Watching the Fermentation Process

[bennyd]

Today I used a BetterBottle as a primary for the first time instead of a bucket. I have been checking every hour or so, not for fermentation, but just to see what I can see.

This sheds a whole new light to the process with watching the krausen progress. It is also the first time I've used a blow off tube. Really interesting. I've been up since 1:30 a.m. with a turkey in the smoker, so I've had time to check on the beer.

 

[VTBrewer]

Better bottles are really cool for watching whats going on. I took two quick videos this week of a brew I'm doing for a few friends who brew in buckets. Kind of missed the really heave fermentation stage but its going pretty good in each one, posted at the link below.

http://www.clubhomebrew.com/videos/

 

[Justibone]

Non-brewers don't care the way brewers do... but for those who are into it, it's pretty fascinating.

 

[Captain Damage]

The lava lamp action is hypnotic. I've been brewing for a few years and I could still watch it for hours.

 

[bennyd]

What I did NOT realize was that using Fermcap during the boil also reduces the amount of krausen during fermentation. I guess the blow off tube was not necessary. Oh well, it was fun setting it up. Do any of you know......will the use of Fermcap also affect the head retention of the beer once it is in bottles and carbing? I couldn't find the answer to that in a search.

 

[Justibone]

No. Fermcap settles out with the trub eventually, according to the manufacturer. It may actually *improve* head retention, because you don't lose the proteins in the kreusen.

 

[bennyd]

Cool. Thanks, Justibone!

 

[donjonson]

yeah I was pretty amazed when I saw this for the first time a week ago in my garage. I never realized that the process was visisble. For some reason I thought it would be some sort of microscopic level process with little detectable impact in the macroscopic world.

 

[jtkratzer]

I have a batch in a carboy for the first time and it's wild. It didn't seem to do a whole lot initially, but it was a low gravity start, and last night I added 64 oz of apple cider and 2 lbs of honey and the yeasties are going wild for their own Thanksgiving. There is a visible churning/flow going on in there. I was amazed at how quickly the yeast responded to the new sugars and exploded into action. I have some pictures posted in the Christmas Beer link in my signature line where you can see how it was kind of slow for the first week or so and then in 12 hours, I have more krausen and action than the entire first week.

I would be nice if the sunlight didn't harm the hops/beer as I would leave the carboy out and look at it more often.

 

[Justibone]

All process are microscopic at some level... unless they are smaller than microscopic.

Fr'instance: why do things push each other apart? There's tons of space in between atoms, in fact, they are mostly space. (By a vast, vast amount, atoms are predominately empty.) So why do atoms push each other apart? EM forces, my friend, EM. Sub-atomic effects manifesting in enormous collisions, etc...

Anyways, quantum mechanics will blow anybody's mind. The universe is a freaky li'l place, but yeast -- they are pretty cool.

 

[bmason1623]

The lava lamp action is hypnotic. I've been brewing for a few years and I could still watch it for hours.

And the fragrance! Oh man, it smells great when the airlock is bubbling away.

 

[likwidbliss]

My wife said to once when I was new to wine making. "Are you going to watch your wine bubble or are you coming to bed?"

Don't let the bubbles control you!

 

[donjonson]

All process are microscopic at some level... unless they are smaller than microscopic.

Fr'instance: why do things push each other apart? There's tons of space in between atoms, in fact, they are mostly space. (By a vast, vast amount, atoms are predominately empty.) So why do atoms push each other apart? EM forces, my friend, EM. Sub-atomic effects manifesting in enormous collisions, etc...

Anyways, quantum mechanics will blow anybody's mind. The universe is a freaky li'l place, but yeast -- they are pretty cool.

not that this is at all relevant to a homebrew forum but I read somewhere that because of what you mentioned about atoms being mostly empty space by a surprising VAST majority, that the human body (and all matter for that ... matter :cross is 99.9999999999% empty space. so we are mostly nothing.

 

[passedpawn]

not that this is at all relevant to a homebrew forum but I read somewhere that because of what you mentioned about atoms being mostly empty space by a surprising VAST majority, that the human body (and all matter for that ... matter :cross is 99.9999999999% empty space. so we are mostly nothing.

I'm no physicist, but I believe if that empty space didn't exist, you would collapse into a body so dense that light itself wouldn't escape your gravitational field. In just a fraction of time so small that cesium clocks couldn't measure it, that field would suck in all your homebrewing equipment, and most of the city around you, resulting in a mini-supernova big enough to wipe out the neighboring towns. Homebrewing as you know it would cease to exist, and you'd be back to drinking Miller Light.

 

[donjonson]

I'm no physicist, but I believe if that empty space didn't exist, you would collapse into a body so dense that light itself wouldn't escape your gravitational field. In just a fraction of time so small that cesium clocks couldn't measure it, that field would suck in all your homebrewing equipment, and most of the city around you, resulting in a mini-supernova big enough to wipe out the neighboring towns. Homebrewing as you know it would cease to exist, and you'd be back to drinking Miller Light.

oooh this is fun :cross: If that empty space diddn't exists then this would mean that atomic forces would be much different than they are now and may not exponentially get stronger as attracting bodies get closer. So your homebrew guzzeling quantum singularity may not consume me and all that I hold dear because there may not be enough force to generate it in the first place. On the other hand If we left the forces the same as they are now and simply removed the sapace then the singularity would form and I fear would swallow up more than just my town. The more matter it eats the more powerfull it grows. (sort of like the evil black ball in the 5th element with bruce willis). So your homebrew would also be consumed along with the earth probably And I dont think a supernova would occur because this happns when a star has used up all of its fuel and colapses very quickly. Once it collapses to the point where the internal pressure is strong enough to fuse the next largest atom, this fusion process starts happengin and generates a tremendous nearly instantaneous outward force resulting in a supernova and spreading the star out across a large area. over time the gasses from the star will reconvine and begin fusing again in a stable reaction until that element is used up and the whole process starts again. This starts with hydrogen (simpelst element) all the way up to iron. I dont think iron can undergo fusion so if the mass of the star is not large enough to provide enough gravitational force to collapse the iron ball in the center then this is essentially the end of the star. Something like that.. Im not a physacist either but I like to pretend and make people think I am a lot smarter than I am.

 

[jtkratzer]

I got some beers, let's drink em.

 

[BennyN]

My brain hurts

 

[Justibone]

oooh this is fun :cross: If that empty space diddn't exists then this would mean that atomic forces would be much different than they are now and may not exponentially get stronger as attracting bodies get closer. So your homebrew guzzeling quantum singularity may not consume me and all that I hold dear because there may not be enough force to generate it in the first place. On the other hand If we left the forces the same as they are now and simply removed the sapace then the singularity would form and I fear would swallow up more than just my town. The more matter it eats the more powerfull it grows. (sort of like the evil black ball in the 5th element with bruce willis). So your homebrew would also be consumed along with the earth probably And I dont think a supernova would occur because this happns when a star has used up all of its fuel and colapses very quickly. Once it collapses to the point where the internal pressure is strong enough to fuse the next largest atom, this fusion process starts happengin and generates a tremendous nearly instantaneous outward force resulting in a supernova and spreading the star out across a large area. over time the gasses from the star will reconvine and begin fusing again in a stable reaction until that element is used up and the whole process starts again. This starts with hydrogen (simpelst element) all the way up to iron. I dont think iron can undergo fusion so if the mass of the star is not large enough to provide enough gravitational force to collapse the iron ball in the center then this is essentially the end of the star. Something like that.. Im not a physacist either but I like to pretend and make people think I am a lot smarter than I am.

*facepalm*

Look what I started.

*sigh*

Yeast sure are pretty!

 

[donjonson]

*facepalm*

Look what I started.

*sigh*

Yeast sure are pretty!

LOL now that is a response more appropriate for a homebrew forum.