Just finished brewing my second batch of beer ever, a 1 gallon Bourbon Barrel Porter when on my way to put it safely in a dark cabinet I stumbled (rented feet!), while not losing the batch I did mix it up! Much of the yeast was longer sitting on top of the wort but was floating within the wort! I am screwed or have I just prolonged fermentation or is it a wait and see situation? Any guidance would be appreciated! Thanks! :smack:
OK, so how bad did I screw up?
- Thread starter Imacfrog
- Start date
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Probably not at all. It is best to let the yeast absorb moisture slowly. Even better is to rehydrate the yeast before pitching it into the wort. Depending on your method aerating by stumbling and shaking it up may have actually helped.
Control the fermentation temperature. Fermentation creates heat, you want to keep the wort temperature in the mid sixties for most ales.
Control the fermentation temperature. Fermentation creates heat, you want to keep the wort temperature in the mid sixties for most ales.
If you just pitched your yeast, then there is no harm at all. If you had completed fermentation, you only need to let everything settle normally.
In short, your beer is fine.
In short, your beer is fine.
McKnuckle
Well-Known Member
Can't tell if "finished brewing" means you were setting aside the vessel to begin fermentation, or if it was done fermenting and you were trying to move it for conditioning.
In the first case the mixing is totally irrelevant to the yeast. They will happily keep working. In the second case, sure, that's annoying - but just let it settle back down and clarify again. Be patient. In either case, there is no significant issue.
In the first case the mixing is totally irrelevant to the yeast. They will happily keep working. In the second case, sure, that's annoying - but just let it settle back down and clarify again. Be patient. In either case, there is no significant issue.
Brownalemikie
Well-Known Member
GHBWNY
Well-Known Member
Rehydrating dry yeast @ 90 - 105F preps the cell walls to begin their metabolic functions (eating). Even sprinkled on top of the cool wort, it's only a matter of a very short time before it has gone into solution at which point they start feeding on the sugars and will begin their own dance in and around the fermenter. So worrying about mixing it up is a non-issue.
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Yep this^, I aerate my wort after I pitch yeast.....no worries.
I doubt it makes much difference in most cases but you should aerate, then, pitch the yeast
Thank you, Thank you all for your reassurance! By finished brewing, I meant putting the wort in to the fermenter to begin the process after boiling the wort (after pitching the yeast I had my stumble!)! So now I can wait the three weeks till bottling with a bit more peace of mind.
This forum is a godsend in having others help you through the process and not being alone! Cheers!
This forum is a godsend in having others help you through the process and not being alone! Cheers!
Brownalemikie
Well-Known Member
About 3 months ago I forgot to aerate before pitching yeast and did it afterwards. A vigorous fermentation began in about 5 hours. It use to take 9-12 hours so now I just aerate after pitching. The results have been positive. Of course I only brew one beer...Caribou Slobber and have brewed 28 batches.
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Yep this^, I aerate my wort after I pitch yeast.....no worries.
So which is it. I doubt that when you aerate has much to do with how soon your fermentation takes off. Unless it is way before or way after pitching the yeast.
BTW, When are you going to give another recipe a try? Once?
Brownalemikie
Well-Known Member
Oops, my error....changed my post to "after" pitching. I had consumed 3 or 4 Browns last night before posting. My bad. Btw, just brewed a NB porter 2 weeks ago and am looking forward to trying a few of them in a couple weeks.
Thank you, Thank you all for your reassurance! By finished brewing, I meant putting the wort in to the fermenter to begin the process after boiling the wort (after pitching the yeast I had my stumble!)! So now I can wait the three weeks till bottling with a bit more peace of mind.
This forum is a godsend in having others help you through the process and not being alone! Cheers!
If you have the patience to wait 3 weeks before bottling I commend you. I'd probably take a hydrometer sample on day 10 and another on day 12 and if they matched I'd bottle that beer. Having done it both ways, I know that 3 weeks will get me less yeast in the bottles and the beer will be ready to drink sooner after but....dang, this is your second batch and you're able to wait 3 weeks?
I've also sampled my bottled beer early. What I've found are that beer carbonates quickly, usually in 24 to 36 hours. It takes longer for it to get to where it makes a good head when you pour, usually more than a week, maybe closer to 2 weeks. Then there is the question on maturity. Light color, low alcohol beers mature quickly and you might be drinking your beer after the 2 weeks in the bottle and find it to be really good. On the other hand, a dark stout with lots of alcohol may take more than a year to get to that point. Your bourbon barrel porter is in between these extremes. It will be drinkable fairly soon but won't hit the peak flavor for a year or more. Try to keep some of it for that long and see if I am not right. I've kept a couple stouts for 2 years in the bottle and the last bottle was the best.
Being new at this and obsessive in following directions (ADHD) so as not to screw up, I do not know any better. LOL. The instructions did recommended saving a few bottles to age, so I had planned to give that a try.
The wait is killing me though as my first batch is ready next Saturday. Drinking hard cider until then to make the experience even better and build up a supply of bottles. Still trying to figure out to properly use the hydrometer. Been too worried about making sure everything is sanitary, do not scorch malt, etc (being obsessive has some drawbacks by creating a steeper learning curve!). 🤔
The wait is killing me though as my first batch is ready next Saturday. Drinking hard cider until then to make the experience even better and build up a supply of bottles. Still trying to figure out to properly use the hydrometer. Been too worried about making sure everything is sanitary, do not scorch malt, etc (being obsessive has some drawbacks by creating a steeper learning curve!). 🤔
Kit instructions leave a lot to be desired. I started that way and screwed up a few batches before I found my way here. One way to make the wait seem shorter is to start another batch. You don't have to make 5 gallons, the ingredients scale linearly so it's easy to make a 2 1/2 gallon batch by dividing the ingredients in half. If your kit calls for liquid malt extract you can substitute dry malt extract but it will require a conversion as dry malt has more sugars per pound than liquid.
One thing I finally learned that improved my beers was to keep the fermenter cooler during the first few days. Now I chill wort to low 60's and try to keep it near that temp for the first 5 to 7 days. Much better flavor that way.
Using a hydrometer is easy. If it came in a long tube, leave it in there and use a sanitized turkey baster to fill it. I set mine in a beer glass to keep it from tipping over as I get ready to read it. Most hydrometers in the kits have multiple scales. Look closely and you'll see one labeled "beer". Get your eye down to the level of beer in the tube and sight across the bottom of the meniscus to read the gravity. When done you can dispose of the beer in the tube by dumping it (pure waste) or drinking it (semi waste, gives a hint of what the beer will taste like). Be careful of the hydrometer as it is very fragile.
So it has been a bit more than 24 hours and my recent batch is fermenting nicely, thank you! Once again, thank you to all who replied in helping easy my anxiety over having possibly ruining a batch of liquid nectar!
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