OYL-30:Shake or Wait?

[brewNYC]

So, I’ve had a batch of saison (ish) going for 6 days now with OYL 30 (same thing as wyeast 3944. It dropped from 1.068 to 1.022 in 4 days, and then hit the brakes ( just checked, and I’m at 1.020).

I’ve had the same experience before, and shook the fermentor to get the top-cropping yeast back in the beer. Is this really necessary or will the beer eventually finish out on its own if I leave it be?Just wondering if I’m wasting effort and risking oxidation for no reason.

to shake, or not to shake?

 

[Alan Reginato]

Give it a swing, with splashing. Helps sometimes.

 

[hotbeer]

Aren't you supposed to harvest top cropping yeasts after some of the sugars have been consumed?

It's a question, not a statement. Like the OP, I'm not sure either.

But after just 6 days, I think the OP should be more patient and just let things finish and clear up which might take weeks.

 

[brewNYC]

Aren't you supposed to harvest top cropping yeasts after some of the sugars have been consumed?

It's a question, not a statement. Like the OP, I'm not sure either.

But after just 6 days, I think the OP should be more patient and just let things finish and clear up which might take weeks.

I think Duval did some research on harvesting top-cropping yeast. If I remember correctly, it’s a great way to harvest, but it tends to strain the second half of fermentation - sometimes resulting in under-attenuation.

my understanding is that this yeast top-crops so enthusiastically it effectively separates from the beer. Once the krausen drops, the yeast is back in sugar land and finishes up the job. Thequestion is,will it drop by itself or does it need a shake?

 

[hotbeer]

Thequestion is,will it drop by itself or does it need a shake?

Yeah, that is a good question.

If you were open fermenting for a few days before moving to a secondary, I'd say leave it alone, it's doing what it's s'posed to do. Partly protecting the beer from O2.

In a closed primary, probably makes no difference. I'll give mine a swirl to get things off the top or off the sides of the fermenter. I like to see into the beer so I can tell when it's clean enough to bottle since I don't do any special things to clarify it.

 

[brewNYC]

Well, I’m at day 9 and 1.017, so it’s showing steady progress at .001 per day since day 4. I usually leave my beers in the primary for 3 weeks anyway, so I suppose that’s what we are doing with this one! 74 percent attenuation is respectable, but I’d like to get just a few more points..

in any case,My hypothesis is that shaking around isn’t necessary, but it probably does speed things up!

 

[brewNYC]

So, day 16 and I’m at 1.016. I think this is where I shall stay. That’s 75 percent attenuation, which I suppose is acceptable for a Witbeer yeast. It went down to 1.008 last time, but then I mashed a bit lower.

I think I’ve proven that shaking is useless, or at least won’t make the yeast do more than it wants to anyway.

It’ll be a tasty brew, but what shall I call it? Not dry enough for a saison, and who ever heard of a Belgian golden ale with flaked maize in it? “The Swampy Saison”, “Pawn Shop 10K Golden Ale”, “BudWeiss beer”? I’m open to suggestions here..

 

[hotbeer]

"ShakeOrWait"

 

[brewNYC]

Just kegged today. My hydrometer tells me it was at 1.012. I guess my tilt hydrometer was off by a few points.
The sample tasted wonderful- looking forward to this one!