Pumpkin Beer Nottingham - Little Activity

[DKershner]

Hey everyone,

I recently made a gluten-free pumpkin spice ale for a party on Halloween. It is been about 4 days in the primary, and the fermentation activity is not at all what I expected. Usually Nottingham takes off like a rocket and is done in no time, but this time it appears to have made a very thin, light krausen and to be fermenting slowly. The initial temperature was 64ish, but it has warmed a bit since then.

Also, I used two different Nottingham's in this 10gal batch, one in a starter, and one not. One from slurry, the other brand new. I don't think it's the bum Nottingham problem.

Also, I have made a few GF beers and haven't noticed a difference with fermentation.

I would just let it sit around and do it's own thing, but I was hoping to cold crash this thing in around a week from now so it's ready for Halloween. I have not yet taken a reading, as it does appear to be fermenting...just really slowly. Any ideas on why?

 

[enderwig]

Hope this isn't your problem as well...


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/nottingham-yeast-128940/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/recent-nottingham-woes-108835/

 

[DKershner]

Hope this isn't your problem as well...


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/nottingham-yeast-128940/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/recent-nottingham-woes-108835/

Like I said, one of the 5gals is a yeast I have successfully used more than once... It is a bit older, but not out of viability. The other might be from the bad batch, forgot to check, but its doing the same thing as my tried and true.

 

[enderwig]

I don't think it's the bum Nottingham problem.

Sorry, I must have skipped right over that part.

Did you aerate well? Your temps seem ok, I've fermented notty as low as 60, it it worked ok.

 

[DKershner]

For aeration, I usually just blast the wort out of the boil kettle and it seems to make a good bit of foam, bubbles, etc. Never had a problem with my aeration, or fermentation in general before...but it is a possibility.

Would bad aeration just slow it down some, basically what it looks like is happening now? Anything I can do at this point?

 

[enderwig]

If its already "going", there isn't much you can do about it now. I'd let it go for 2 weeks then take a gravity reading and see what the situation is then.

 

[DKershner]

If its already "going", there isn't much you can do about it now. I'd let it go for 2 weeks then take a gravity reading and see what the situation is then.

A good plan. Two weeks is about the max I can wait on it and still be good to go by halloween, but I'd rather cancel a party than rush a beer.

Need to hear RDWHAHB every now and again I guess, thanks for the help.

 

[carl spakler]

fermenting slowly.

Have you taken a gravity reading to compare OG and current gravity? Until you have data that shows fermentation process you really can't say what is happening.

 

[DKershner]

Have you taken a gravity reading to compare OG and current gravity? Until you have data that shows fermentation process you really can't say what is happening.

You're right, so I did so this morning. Opened up the bucket, thin layer of bubbles on top, with a very thin layer of trub where krausen used to be. Don't see any active signs of fermentation, but the bubbles could be a little. Gravity reading: 1.030. OG was 1.055.

I can take another reading in a couple days to see if there is change...

EDIT: We brewed saturday, so its been in there for 5 days.

EDIT 2: Another thing is that the sample I took was extremely cloudy. It was tough to tell from the taste (cause I had just eaten breakfast) but it seemed to be a little yeasty, and definitely sweet. Could not really smell the pumpkin pie spices.

 

[DKershner]

Realized I forgot to link the recipe...

http://brew.dkershner.com/2009/gluten-free-pumpkin-spice-ale/

 

[DKershner]

Just wanted to follow up here...I ended up having a great beer, finishing around 1.012. It was a slow, methodic fermentation, but a crash cool upped the schedule and it should be fully ready in time.