Need to free up fermenter...too soon to transfer to keg?

[bvanderhaar]

My American stout has been in primary fermentation for a week, bubbling has slowed, but is still going.

I need the space to brew again. How harmful would it be to transfer to a keg to complete fermentation and conditioning? I'll check the gravity tomorrow, but how many points away from my target FG would be too many to take it off the yeast cake? Or is this just not a good idea?

 

[TheHopfather]

You should leave the beer in the carboy/bucket, and on the yeast, until your gravity stabilizes. The bubbling of your airlock does not tell you if the fermentation is complete or not. The only way to do that is with consecutive stable gravity readings several days apart.

Technically you could keg the beer early, the keg is designed to hold pressure so no problem there. But it is likely that you'll end up with a lesser beer than you would have if you had just let it finish in the primary. Yeast are doing more than simply making alcohol, I'd leave them alone to finish the job.

 

[Iseneye]

If you have a spunding valve you can easily transfer it to a keg to finish. If you don't have a valve then it is a bit tricky.

 

[kh54s10]

My American stout has been in primary fermentation for a week, bubbling has slowed, but is still going.

I need the space to brew again. How harmful would it be to transfer to a keg to complete fermentation and conditioning? I'll check the gravity tomorrow, but how many points away from my target FG would be too many to take it off the yeast cake? Or is this just not a good idea?

I would not take it off the yeast unless you have final gravity. That means take your gravity reading tomorrow then another late Saturday or Sunday. If the numbers are the same go ahead and keg it. It might benefit from pressurizing and leaving it for a few weeks.

 

[bvanderhaar]

I would not take it off the yeast unless you have final gravity. That means take your gravity reading tomorrow then another late Saturday or Sunday. If the numbers are the same go ahead and keg it. It might benefit from pressurizing and leaving it for a few weeks.

Cool - thanks. I'll keep an eye on the gravity.

 

[bvanderhaar]

You should leave the beer in the carboy/bucket, and on the yeast, until your gravity stabilizes. The bubbling of your airlock does not tell you if the fermentation is complete or not. The only way to do that is with consecutive stable gravity readings several days apart.

Technically you could keg the beer early, the keg is designed to hold pressure so no problem there. But it is likely that you'll end up with a lesser beer than you would have if you had just let it finish in the primary. Yeast are doing more than simply making alcohol, I'd leave them alone to finish the job.

I understand the beer needs time to condition after FG is reached. I usually keep them in the keg at room temp for a week or two after the typical two week primary/fermenter.

I'm just getting inpatient and want to brew some more

 

[bvanderhaar]

If you have a spunding valve you can easily transfer it to a keg to finish. If you don't have a valve then it is a bit tricky.

Not exactly sure what a spunding valve is, but wouldnt pulling the PRV every day work to keep the pressure down?

 

[RM-MN]

I understand the beer needs time to condition after FG is reached. I usually keep them in the keg at room temp for a week or two after the typical two week primary/fermenter.

I'm just getting inpatient and want to brew some more

A fermenting bucket is about $15. Go buy a couple.

 

[Yooper]

My American stout has been in primary fermentation for a week, bubbling has slowed, but is still going.

I need the space to brew again. How harmful would it be to transfer to a keg to complete fermentation and conditioning? I'll check the gravity tomorrow, but how many points away from my target FG would be too many to take it off the yeast cake? Or is this just not a good idea?

It would be fine. The yeast still in suspension are the ones doing the "work", including the clean up phase to come. The yeast cake is dormant yeast and break material-The trub is not active.

You can move it to a keg or a carboy if you'd like.

 

[bvanderhaar]

A fermenting bucket is about $15. Go buy a couple.

I have 2 spiedals. Space in the fermentation vessel (fridge) is the problem. I also wanted to re-use the yeast.

I can move the fermenter to the house...just more moving of the beer than I prefer (yes, I'm aware I'm being a bit picky here). In addition, the keg is a much easier vessel to move compared to the fermentor.

A second shelf in the fermentation fridge are nearly done. Would be the ideal solution...

 

[bvanderhaar]

It would be fine. The yeast still in suspension are the ones doing the "work", including the clean up phase to come. The yeast cake is dormant yeast and break material-The trub is not active.

You can move it to a keg or a carboy if you'd like.

This would be ideal - and I thought the suspended yeast were doing all the work at this point. It seems if I'm within 5 points or so of desired FG keg conditioning would be fine. Plus I can re-use the yeast

 

[Yooper]

This would be ideal - and I thought the suspended yeast were doing all the work at this point. It seems if I'm within 5 points or so of desired FG keg conditioning would be fine. Plus I can re-use the yeast

You can reuse the yeast, but I would prefer not to if you could help it. If you rack before FG, the yeast on the bottom are the early flocculators, and while that might not be a huge issue I would probably not do it.

 

[bvanderhaar]

You can reuse the yeast, but I would prefer not to if you could help it. If you rack before FG, the yeast on the bottom are the early flocculators, and while that might not be a huge issue I would probably not do it.

That's no problem I can buy yeast - the important part is getting the next beer into the open container. I just made my best beers with re-used yeast - ones that have been on the primary for 2-3 weeks. You are saying due to the 1 week, the yeast isn't ideal?

 

[IslandLizard]

I would do it.

I've transferred an under-attenuated beer into a 100% CO2 prepurged keg, yeast and all. That way I could rouse the yeast by rolling or burping CO2 through the liquid out tube, while keeping everything well protected under CO2. I pulled the PRV every day to release the little pressure that had built up. In 2 weeks it dropped 5 points, good to go. Cold crashed and transferred to another 100% prepurged keg with a jumper hose (liquid to liquid) and dry hopped it. The yeast was salvaged from the first one and reused.

Just make sure the lid seals well under low pressure.

If you want to reuse the yeast from your first fermentor, don't transfer all of it, just leave enough behind.

 

[Yooper]

That's no problem I can buy yeast - the important part is getting the next beer into the open container. I just made my best beers with re-used yeast - ones that have been on the primary for 2-3 weeks. You are saying due to the 1 week, the yeast isn't ideal?

Many times 1 week old yeast IS perfect to harvest and reuse- but in this case, the beer isn't at FG (at least, I assume not if you're having this dilemma, but I don't see a hydrometer reading in your post), then the "lazy" yeast are the ones on the bottom and I wouldn't harvest and use those. They may again flocc out before the next beer is finished, leaving you with a culture of too-flocculant and unattenuative yeast.

If the beer is at FG, and starting to clear, then sure, I'd use the yeast.

 

[bvanderhaar]

Many times 1 week old yeast IS perfect to harvest and reuse- but in this case, the beer isn't at FG (at least, I assume not if you're having this dilemma, but I don't see a hydrometer reading in your post), then the "lazy" yeast are the ones on the bottom and I wouldn't harvest and use those. They may again flocc out before the next beer is finished, leaving you with a culture of too-flocculant and unattenuative yeast.

If the beer is at FG, and starting to clear, then sure, I'd use the yeast.

Thanks for the advice. I haven't taken a reading yet but assume due to the occasional bubbles it's not quite there. I'll take one before transferring and decide about re-use at that time.

 

[bvanderhaar]

I would do it.

I've transferred an under-attenuated beer into a 100% CO2 prepurged keg, yeast and all. That way I could rouse the yeast by rolling or burping CO2 through the liquid out tube, while keeping everything well protected under CO2. I pulled the PRV every day to release the little pressure that had built up. In 2 weeks it dropped 5 points, good to go. Cold crashed and transferred to another 100% prepurged keg with a jumper hose (liquid to liquid) and dry hopped it. The yeast was salvaged from the first one and reused.

Just make sure the lid seals well under low pressure.

I you want to reuse the yeast from your first fermentor, don't transfer all of it, just leave enough behind.

Thanks for responding.
How under attenuated was it? I may have to dump some beer if I have to put the bottom floccolated yeast in with it. Edit: nvm, re-read and saw your 5 points comment.

And is the CO2 purge absolutely necessary? As soon as the beer pressures in the keg most of the O2 is gone...is that too much exposure?

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks for responding.
How under attenuated was it? I may have to dump some beer if I have to put the bottom floccolated yeast in with it. Edit: nvm, re-read and saw your 5 points comment.

And is the CO2 purge absolutely necessary? As soon as the beer pressures in the keg most of the O2 is gone...is that too much exposure?

Start racking from the bottom if you want the maximum amount of yeast to transfer. But as @Yooper said, the bottom dwellers are the lazy ones, the ones in suspension are the current workers. That does not mean the lazy ones can't get coaxed a bit when agitated.

It was short 7 points from targeted FG, but after 5 it seemed to have reached the real bottom.

The need for 100% prepurging is still a discussion point, but has some validity to reduce the amount of O2 to "beer industry standards." Fill the keg entirely with Starsan, all the way to the top. Seal the lid. You may even want to purge the (small) leftover headspace a few times to remove any residual O2 before pushing it all out with CO2. This way it takes 5.5 gallons of CO2.

In comparison, if you were to purge even one gallon of headspace* (filled with air) it takes more CO2 to bring the residual O2 level to 1 ppm, which some of us still find too high.

*For example, a 5 gallon keg filled with 4.25 gallons of beer.

 

[bvanderhaar]

Bubbling seemed to stop when I checked on the beer this morning and my hydrometer read 1.008 (with a target FG of 1.012).
I re-pitched the yeast as well. Within a few hours I had bubbling on my second beer.

Glad I know it appears I can turn around a fermenter and reuse yeast within a week (this was technically 6 days!).

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

[garcia]

I'd be willing to bet money that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Transfer it, and when the beer tastes good, you'll understand that some of the comments here can be very anal retentive.
We are homebrewers, not commercial brewers who have to be able to get every batch to taste the same every time. My first 2-3 years brewing I would take OG and FG readings and bite my nails if I didn't hit mash temperature to the T. This past 3 years or so, I stopped worring about it and my beers are just as good as ever. I have never had a Keg that me and my buddies won't finish.