efforts.

They also don't endorse re-hydration before pitching anymore. Sprinkling the dry granules onto the wort surface is now recommended, so that may work in your favor here.

I doubt acclimatizing the dry yeast before sprinkling makes a lot of difference, but it won't hurt. It also reduces condensation on and in the package.

Yeah I'm not opening the lid for another week. I don't know what yeast I've got honestly. Just glad that it's working.

Okay now the recipe requires dry hop after 5 days. How do I do it? Should I just dump the pellets in the bucket or use a bag or something?

Also are there any sanitation precautions to be followed for dry hop? I've heard hops don't need to be sanitized. But just wan't to make sure before I do it.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

A little off-topic but I was wondering if I could use this as a Fermenter? How do I fit an airlock on this? Does anybody have any experience with similar jars being used as fermenters?

https://f1af951e8abcbc4c70b9-9997fa...dn.com/1000007296438-1000007296437_06-710.jpg

It is really difficult to get transparent glass fermenters over here, and I am not keen on using 20L carboys at the moment. I found these and they seem perfect, if only I could find out a way to attach an airlock to the Lid.

Silicone bungs with holes for an airlock are available.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

also, how do you know fermentation is complete? and is it necessary to cold crash once you've determined that you're done fermenting? How do you cold-crash in that case...