yeast,alc%, 2nd fermentation,

[Austinl08]

im new to the 5 gallon batches, was wandering a couple questions

1. how do you determain the type and amount of yeast to use on 5 gallon batches?

2. what determains the amount of alchohol? what is used to increase it?

3. how do you start 2nd fermintation? after its transfered to 2nd fermenting carboy do i add more yeast and sugar or just yeast?

4 and will any of this effect the amount of priming sugar needed or is that a constant?

thanks.

 

[cheezydemon3]

1. search, there is much debate.

2.Alcohol is the difference between Original Gravity, and Final gravity.....

3. There is no second fermentation. Secondary is to reduce sediment, and should be done when fermentation is over.

4. priming sugar is determined by how much beer you have and the level of carbonation you want for the style. 3/4 cup for 5 gallons seems to be right for most of my brews.

 

[BillyBroas]

Ok lots to tackle here. You could really answer all of these by doing a couple quick searches and looking at the stickies, so I'll give some quick answers and point you here, here, and here.

1. The type of yeast depends on the style of beer you are making. There are many different strains of yeast and they are almost always indiciated on the recipe you are using, or included in the kit you are buying. The standard amount for a 5 gallon batch is a vial of White Labs liquid yeast, a pack of WYeast, or a pack of dry yeast like Nottinghams. The yeast will say what size batch it is intended for.

2. Mainly due to the amount of sugar in the beer and how much of that sugar is turned into alcohol, which depends on the yeast. Read this


3. 2ndary fermentation is really a misnomer. All fermentation should be done in the primary. The 2ndary can be used for clearing and conditioning, but many of use on here don't even use a secondary. Read this.

4. Go with 3/4 cup of corn sugar for a 5 gallon batch. Here.

Yea, the best advice I can give is spend some time looking around here.

 

[mightynintendo]

1. Type depends on style. Amount depends on original gravity (OG).
ALES:
0 < OG < 1.060 - 6 million cells per mL
1.061 < OG < 1.076 - 12 million cells per mL
1.077 < OG < &#8734; - 18+ million cells per mL

LAGERS:
0 < OG < 1.060 - 12 million cells per mL
1.061 < OG < 1.076 - 18 million cells per mL
1.077 < OG < &#8734; - 24+ million cells per mL

2. Alcohol amount is determined by the amount of fermentable sugars in your wort and the attenuation accomplished by your yeast. A high OG does not necessarily mean that your yeast will attenuate well or that you have enough fermentable sugars. Remember, some sugars are not fermentable like highly carmelized sugars. All grain brewers have much more control over this as they can control the temperature of the mash and thus the sugar profile in the resulting wort. Adding candi sugar or honey is a good way for extract brewers to increase the fermentable sugars in their wort. But attention also needs to be paid to the health and vigor of the yeast in question. A healthy, vigorous yeast will better ensure a more complete conversion.

3. You don't start a secondary "fermentation" because there (usually) isn't any fermentation going on. Secondary "fermentations" should only be used to clear beer for bottling, to age certain beers for long periods of time, or when adding fruit. Reference the diagram below for help.

4. Priming sugar should be constant. Precautions should be taken under some circumstances when bottling. If you bottle too soon or if you change the sugar profile of your beer after fermentation, you may have exploding bottles on your hand and that is not fun.

 

[Yooper]

We'll tell you more after you turn 21. Come back then.