S-04 first try

[wrestler63]

I have been using Notty and S-05 for my go to yeast for over a year now. I stopped in to my LHBS to make a IIPA and they were out of both yeasts. I decided to give S-04 a try. Being such a big beer ( 1.086 ) I pitched 2 pkgs of S-04, 1 hydrated and 1 pitched dry. Within 4 hrs fermentation had started and now 18 hrs later I have 1 1/2" of Krausen and fermenting away like crazy. Temp is at 68 deg. Looks like it's gonna clean up well. Anyone have these results or did I just get lucky. I never had the other dry yeasts start so fast and be this far along so soon.
Cheers

 

[jbambuti]

S-04 usually starts very quickly and finishes quickly. Just watch your temps, as it can get pretty warm with a violent fermentation. It should turn out pretty clean, although a few more esters than us-05. It also flocculates very well, so when you bottle (if you bottle) you'll get a nice, compact sediment at the bottom.

 

[wyzazz]

S-04 is CRAZY, hope you used a blowoff tube and some foam control!

 

[wrestler63]

S-04 is CRAZY, hope you used a blowoff tube and some foam control!

Blow off tube yes, foam control no......we will see. Krausen is a rising !!!

 

[wrestler63]

Holy cow !!!!!! Just got home. Carbouy temp at 68 deg.Blow off tube plugged and spitting wildly. Removed blow off tubes to let open ferment for awhile. Foam coming out looks like star san foam snake. Guess this yeast is pretty active huh?

 

[wrestler63]

48 hrs and still open fermenting and foam snake still climbing out of carbouy. What a mess. Have probably lost 1/2g of beer.

 

[wyzazz]

Told ya so! Now next time you purchase some supplies, I'll bet FermcapS is on your list. ;0)

 

[wrestler63]

Told ya so! Now next time you purchase some supplies, I'll bet FermcapS is on your list. ;0)

yup......fermcaps a must with this stuff......never had a beer do this......amazing........wish I had a digital camera.......it was pretty cool.

 

[babalu87]

Warm it up towards the end of fermentation (4 days) as it has a tendency to stall at low temps.

 

[nowashburn]

now I have to try this!

 

[wrestler63]

Warm it up towards the end of fermentation (4 days) as it has a tendency to stall at low temps.

blow off tubes back on yesterday, still rapid fermentation at 68 deg.Now 68 deg. and still popping good.

 

[malc]

The second beer I ever made used s-04. It blew the lid off my fermenter and made quite a mess of my bathroom.

 

[kwhyte]

I had a similar experience - my first two beers were s-04, the second was an imperial stout, pitched directly on the cake from the first. The explosion sounded like a gun shot, and the lid of the bucket (and some krausen) literally hit the ceiling. What a mess. The ambient temp was low 60s, but the fermentation was nearly 80 - I got some nasty fusels in that one, it's probably for the best I lost nearly a gallon to the blow up and later blow off.

 

[sillyburt]

wrestler,

has your temp stayed at 68* in the wort?

if so what have you been using for ferm temp control?

 

[wrestler63]

wrestler,

has your temp stayed at 68* in the wort?

if so what have you been using for ferm temp control?

Yes, right at 68 deg. Just lowered it to 66 deg last night. 3-4 more days in primary then dry hop and off to bottle for 1 carbouy, the other to get secondary then keg.( this was a ten gallon batch ) I have a heated room in basement and leave ambient temp at 62 deg while fermentation is vigorous, wort temp gets to 68 deg almost everytime. As fermentation slows, I raise room temp to keep wort at 68.