Uh oh. Wild yeast? Infection?

[foscojo]

@foscojo, what types of yeast have you recently used and how did you get the wort into the fermentor?

This is a new FerMonster.

 

[ba-brewer]

I know the fermentor is brand new but I dont see a lot of trub in the fermentor so I am wondering how did the wort go from the brew kettle to the fermentor. Anything used to do that should be considered tainted and extra effort put into clean it or replacing it.

It is possible something wild floated into your fermentor but it is most likely you contaminated the wort with another yeast you use.

 

[foscojo]

I know the fermentor is brand new but I dont see a lot of trub in the fermentor so I am wondering how did the wort go from the brew kettle to the fermentor. Anything used to do that should be considered tainted and extra effort put into clean it or replacing it.

It is possible something wild floated into your fermentor but it is most likely you contaminated the wort with another yeast you use.

Ah. I used the ball valve in the pot and tubing to transfer the wort to the fermenter.

The first thing I did before starting was clean everything with PBW. I disassembled the ball valve and washed the valve, nut, and silicone washer separately. On the FerMonster, I washed the uninstalled spigot, container, lid, and lid o-ring separately. Then before reassembling everything I soaked all the parts in Star San while I got my ingredients together.

 

[ba-brewer]

Ah. I used the ball valve in the pot and tubing to transfer the wort to the fermenter.

I disassembled the ball valve and washed the valve, nut, and silicone washer separately.

Does disassemble mean to actually take the valve apart or just remove the assembly from the kettle? If not there are places for junk to grow inside them.

It does sound like you are doing the right things though.

 

[foscojo]

Does disassemble mean to actually take the valve apart or just remove the assembly from the kettle? If not there are places for junk to grow inside them.

It does sound like you are doing the right things though.

I took apart all of the parts that could be taken apart.

 

[foscojo]

Update: So I pitched the kviek on Monday at 9am @ 1.071. I just checked it at 10:30pm on Thursday @ 1.040 (zero activity). I went ahead and dry hopped it with 4 oz Centennial. I'll check it again on Monday hoping to bottle early next week.

 

[ba-brewer]

1.071 to 1.040 is not much attenuation.

Curious what style of beer is/was this suppose to be? How did you measure gravity?

 

[foscojo]

1.071 to 1.040 is not much attenuation.

Curious what style of beer is/was this suppose to be? How did you measure gravity?

It is a Bell's Two Hearted IPA clone. OG was with both a refractometer and hydrometer. This reading was with just the refractometer.

 

[Stormcrow]

It is a Bell's Two Hearted IPA clone. OG was with both a refractometer and hydrometer. This reading was with just the refractometer.

Did you adjust the final refrac reading with a formula accounting for alcohol?

 

[foscojo]

Did you adjust the final refrac reading with a formula accounting for alcohol?

No. My refractometer has consistently matched my hydrometer to the decimal after calibrating it with distilled water.

 

[Stormcrow]

No. My refractometer has consistently matched my hydrometer to the decimal after calibrating it with distilled water.

Sure, but when you use a refractometer to test finished beer, there is a formula you have to use to adjust the reading because the presence of alcohol throws it off. Please look it up, or perhaps someone who knows what I'm referring to can chime in and help us out. I'm thinking your real gravity may be a lot lower (and more to be expected) than you think.

 

[VikeMan]

No. My refractometer has consistently matched my hydrometer to the decimal after calibrating it with distilled water.

Once fermentation begins (and alcohol is produced), you have to adjust the refractometer reading with a refractometer calculator. It's not a question of your refractomter's accuracy. It's a matter of alcohol having a differrent refractive index than water.

(By the way, you should use a refractometer calculator for the OG also. For a different reason. i.e. the fact that refractometers are calibrated for sucrose solutions, which wort mostly isn't.)

 

[ba-brewer]

what was the starting gravity on Saturday?

 

[foscojo]

Once fermentation begins (and alcohol is produced), you have to adjust the refractometer reading with a refractometer calculator. It's not a question of your refractomter's accuracy. It's a matter of alcohol having a differrent refractive index than water.

(By the way, you should use a refractometer calculator for the OG also. For a different reason. i.e. the fact that refractometers are calibrated for sucrose solutions, which wort mostly isn't.)

Well, I just looked at the Brewer's Friend refractometer calculator page and decide to just throw the refractometer in the trash. Too much math and whatever a Brix is and screw that. It's not worth the effort. I'll just use the hydrometer from now on.

 

[foscojo]

what was the starting gravity on Saturday?

1.071 by hydrometer

 

[ba-brewer]

Well, I just looked at the Brewer's Friend refractometer calculator page and decide to just throw the refractometer in the trash. Too much math and whatever a Brix is and screw that. It's not worth the effort. I'll just use the hydrometer from now on.

dust that sucker off, it is a useful tool. even if you dont calculate the true gravity it is useful to tell when gravity stop moving with a very tiny sample.

 

[Stormcrow]

Don't throw it away yet! I love them for OG. Still use hydrometer for FG and have never tried a calculator.

 

[Stormcrow]

Can anybody take the numbers he's looking at and adjust them? I got 1.022 for the FG but may not have been using the calculator correctly.

 

[ba-brewer]

Update: So I pitched the kviek on Monday at 9am @ 1.071. I just checked it at 10:30pm on Thursday @ 1.040 (zero activity). I went ahead and dry hopped it with 4 oz Centennial. I'll check it again on Monday hoping to bottle early next week.

1.071 by hydrometer

so there was no change in gravity between saturday and monday, that would not explain the krausen and blowoff tube activity.

 

[VikeMan]

Well, I just looked at the Brewer's Friend refractometer calculator page and decide to just throw the refractometer in the trash. Too much math and whatever a Brix is and screw that. It's not worth the effort. I'll just use the hydrometer from now on.

Yeah... the calculator does the math for you though.

That said, hydrometers are great, if you're willing to give up the required sample.

 

[ba-brewer]

Can anybody take the numbers he's looking at and adjust them? I got 1.022 for the FG but may not have been using the calculator correctly.

quick and dirt in beersmith 1071 start and 10brix for current reading gives a corrected 1020 and 5.3 ABV should be 6.79%ABV

edit: I copied the ABW value not ABV which beersmith says 6.79%

 

[foscojo]

so there was no change in gravity between saturday and monday, that would not explain the krausen and blowoff tube activity.

The 1.071 was the OG.

 

[Stormcrow]

If your refractometer is

quick and dirt in beersmith 1071 start and 10brix for current reading gives a corrected 1020 and 5.3ABV
Close to what I got. Sounds like he's got beer.

 

[foscojo]

Yeah... the calculator does the math for you though.

That said, hydrometers are great, if you're willing to give up the required sample.

The calculator required numbers that I don't know like whatever WRI is. Apparently, I have to do math to get the numbers needed by the calculator so that it can do math for me.

 

[Stormcrow]

If your refractometer is

Don't know what happened to my last post. I just said it sounds like you've got beer.

 

[foscojo]

If your refractometer is

Thanks. I appreciate it. I hope it coasts closer to the target by bottling day early to mid next week.

 

[Stormcrow]

There's also a calculator where you plug in the gravity numbers you're looking at and it will tell you the brix.

 

[Jayjay1976]

What does brix have to do with it? OG was 1.071, wtf is it at now? Pull a sample man, drop your hydrometer in it and put us all out of our misery ffs.

 

[VikeMan]

The calculator required numbers that I don't know like whatever WRI is. Apparently, I have to do math to get the numbers needed by the calculator so that it can do math for me.

"Brix WRI" just means the "brix" reading from your refractometer. Get it out of the trash and look at the scale on the left hand side of the refractometer display. That's "brix." No personal math...just a reading.

OTOH, who doesn't love a good rage quit? I'd kick the trash can too while I was at it, but that's just me.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Leave the refractometer in the trash, it'll just cause confusion. Reef keeper here, refracto is great for saltwater, but I've never used nor needed one for beer. SG is the logical, natural measure of sugar density in wort.

Just wanted to add, measuring wort density with refracto vs hydrometer, imo it's like measuring turds with a ruler vs. weighing with a scale. How big is that turd? Weigh it. Sorry.

 

[foscojo]

"Brix WRI" just means the "brix" reading from your refractometer. Get it out of the trash and look at the scale on the left hand side of the refractomter display. That's "brix." No personal math...just a reading.

On my refractometer, 1.040 is exactly 10 Brix.

 

[Jayjay1976]

On my refractometer, 1.040 is exactly 10 Brix.

Trow it away.

 

[VikeMan]

SG is the logical, natural measure of sugar density in wort.

Eh, it's really not, after fermentation begins. It just feels like it is, because the ABV formula compensates internally (via the 131.25 (or similar) constant). Hydrometer OG and SG together measures "apparent" attenuation, but the ABV formula makes it "real."

 

[Stormcrow]

On my refractometer, 1.040 is exactly 10 Brix.

I was wondering if your refractometer had the dual scale. Apparently it does, and now you know what numbers to plug in if you want to use the calculator. Jayjay's passion on the topic is cracking me up though.

 

[VikeMan]

On my refractometer, 1.040 is exactly 10 Brix.

With a refractometer, ignore the gravity (right hand) scale. Read the left hand scale and enter that in the calculator.

 

[foscojo]

 

[Stormcrow]

That looks like what I got. I was second guessing though when I saw the ABV babrewer came up with. Not sure what the difference is.

 

[ba-brewer]

Beersmith gives a slightly different number sometime and I have a wort correction number for my refractometer. Also looked back and seen I put down the ABW not ABV value, says 6.79%ABV. I corrected my previous post.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I hadn't realized that brix was the unit of measure used as a starting point for converting refracto measurement to abv, my bad

Onto more important topics, how does it taste, my good man?

 

[ba-brewer]

View attachment 736511

You only got 67% attenuation from your numbers above, is this an extract recipe?