Noob question

[BaylessBrewer]

First time all grain/BIAB brewer here.
I brewed an oatmeal stout/brown/porter whatever you want to call it on Saturday and pitched a full packet of rehydrated s-04 @ 9pm. 3 gallon batch with OG 1.062
Now 72 hrs later the air lock slowed down so I popped it off and took a look down in the bucket through the hole with a flashlight and there is no krausen or any signs of one ever being there? Weird. Ferm temp has been at 60-62*F per fermometer. Is this normal? I know all beers act differently but this don't seem normal. The wort is visibly churning though.
Here's the grain billView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1427246479.729494.jpg
I used an ounce of Fuggles @60 and mash temp was 154*

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Better picture of grain billView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1427246640.525081.jpg

 

[Yooper]

It just sounds about done. S04 is very fast, and I imagine it'd go especially fast with a 3 gallon batch. If you pitched on Saturday, and it's now Tuesday night, I wouldn't expect it to go much longer.

I'm surprised that there is no krausen ring, but maybe you just can't see it with a flashlight through the hole?

 

[ol-hazza]

Its going to be just fine, krausen are weird and wonderful things that do what they want.

If you are really worried take a gravity reading to show that fermentation has happened. But im sure its all going well

 

[BaylessBrewer]

There's definitely signs of fermentation just not what I'm used to seeing. I'm sure it's fine. Like I said its churning away so...... Beer is in the near future.
Here's a picture through the itty bitty 1/4in hole on the lid. Lots of little yeasties
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1427250378.065758.jpg

 

[ol-hazza]

That looks good to me.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

So I just checked it and all looks and smells wonderful. So far so good.
I took a gravity reading and its setting at 1.025 so that's pretty good considering it only been 6 days.
The taste was pretty good I would say. Good malt/caramel up front with a nice chocolate/light coffee finish. A little yeasty and a tad winey but that should age out in the next couple weeks before I bottle.
All in all I'm happy so far with my first BIAB

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Looks good in the tube too
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1427420275.645772.jpg

 

[ol-hazza]

That is higher than I would expect it to be.
Your hydrometer wasn't resting on the bottom of the container was it? I got caught out with that one time

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Nah it wasn't sitting on the bottom. I put the hydrometer in the tube and kept adding to it till it floated and added about another 1/2 inch or so of beer.
I don't think .025 is too bad considering its only 3 gallons with all the specialty malts and adjunct in it. Maybe I'm wrong? Only been brewing about 6 months but I'm a research freak.

 

[Clarke]

US-04 is a fast fermentation yeast with high flocculation. Which means it will finish quick. If it is still churning leave it, if it is slowed down and the gravity is still high, agitate the yeast because it flocculated before it was fully done.

I love that word, flocculate.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

US-04 is a fast fermentation yeast with high flocculation. Which means it will finish quick. If it is still churning leave it, if it is slowed down and the gravity is still high, agitate the yeast because it flocculated before it was fully done.



I love that word, flocculate.

I'll give that a try. It's not really moving much that I can see but it's in a bucket too.
First 5 days of fermentation were between 58-62*F so it might have been a bit cool and that was the temp per the fermometer. Today I moved it to a warmer location and the temp is now showing 66/68.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

How do you recommend agitating the yeast?

 

[ol-hazza]

Nah it wasn't sitting on the bottom. I put the hydrometer in the tube and kept adding to it till it floated and added about another 1/2 inch or so of beer.
I don't think .025 is too bad considering its only 3 gallons with all the specialty malts and adjunct in it. Maybe I'm wrong? Only been brewing about 6 months but I'm a research freak.

I hope that didn't sound too patronising.

I would expect to see it finish at around 1.018 (70% attenuation) or lower. I have not done a 3 gal before so have no knowledge at all of how that effects attenuation so you may be able to disregard my input.

 

[Clarke]

How do you recommend agitating the yeast?

I am by no means an expert at this, and it always make me nervous (not really but...)

I sanitize my big spoon and gently put the spoon all the way to the bottom and pull the yeast up then stir slowly. (I ferment in a bucket) I have had no problems so far...

But I will let other chime in, I don't want to be the one responsible for screwing up your beer, mine I don't care but yours, there are more knowledgeable people here for this technique.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

I hope that didn't sound too patronising.



I would expect to see it finish at around 1.018 (70% attenuation) or lower. I have not done a 3 gal before so have no knowledge at all of how that effects attenuation so you may be able to disregard my input.

No need to worry about hurting my feelings. I got thick skin and I'm here to learn.
I'm hoping it gets down another 5 points min myself. The airlock has picked up today though since moving it to warmer area this morning. Honestly I don't think batch size has much of any to do with attenuation.
Once some more people chime in with ways to rouse the yeast I'll probably try that and see where it is in a week or two. Just don't want to open it too many times ya know.

 

[ol-hazza]

Fair enough, hopefully the airlock is a sign of the fermentation starting up again, with the warmer temp it could be co2 coming out of suspension.

I've been lucky enough not to have the need to deal with a stuck fermentation so will wait for the experts

 

[Yooper]

How do you recommend agitating the yeast?

Don't! You don't want to oxidize the beer. There are billions of yeast still in suspension, so you don't need to agitate it or stir it. If you're a person that feels you must do something (but you don't), then you can move the bucket and that will be sufficient to resuspend some yeast. But don't ruin your beer by stirring it or agitating it now. It's really fine.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Thanks for the input yooper. I think I'll just leave it alone and check it in two weeks. If it gets down another .005 I'll probably bottle it. If not then I'll seek out more advice at that time.

 

[RM-MN]

I'll give that a try. It's not really moving much that I can see but it's in a bucket too.
First 5 days of fermentation were between 58-62*F so it might have been a bit cool and that was the temp per the fermometer. Today I moved it to a warmer location and the temp is now showing 66/68.

If the beer is moving at all the yeast are doing their own agitating. I'd just leave it alone. There's no chance of oxidizing the beer if the yeast are doing their own agitating.

 

[Clarke]

I would definitely listen to Yooper

but just to show I am not crazy, I got my idea from here: Step 2
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/stuck-fermentation.html?gclid=CLrI2qrIyMQCFdgIgQodd2gA5w

I tried the rocking technique and the movement sucked the airlock solution into my beer, still turn out fine but panic attack. I also removed the airlock and thought about the air being sucked in and out of the bung hole (another favorite word of mine), so I tried the spoon idea. nothing bad happened, though apparently it could.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Checked my Gravity again tonite and it came down .002 in the past 2 days. So the yeast is still working but very slowly. Currently @ 1.022-23.
I'm pretty much over it and we'll see whAt it turns out as in another 2 weeks when I bottle.
If it gets down to 1.020 or lower do you guys think that is good enough to proceed with bottling?

 

[Clarke]

I'm pretty much over it and we'll see whAt it turns out as in another 2 weeks when I bottle.

Welcome to my club, no better way to learn IMO.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

So I bottled my first BIAB tonight! Pretty excited about it.
Gravity never came down so I chalk it up to the amount of crystal malt in it. I tried to rouse the yeast and warm it up (68*) but no luck. Last check was 3/28 and it was 1.022. Today it was 1.021 so it didn't move enough for me to think it wasn't done.
I was shooting for an oatmeal stout but it don't taste to roasty. More like a porter but whatever. It tastes good and most important it tastes like beer!!
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1428891736.464930.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1428891759.226112.jpg
Yes I drank a glass right out the bottling bucket!!