Yeast Question

[NavyMarine1978]

I put an Oatmeal Stout into the fermenter and feel that it is about ready for bottling. I have noticed a good amount of yeast stuck to the sides of the fermenter from where the yeast foam deposited it. Will the batch have had enough yeast without the yeast stuck to the sides of the fermenter? Will this be a problem?

NavyMarine1978

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

yeah, no worries there, there'll be plenty of yeast for priming.
a little confused on what you mean by you saying you 'feel that it is about ready'... do you have stable FG readings over a few days?

 

[beerman0001]

How long has this beer been fermenting?

 

[Doomsday]

dont rush it just because you feel that it is ready. Most likely you are impatient like myself

Get that FG reading.

 

[dezman]

Just FYI the stuff stuck to the side is not yeast it hop resins/particles, the yeast will fall to the bottom of the fermenter after fermentation is complete. If the beer has been fermenting for three weeks or so take a gravity reading and see where your at. there will be enough yeast to bottle don't worry about that.

Correction: The gunk on the side of the fermenter does in fact contain some dead yeast but there is still plenty of active yeast left.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

These are actual little round yeasts which looked the same as what I initially pitched and hydrated. I noticed that when I pitched the yeast, after I had sprinkled the package over the 2 cups of boiled wort, that there was dry, unsoaked yeast floating atop of the yeast foam. I stirred it all in after the perscribed 10min wait and mixed it thoroughly into the batch and fermenter. When I set the fermenter into the dark closet with a blow off tube, there was not any yeast stuck to the sides of the fermenter. When I inspect the wall of the fermenter, I can see the foam line and yeast is stuck on the walls touching the top of this foam line.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Am I mistaken at what I am looking at? I had not noticed anything like this with my last batch of Irish Stout Pub Draught.

 

[beerman0001]

The ones that did not stick did there jobs. Leave it alone for a minimum of 2 weeks (allot say 3 weeks here) then you will be ready to bottle.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

The ones that did not stick did there jobs. Leave it alone for a minimum of 2 weeks (allot say 3 weeks here) then you will be ready to bottle.

Thank you beerman. This is great to know. This batch has now fermented for two weeks and has been clearing up over the past week. It seemed to be done its active fermenting in the first 3-4 days. The bubbling became sporatic again this batch and has been giving a bubble every 2 mins at the least (usually farthur apart than that) for almost half that time.

 

[unionrdr]

You just had a more vigorous fermentation this time. Thus the big ring of gunk around the top where the krausen was. Fermentation cause the fermenting wort to swirl up & around. When the krausen starts falling,some of the gunk gets mixed with it & sticks to the sides. Normal stuff for an active ferment.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

You just had a more vigorous fermentation this time. Thus the big ring of gunk around the top where the krausen was. Fermentation cause the fermenting wort to swirl up & around. When the krausen starts falling,some of the gunk gets mixed with it & sticks to the sides. Normal stuff for an active ferment.

Thank you UnionRDR,

This is the sort of advice that I am looking for so that I understand what I am looking at.

Thank you everyone and keep the great advice coming in,

NaveMarine1978

 

[unionrdr]

You're welcome. You have but to ask.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

How long should an Oatmeal Stout bottle for? I assume that it will be 5+ weeks?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

i find most of my beers are good to go after about 4-5 weeks in bottles, an oatmeal stout may take a little bit longer, but i wouldn't guess much. it should stay good in bottles and probably get better over time.

 

[Piratwolf]

Gotta say, uniondr & Nordeast give out consistently good info.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Gotta say, uniondr & Nordeast give out consistently good info.

you're a kind fellow, piratwolf.










pssst, that growler's in the mail, bud!

 

[NavyMarine1978]

i find most of my beers are good to go after about 4-5 weeks in bottles, an oatmeal stout may take a little bit longer, but i wouldn't guess much. it should stay good in bottles and probably get better over time.

I have been sampling the bottles as time progressed and noticed the changes taking place. Non of the change was so drastic as in the past two weeks and particularily the past week. Will there be time that the beer change becomes exponential compared to the rest of the time spent in the bottles? I am curious if I will notice even more change in the next few days compared to waiting another week or two?

Thanks for the good advice NordeastBrewer,

NavyMarine1978

 

[RM-MN]

The changes do not become exponential but instead are asymptotic. By the end of 3 months you shouldn't notice any more changes.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I have been sampling the bottles as time progressed and noticed the changes taking place. Non of the change was so drastic as in the past two weeks and particularily the past week. Will there be time that the beer change becomes exponential compared to the rest of the time spent in the bottles? I am curious if I will notice even more change in the next few days compared to waiting another week or two?

Thanks for the good advice NordeastBrewer,

NavyMarine1978

The changes do not become exponential but instead are asymptotic. By the end of 3 months you shouldn't notice any more changes.

yeah, i'd say after a couple months, (and this is being general, bigger beers and certain styles not included), the beer does't continue to change as far as developing. it really starts to age at that point. bigger beers obviously continue to develop in the bottle for some time, and usually get noticeably better from month to month, as do certain styles where esters drive a lot of the flavor, many times as those esters get some time on them they develop into the nice dark fruit and other flavors that these characterize these beers.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Thank you both NordeastBrewer77 and RM-MN. Since I am new to this and only have two batches under my belt, I have alot of questions. I hope with time that I will become as knowledgeable as both of you.

Thank you again,

NavyMarine1978

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Thank you both NordeastBrewer77 and RM-MN. Since I am new to this and only have two batches under my belt, I have alot of questions. I hope with time that I will become as knowledgeable as both of you.

Thank you again,

NavyMarine1978

no problem, man. you'll be able to learn a lot here, i've learned so much more about brewing here than from any or even all of the books i've read. this is really a great source of information.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

A general question about beer once it's bottled. Is it best to leave the beer at room temp and then refridgerate when I wish to crack one open or should they be transfered to a cooler location (ie. celler) after a set amount of time (eg. 7-10 days) and left there until I wish to refridgerate them for consumption?


NavyMarine1978

 

[Dan]

Once they are fully carbonated you can store them in the fridge or a cool location. Having said that, I don't bottle I keg but from what I've read, the bottles should be refrigerated for at least a few days before you plan to drink them, some people on here even recommend a week or so. They will be cold in a matter of few hours but the CO2 will absorb into the beer better at cold temperature and this is a slow process.

Here's a great link to help you out. The title is a bit off-putting but it's not meant to be. Great info here. Welcome to the home brewing addiction!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/faq-please-read-before-asking-question-7909/

 

[RM-MN]

I've had a few bottles of beer that sat in a 72 degree location for a year and a half. They're still good.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Once they are fully carbonated you can store them in the fridge or a cool location. Having said that, I don't bottle I keg but from what I've read, the bottles should be refrigerated for at least a few days before you plan to drink them, some people on here even recommend a week or so. They will be cold in a matter of few hours but the CO2 will absorb into the beer better at cold temperature and this is a slow process.

yep, when your beer's ready to drink, put some in the fridge for several days. store the rest at room or cellar temps. the time in the fridge will help dissolve the co2, and it if there's a chill haze in the beer, usually that will go away after several days to a week of chilling.
Dan, it's kinda like in the keg, if you force carb it quickly, ya know how the beer will be a tad cloudy and hazy for the first week or so... but then the haze is gone and the beer's bright. it kinda happens on a small scale in the bottle, even after the beer's carbed up, for the first few days in the fridge in may be cloudy/hazy.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

I assume than that the cellar storage would help with the co2 disolving? I have been making small batches, 2 gal to be exact and have been sampling the first batch as it has progressed. I am sure and know for a fact that I have drank a few green beers and may still be consuming the beer in a green state (6 weeks after bottling but only a few days of refridgeration). I have a couple from my first batch sitting in the fridge right now which I intend to let sit for a week and two weeks respectfully to note the differences in carbination and head retention. I have also left two sitting at room temp (68-70 degrees) which, like the rest of my first batch, were bottled after 2 weeks and have been bottled for 7 weeks as of tomorrow. One of the two bottles has a bit of extra bottling sugar to accomodate the bit of beer poured off of the sediment cake from the fermenter which was not batch sweetened like the rest. Could these two beers be cellered now? I know that I may have been premature in drinking up that first batch but, it tasted good non the less and I recorded what I saw and tasted. Time to start batch number 3.

NavyMarine1978

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

yeah, cellar temps may help some of the co2 dissolve, cooler liquid holds more co2 in solution. i'd still fridge them for several days though. i shoot for at least a week in the fridge, i noticed most beers are good to go at that point.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

yeah, cellar temps may help some of the co2 dissolve, cooler liquid holds more co2 in solution. i'd still fridge them for several days though. i shoot for at least a week in the fridge, i noticed most beers are good to go at that point.

I have a few beers in the fridge right now which will sit for a week just to compare how the carbination differs and head retention. I appreciate the advice NordeatBrewer77.

NavyMarine1978

 

[unionrdr]

I've found since a happy accident last labor day that 2 weeks fridge time is def better. My APA,IPA,& the like had a thick creamy head,& longer lasting carbonation. The head on some of them was so thick,I could jiggle the glass,& it wouldn't move.
On the other hand,My whiskely & Burton ales needed 2 weeks fridge time to have decent head & carbonation. I'm finding that to be the norm with dark &/or high gravity ales.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

I've found since a happy accident last labor day that 2 weeks fridge time is def better. My APA,IPA,& the like had a thick creamy head,& longer lasting carbonation. The head on some of them was so thick,I could jiggle the glass,& it wouldn't move.
On the other hand,My whiskely & Burton ales needed 2 weeks fridge time to have decent head & carbonation. I'm finding that to be the norm with dark &/or high gravity ales.

Perfect. I will definately let some of the beers sit for two weeks. I am comparing what I have done until now with these new reccomendations. I may run out of this first batch before I get it perfect, but I will enjoy the experience and have a batch of Oatmeal stout on the go right now which can benefit from your advice.

Thank you,

NavyMarine1978

 

[unionrdr]

Glad to be of some help. Just wanted to back up what was said that I learned by a happy accident as Angus Young calls them. As an interesting aside,pop was a seabee building runways in the phillipines to bomb japan. Saw him im two of those old 16mm documentary films. That was very cool. Hope you too came home in one piece.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Glad to be of some help. Just wanted to back up what was said that I learned by a happy accident as Angus Young calls them. As an interesting aside,pop was a seabee building runways in the phillipines to bomb japan. Saw him im two of those old 16mm documentary films. That was very cool. Hope you too came home in one piece.

I appreciate hearing about your dad. It is neat to hear about how things were back than compared to the modern Navy. I go on my first sail the 27th of this month to Boston. I look forward to it. I can support my family well in the Royal Canadian Navy and have some good times as well seeing new places and trying new things in those travels. Thank you for the support. Since this sail will be for two weeks, I will be sure to leave a few beers in the fridge during that time. When I return, my Oatmeal Stout will have been bottled at room temp for 6 weeks and a few bottles refridgerated for two weeks. It will be a nice treat when I return. The rest of the Oatmeal Stout will be left at room temp to age.

NavyMarine1978

 

[NavyMarine1978]

I just cracked open a beer which had been bottled in a flip top style bottle (Grolsch style) for 6 weeks and it did not psst or even think about creating a head when poured. All of the other bottles did 'psst' when cracked open and creat at least a bit of head to a full head depending on how it was poured. I smelt the beer and it smelt fine so I drank it. It tasted like the other beers only flat. I inspected the flip top bottle and noticed that the gasket on the lid seemed more indented than the others. I also wonder if the seem from moulding the flip top plastic portion could be allowing co2 to leak out. If this was so, would the beer not have gone skunky or bad? I am trying to determine if the flip top is faulty on that bottle.

My wife questioned..."Can there be a bad beer if it tastes good?"

NavyMarine1978

 

[unionrdr]

Replace the seals on the flip tops. They're likely leaking. & the beer likely is fine. The co2 just leaked out,most likely.

 

[Dan]

yep, when your beer's ready to drink, put some in the fridge for several days. store the rest at room or cellar temps. the time in the fridge will help dissolve the co2, and it if there's a chill haze in the beer, usually that will go away after several days to a week of chilling.
Dan, it's kinda like in the keg, if you force carb it quickly, ya know how the beer will be a tad cloudy and hazy for the first week or so... but then the haze is gone and the beer's bright. it kinda happens on a small scale in the bottle, even after the beer's carbed up, for the first few days in the fridge in may be cloudy/hazy.

Hey NB! That makes sense. Thanks for explaining it way better than me.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I just cracked open a beer which had been bottled in a flip top style bottle (Grolsch style) for 6 weeks and it did not psst or even think about creating a head when poured. All of the other bottles did 'psst' when cracked open and creat at least a bit of head to a full head depending on how it was poured. I smelt the beer and it smelt fine so I drank it. It tasted like the other beers only flat. I inspected the flip top bottle and noticed that the gasket on the lid seemed more indented than the others. I also wonder if the seem from moulding the flip top plastic portion could be allowing co2 to leak out. If this was so, would the beer not have gone skunky or bad? I am trying to determine if the flip top is faulty on that bottle.

My wife questioned..."Can there be a bad beer if it tastes good?"

NavyMarine1978

i've never used flip tops, but i'm guessing Union's right. it sounds like you need to replace the little o-ring seals. the LHBS or online HBS should have them.

Hey NB! That makes sense. Thanks for explaining it way better than me.

i envy you Dan, never having had to bottle your beer, i'm more than willing to share the trials and tribulations of bottle conditioning to ya!

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Replace the seals on the flip tops. They're likely leaking. & the beer likely is fine. The co2 just leaked out,most likely.

i've never used flip tops, but i'm guessing Union's right. it sounds like you need to replace the little o-ring seals. the LHBS or online HBS should have them.
:

It was the first time that particular bottle had been used, brand new. I will replace the top with hopes that will fix the problem. Thanks again NordeastBrewer and unionrdr.

NavyMarine1978

 

[Dan]

i envy you Dan, never having had to bottle your beer, i'm more than willing to share the trials and tribulations of bottle conditioning to ya!

Thanks NB! I was lucky when I got into homebrewing, already had a kegerator and found a great deal on some inexpensive 5 gallon corny kegs and fittings.