Too late to swamp cool?

[noladom]

Brewing a brown ale extract kit that's only been fermenting since late Thursday (3 1/2 days) The temps have been too high (mid 70s on the fermometer for 2 or 3 days.) Is it too late to cool it now? Am I already past the point of risking fusels, banana flavors, etc? The kit calls for a primary of about a week then bottle conditioning for 4. Thoughts?

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

Mid 70s on the fermometer is not too bad. You would definitely want to cool it down from the start on your next batch.

It is too late to swamp cool though as most of the heat generating fermentation is done.

 

[boydster]

I'd leave it in primary for more than a week. If you are concerned about potential off flavors, a longer primary can only help, and very few people that I know of would bottle after only a week even with an ideal fermentation. Try a sample when it is at 3 weeks in primary and see what you think.

 

[JimRausch]

I agree with boydster. If you did produce any off-flavors, then your best chance of cleaning them up is a longer stay on the primary yeast cake.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Brewing a brown ale extract kit that's only been fermenting since late Thursday (3 1/2 days) The temps have been too high (mid 70s on the fermometer for 2 or 3 days.) Is it too late to cool it now? Am I already past the point of risking fusels, banana flavors, etc? The kit calls for a primary of about a week then bottle conditioning for 4. Thoughts?

Yes, it is too late now and the potential damage is done. I believe flavor is determined during the Exponential growth phase: 1-4 days: Lots to read at the link below, but I believe you are past the critical stage of fermentation with regards to flavor...AFAIK, the initial stages of active fermentaion, up to high kreusen, are most critical.


http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[noladom]

All makes sense so far. Everything I've read always lists a longer primary than a week but this kit says "Generally, you'll be ready to bottle a week after beginning fermentation." Sounded suspect to me but I was willing to take their word for it. Anyway let's say at 3 weeks all seems fine and I bottle then. How long should I bottle condition after the longer primary or should I pick back up on the instructions at that point and go another 3 weeks in the bottles? Shouldn't 2 be sufficient time for carbonation or am I looking for something else out of the process?

 

[boydster]

The general rule of thumb is 3 weeks at 70F. High gravity beers can take longer. I have a low OG blonde that I make regularly and it is usually carbed and ready 2 weeks after bottling. If the recipe says it needs 4 weeks, it probably is best at 4 or more weeks. Lots of kit recipes try to rush you through the process, so I'm surprised they would tell you to wait 4 weeks, especially if they direct you to bottle after a 1 week primary. When the folks that usually rush you are telling you to wait 4 weeks, it is probably means the beer needs at least that long to hit its stride.

 

[MindenMan]

At 2-1/2 weeks, pull a gravity sample, and if at 3 weeks the reading is the same, at that point you should be ready to bottle. Carbonation is a funny thing, some beer are carbonated at 1 week, and some beers can take a month or longer. At 70* F your beer should be carbonated by week 3, but that doesn't mean it will be. if you would post your recipe, that would be helpful.

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

All makes sense so far. Everything I've read always lists a longer primary than a week but this kit says "Generally, you'll be ready to bottle a week after beginning fermentation." Sounded suspect to me but I was willing to take their word for it. Anyway let's say at 3 weeks all seems fine and I bottle then. How long should I bottle condition after the longer primary or should I pick back up on the instructions at that point and go another 3 weeks in the bottles? Shouldn't 2 be sufficient time for carbonation or am I looking for something else out of the process?

At this point, I'd test one each week. Take npte pf the evolution of the beer. You're learning while drinking beer. Can you really ask for more?

 

[noladom]

Sorry for the late update. This is a Brown Ale extract kit from True Brew. It's 1 can dark malt extract, 2lbs dried dark malt extract, 8oz Malto-dextrin, 1oz cascade hop pellets, 1 pack muntons dry ale yeast. It calls for a partial boil of 1 1/2 gallons, pour wort into cool water up to 5. I re-hydrated the yeast and pitched after bringing the wort down in an ice bath. I air-rated by pouring the wort into the bottling bucket then through the spigot into the carboy. Then I shook and rolled the carboy for a few minutes before plugging and air locking. 3-5 hours later I had kraussen coming through the airlock (too high internal temp inside the house.) moved it to the laundry room outside and left it for a week. Checked gravity at 7,8,and 10 days all read 1.020. It calls for FG of 10-12.

The issues:
1. didn't get a good OG reading. Not worried about the alcohol content so much as the final gravity falling into place. Problem is with no OG I can't gauge the difference.
2. Should have use a blow off or regulated temperature better from the start, south Louisiana autumn gets up to 80 and down to 40 sometimes in the same week.
3. Gravity appears to have stabilized 8 points higher than it should have.

From what I've read these kits call for bottling at a week and use too much priming sugar. Thoughts and or recommendations? If it doesn't drop by day 14 should I bottle anyway? I've since moved it back inside to a stable temperature area. Fermometer reads 64 currently.

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

The issues:
1. didn't get a good OG reading. Not worried about the alcohol content so much as the final gravity falling into place. Problem is with no OG I can't gauge the difference.

Next time, get a good OG reading. Essential.

2. Should have use a blow off or regulated temperature better from the start, south Louisiana autumn gets up to 80 and down to 40 sometimes in the same week.

Swamp sool from the start. Fermentation is exothermic. It produces heat. You have to cool it down. Even better: a freezer plugged in an STC-1000 costs 75$ (freezer) + controller (20$). Best investment in the whole wide world.

3. Gravity appears to have stabilized 8 points higher than it should have.

There is a 50/50 chance that this will "bottle bomb". Build a fermenter using scrap wood and another STC-1000. That way, shards won't poke your children ....

Oh, and next time, use better extract. Briess, or else. You are just starting, give yourself some time. After a while, even the beers you **** up will be better than what's sold anywhere else (after a few, maybe )

Where I live, a good brew costs 6$ for a pint. If I harvest yeasts (with a stirplate, 2L erlenmeyer and such), it costs 1$ for high gravity brews. Long term is tha bitxh.

 

[noladom]

Resurrecting an old thread. My brew is now in its second week of bottle conditioning so I popped one open to see how things were going. I used less than the 5oz priming sugar after reading an article titled "the 11 mistakes new home brewers make" or something along those lines. Carbonating just fine, taste good. Actually smells a but like iced tea as it warms which I think is great. Little to no head retention probably due to the kit only calling for 1oz of hops. Some of the last ones I bottled have a slightly off flavor that I can't quite pick out. Could be from the water (tap with no filter) potentially from the starsan though I'm told you wouldn't really taste it. Either way not strong enough to not enjoy it and in the first case I bottled you really can't tell. All in all successful first brew. Looking forward to the next. Will use filtered tap or maybe bottled water this go round and see how it goes.