Total Airlock Evaporation and Over-Pitching

[AjiLemon]

Hello,

So, I got really excited about a hoppy black ale I was making (the gunflint trail black IPA kit from Midwest). I made my first yeast starter with Wyeast Headwaters ale from Midwest supplies, and stepped it up.

The SG of the beer was supposed to be 1.068, it ended up being more like 1.064 after I filled the fermenter up to 5.6 gallons.

I was really nervous about the quality of my yeast starter, which I had stepped up, so I went to the LHBS and bought a vial of white labs California Ale yeast to throw into my 5 gallon batch as well (both yeasts are recommended for the kit). :cross:

After 12 hours fermentation was going pretty hard, I filled up the Airlock because it had gotten low. I checked again at about 24 hours and saw it needed some more fluid, the S Airlock was going crazy at this point, I then went to bed. When I woke up, there was nothing in the Airlock!

I filled The Airlock right away and waited to see bubbles, there weren't any. So, I took the lid off and checked the gravity, it's at 1.016.

Will my beer taste like cardboard because of the complete Airlock evaporation? How badly did I over-pitch my yeast and what will result from that? Should I leave it in the fermenter for a few more days before I put it into secondary for dry hopping?

Help

 

[BigFloyd]

Don't worry. Tossing an extra vial in there isn't much of an overpitch. No harm there at all.

Also, you need not worry about the S-airlock going dry. It would be really hard for any nasties to make their way through it and into your beer. The positive pressure inside the fermenter would keep a bunch of air from getting in there, so don't be anxious about oxidation from that.

With your description of the vigorous fermentation, my only concern would be temperature-related. What was your pitch temp? Your ferment temp?

 

[AjiLemon]

I'm not sure what the internal temperature was, however, the temp strip thing I have stuck to the outside of my bucket said 70 degrees, which was about 10 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature of my apartment.

My pitch temp was ~64 degrees

 

[AjiLemon]

I'm just shocked at how fast it fermented because the directions said it should take 1-2 weeks

 

[BigFloyd]

Oh, I'd still let it sit a couple of weeks before priming and bottling. It takes a few days or more for the yeast to clean up their byproducts after the visibly active part is over.

 

[ballsy]

I'm not sure what the internal temperature was, however, the temp strip thing I have stuck to the outside of my bucket said 70 degrees, which was about 10 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature of my apartment.

My pitch temp was ~64 degrees

You keep your house thermostat at 60?!?!? lol...as you can imagine, those temp strips are not very accurate. That is ridiculously fast to ferment down that rapidly, I would certainly be a little concerned with possible off flavors but who knows. Look into a simple swamp bucket for better control. It's easy to keep at a nice 63-65 deg's.

 

[AjiLemon]

Thanks for the peace of mind, guys. I'm glad that it's not totally screwed up!

 

[unionrdr]

I got curious about the accuracy of the temp strips myself. So I used my temp laser pen thing to check the temp in the bucket I was fermenting in. There was only a small fraction of a degree difference. So they are pretty accurate by my observations.

 

[JimRausch]

Another thing to think about Aji is that while the visible signs of fermentation may be over, the fermentation process is NOT complete. So don't even think about touching that bucket for a good 2 weeks. If you move it too soon, you'll be sorry. Let the yeasties finish their job.

 

[JimRausch]

I got curious about the accuracy of the temp strips myself. So I used my temp laser pen thing to check the temp in the bucket I was fermenting in. There was only a small fraction of a degree difference. So they are pretty accurate by my observations.

Good to know. Thanks union!

 

[andy6026]

My god, you live in an igloo.

Initial fermentation can be very vigorous in which it can drop a lot of gravity points in the first few days. Let it ride though, as it can take a good few weeks to drop the remaining points and allow for the yeast to clean up after itself.

 

[CUrchin]

Hummmm... You keep your house at 60 and the liquid in you airlock is evaporating? That is suspicious, you may be getting suck back. I've left airlocks unattended for 6-8 weeks without problem.

 

[AjiLemon]

Union, it's good to know that the temp strip on the outside of my bucket is fairly accurate. Thanks for that.

Jim, I think I'll leave I for 2 weeks, even though I REALLY want to dry hop it now and drink it immediately!

CUrchin, there was definitely no suck back. I've never seen a beer ferment so hard so fast, I'm glad I had it in a 7.9 gallon bucket to avoid blowoff. I filled the Airlock with sanitizer and it foamed out like a bubble maker.

When I pitched the yeast the temp was at like 64 degrees. The temp rose up to 71ish at it's peak temp. It's now at around 66 degrees, but it's not sucking back in, so something must be going on with the fermentation, because I would expect it to suck in if it were completely finished and cooling.

It's also been warm here the past few days which warmed my duplex up. So, although the thermostat is at 60, the temp has actually been around 65 inside.

 

[BigFloyd]

Hummmm... You keep your house at 60 and the liquid in you airlock is evaporating? That is suspicious, you may be getting suck back. I've left airlocks unattended for 6-8 weeks without problem.

Suck back is highly doubtful with an S-airlock.

I've had one really vigorous ferment (with Windsor yeast) evaporate/vaporize/whatever the sanitizer out of an s-airlock in a couple of days. I just popped off the little perforated cap and added some more StarSan.

 

[CUrchin]

Suck back is highly doubtful with an S-airlock.

I've had one really vigorous ferment (with Windsor yeast) evaporate/vaporize/whatever the sanitizer out of an s-airlock in a couple of days. I just popped off the little perforated cap and added some more StarSan.

I agree- I use S locks for cold crashing for the reason of avoiding suck back, I've just never had to add to top up an airlock so I find it curious. I used to use Notty a lot and it would rip through fermenting.

I supposed that when I am expecting something "big" to happen, I use a blowoff tub and that I guess that explains why I haven't had this problem.

When I do use airlocks, I use starsan in mine b/c I like the foam as a latent indicator that something is still going on. When a airlock filled with starsan is flat, you know that it hasn't bubbled in a while.

 

[unionrdr]

I just use cheap grocery store vodka in mine. doesn't evaporate very fast at all for me. And anything that gets through the holes in the airlock cap die of alcohol poisoning anyway.

 

[doornumber3]

You keep your house thermostat at 60?!?!? lol...as you can imagine, those temp strips are not very accurate. That is ridiculously fast to ferment down that rapidly, I would certainly be a little concerned with possible off flavors but who knows. Look into a simple swamp bucket for better control. It's easy to keep at a nice 63-65 deg's.

I see this quote that the strips are not accurate all the time here. You would be shocked if you tested it. Within a degree or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[uatuba]

I'm glad others have busted the myth of inaccurate temp strips. They are quite accurate. Not to laboratory standards, mind you, but neither are most regular thermometers that are a reasonable price.

 

[ballsy]

I see this quote that the strips are not accurate all the time here. You would be shocked if you tested it. Within a degree or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

That's good to know....I remember back when I was getting ready to brew first batch ever, I had read they weren't...I swamp cool so no strip for me, just water temp checks daily. Swamp cooler was one of the easiest things I've done which have dramatically improved my beers.