SG keeps getting lower...beer starting to smell like champagne

[DrDance]

Hi everyone...hope I might get some insight to this issue, if it even is an issue.
Not sure if this should be in this forum or fermentation, but I'm new so I decided here. Sorry if it's the wrong spot...

I started my first batch (a Brew House IPA extract kit) Dec. 27. The vigorous fermentation was done by Dec. 30.
Took a SG reading and it was 1.010 (OG 1.055)
Took another reading today and it's 1.004
This seems a bit low, but it's my first batch ever, so what do I know, right?
The sample I took kinda smells like champagne, but it tastes like an IPA, albeit a young one. Not so smooth...yet

Is the SG a problem? It seems to be bordering on wine levels.
Is the smell off, or is it ok?
I guess it's the taste that matters... I'm not brewing to smell the stuff!
Thank you in advance for any help on this!

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

Was this extract or all grain? If all grain, what was the grain bill and mash temps? Also, which yeast strain??

Edit: just reread, extract...

 

[DrDance]

Was this extract or all grain? If all grain, what was the grain bill and mash temps? Also, which yeast strain??



Edit: just reread, extract...

Thanks for replying so quickly!
It's whatever yeast is in the kit. Doesn't really say. I suppose I can try to find out. I assume it's a kind of general all-purpose yeast for kits? Or do they get really specific?

 

[VagueSkunk]

I wouldnt worry about it too much, you just got a little bit extra alcohol for free. Let it ride...

 

[DrDance]

Thanks!
You know, you hear about a lot of the doom and gloom that can go wrong and so I think at the beginning I might be a little hyper-sensitive to what's happening and smells, sights, sounds.
Thanks again!

 

[kh54s10]

1.004 is on the low end, but not by much. I would wait another couple of days and take another gravity reading. If it is still dropping, then it is time to get concerned.

After you have done a few more brews you will probably not be hovering over your beers so much. These days I pitch the yeast put the beer in the fermentation chamber and come back in a couple weeks.

 

[DrDance]

I know...I SWORE I wouldn't be "that guy" but clearly...🙄

I look and say "it's gotta be time. It's been...oh crap, only a week"
Ah, first one, what can you do?

 

[kristiismean]

I know...I SWORE I wouldn't be "that guy" but clearly...🙄

I look and say "it's gotta be time. It's been...oh crap, only a week"
Ah, first one, what can you do?

Well, you know what you can do, go to your LHBS, pick up 2 more fermenting buckets, and brew another batch, this way you have a nice staggered supply going on, and it lowers the temptation to open your bucket.

 

[DrDance]

Well, you know what you can do, go to your LHBS, pick up 2 more fermenting buckets, and brew another batch, this way you have a nice staggered supply going on, and it lowers the temptation to open your bucket.

Yes, I've been thinking about that. Just getting another container with spigot to rack from my fastferment into and start another.
Seems like a solid choice!

 

[DrDance]

Well, you know what you can do, go to your LHBS, pick up 2 more fermenting buckets, and brew another batch, this way you have a nice staggered supply going on, and it lowers the temptation to open your bucket.

I've been thinking about getting another bucket to do secondary in, although it kind of defeats the purpose of the fastferment. But, at least this way I could start another batch and just leave it!⏱

 

[RM-MN]

I've been thinking about getting another bucket to do secondary in, although it kind of defeats the purpose of the fastferment. But, at least this way I could start another batch and just leave it!⏱

DON'T DO IT!!! Go buy another couple buckets but don't mess with racking from your Fast Ferment to a bucket to secondary. Buckets are a very poor choice for secondary and most of the time the secondary isn't needed anyway.:rockin:

Use the new buckets to do a primary ferment in. They work great for that. Make your 2 new batches in the buckets, leave them for the same amount of time that you do your batch in the Fast Ferment, then bottle and let them mature for 3 to 4 weeks. Compare the resulting beers and report back on any differences that you find.

 

[JonM]

Buckets leave way too much headspace to be effective secondaries. Just leave the beer where it is and get cracking on batch #2!

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

If you have your heart set on using only the fast ferment for primary fermentations, get glass carboys to transfer into for bulk aging. Just fill them as close to the top as possible. Theres really no need to secondary but, really, it is personal choice if you do....

 

[kristiismean]

The fast ferments are very cool, but this is their main weakness, that it's taken up with fermenting beer for the entire cycle.

I could see doing 2 of them, then rotating them on a 2 week cycle. But as said above

"A Secondary is not Necessarily a good thing"
but there are benefits. I have my own reasons, but out of 147 gallons last year, 15 saw a secondary... and not because I needed to free up a primary fermenter...

I will say this,

I would wait. See this batch through, see how it is, then decide and plan your next batch. (or even plan it, but wait to see how your beer turned out.) you could have issues with your general practices, your water, etc. Better to find out in 1 batch, then killing 2 or 3 before you realize it..

Also, is anyone helping you do this, there are a lot of things to pick up, and a first or second batch should be done with an experienced brewer or a class at your lhbs... even I pick up good tips after 250 gallons and 50 different brew days... (and i am just a beginner)

 

[DrDance]

So best bet...
Leave what yeast is still there to finish off what it needs to do, then bottle?
Should I leave it for longer, since there's not as much yeast left?

 

[VagueSkunk]

So best bet...
Leave what yeast is still there to finish off what it needs to do, then bottle?
Should I leave it for longer, since there's not as much yeast left?

Stop thinking about it so much. Leave it in primary for 2 weeks. If you're in a big ole hurry, take a gravity reading after a week or so. Take a 2nd reading 2 days later. If the readings are the same, you're safe to bottle.
Me, I just let beer sit in primary for two weeks, then rack to a keg, carb and serve.

 

[kh54s10]

So best bet...
Leave what yeast is still there to finish off what it needs to do, then bottle?
Should I leave it for longer, since there's not as much yeast left?

Most ferments are done in 5-7 days. A few more days allow the yeast to clean up any off flavors that are naturally created during fermentation. There is plenty of yeast left in suspension to finish off the fermentation. I don't check the progress of my fermentations so I go two weeks then check the gravity. If it is what I expect then I go ahead with packaging. This is not the safe way, two gravity readings the same, a day or so apart, will tell you the fermentation is totally done and it is safe to bottle.

With the Fast Ferment you can remove they flocculated yeast and trub when the fermentation is finished. Then you can leave it a little longer to fully finish or to bulk age.

As said, if you want to free up the Fast Ferment for another batch, you can do a secondary. But use a vessel that seals well and does not have much headspace above the beer. I will go against a previous reply and say do not use a glass carboy. Unless you are willing to take the risk. I have seen to many picture of stitches on HBT caused by breaking glass carboys.

 

[DrDance]

Most ferments are done in 5-7 days. A few more days allow the yeast to clean up any off flavors that are naturally created during fermentation. There is plenty of yeast left in suspension to finish off the fermentation. I don't check the progress of my fermentations so I go two weeks then check the gravity. If it is what I expect then I go ahead with packaging. This is not the safe way, two gravity readings the same, a day or so apart, will tell you the fermentation is totally done and it is safe to bottle.



With the Fast Ferment you can remove they flocculated yeast and trub when the fermentation is finished. Then you can leave it a little longer to fully finish or to bulk age.



As said, if you want to free up the Fast Ferment for another batch, you can do a secondary. But use a vessel that seals well and does not have much headspace above the beer. I will go against a previous reply and say do not use a glass carboy. Unless you are willing to take the risk. I have seen to many picture of stitches on HBT caused by breaking glass carboys.

Stop thinking about it so much. Leave it in primary for 2 weeks. If you're in a big ole hurry, take a gravity reading after a week or so. Take a 2nd reading 2 days later. If the readings are the same, you're safe to bottle.

Me, I just let beer sit in primary for two weeks, then rack to a keg, carb and serve.

Thank you everyone for your feed back!

I've been reading and researching so much and over such a period of time that I think I got a little supersaturated with info. I started to misunderstand that the vigorous fermentation is not necessarily the only part of primary fermentation.
I'm leaving it for another week and half at least and hoping it will still turn out ok [emoji108]🏽
Thanks again for all the insights!

 

[RM-MN]

So best bet...
Leave what yeast is still there to finish off what it needs to do, then bottle?
Should I leave it for longer, since there's not as much yeast left?

There are two things to consider here. First is that you want to leave the beer until it is completed fermenting. You need to have taken two hydrometer readings at least a day apart to verify that the gravity of the beer isn't still changing. I wouldn't take the first until at least day 10 as that gives the yeast plenty of time to complete breaking down the intermediate products, flocculate and settle out.
Second is that if you leave beer longer than the minimum more yeast will settle out so there isn't as much in the bottom of each bottle when you pour. This extra time is also useful for allowing beers to mature. Some like wheat beers don't need much time to reach their peak but others, usually darker or higher alcohol beers gain much by giving them more time. That time can be in the bottle but they start maturing in the fermenter too.
There is a downside to longer times in the fermenter that has to do with the hop aroma. That aroma begins to fade fairly quickly so if you do an IPA with lots of dry hops those hops should wait until close to the time you will be bottling.

 

[VagueSkunk]

One of the most important things that new brewers - and I include myself in this group - need to learn is patience
Brewing is supposed to be fun. If you're stressing about it, you're doing it wrong.

 

[DrDance]

Yeah...I'm not stressed about it, I think I'm in the "brew the perfect beer first time" class.
I'm leaving it now and not worrying about the little stuff.
Hopefully it's good, if not it'll be a good story someday.
And I think the reason I was so concerned about getting it off the yeast or into secondary was because the instructions told me to do it in day 3-5
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