trying my first "open" fermentation

[odie]

Doing another hefe in the keg. Decided to leave the top open for the first couple days in an "open" fermetation style as I beleive it was traditionally done.

Granted, an open top keg is not a lot of surface area compared to those shallow and wide vats the Germans, Brits and Belgians use. But it's as close as I can get with my current set up.

I placed a sterilized paint strainer bag over the keg to keep any bugs or such out.

 

[rmr9]

I open fermented my last hefeweizen hoping to have some good results but I think my fermentation temperature was too much on the cool side. I’ll have to try again!

Do you have a closed fermented hefeweizen to compare your open fermented batch to?

 

[odie]

This keg was my "closed" fermentation. I just pitch fresh wort but left the lid open this time.

I always close the keg lid and install a blow off tube. But no pressurization.

After fermentation slows, I will remove the blow off tube and let the pressure start to build to a few PSI.

 

[ducati]

I open fermented my last hefeweizen hoping to have some good results but I think my fermentation temperature was too much on the cool side. I’ll have to try again!

Do you have a closed fermented hefeweizen to compare your open fermented batch to?

Just curious, what temperature were you fermenting? And what banana character are you trying to achieve?

 

[rmr9]

I meant to ferment at 64 but I didn’t realize that the small room I ferment in in the basement gets down to 58 degrees when the AC runs during the summer…so needless to say I got very very little banana. I got a lot of sulphur, and the fermentation was noticeably subdued compared to other times using 3068

 

[odie]

pitched the wort in the keg with yeast dregs on Monday night. Wed morning the krausen has still not come out the top??? I'm used to hefe being a very foamy yeast.

 

[rmr9]

What’s the headspace volume like? Maybe it just isn’t going crazy enough to burst through

 

[odie]

maybe 4.9 gallons in a 5 gal keg. those kegs hold 5.5.

roughly 1/2 gallon head space. But surface are is small compared to a bucket fermentor or those open vats.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I placed a sterilized paint strainer bag over the keg to keep any bugs or such out.

I am curious how this turns out. I often start my batches with just a piece of foil over the top for the first few days (is that open at all??). I did my first real "open ferment" a couple years ago with a Quad. It was in my ferm chamber, but with just a grain bag over the top of my Fermonster fermenter. It turned out to be an incredible beer, and was tasting really good in a month or so after bottling. The theory is that open fermentation will help to boost ester production and reduce fusel alcohol production will keeping the yeast healthy. That seemed to play out for me!

 

[DuncB]

If the fermenter is in the fridge I just leave no lid on the bucket at all. Outside of there I used a clean tea towel.

 

[odie]

well, this morning it still looks the same.

strange, since when I've had the lid closed, the hefe krausen will blow out the blow off tube.

I did a pressurized hefe once...it was blowing out the PRV.

hefe does not like containment and gets "angry". But if left uncontained...it seems to be rather...mellow???