Bad thermometer how high can ferm temp swing?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by mijclarke, Nov 27, 2021.

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  1. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    I’ll probably wait at least 24 hours. I don’t have enough bottles and will need to clean at least 36 of them. It is a sweet stout with a lb of unfermentable lactose so that is probably most of the sweetness I’m tasting. My reading was 1.0275 so I’ll definitely look very closely tomorrow to see if it budged a millimeter or so
     
  2. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Jul 5, 2010 Maryland
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    What's the rush?
     
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  3. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    It’s fermenting in my 10 yo daughters room (coolest room on main floor) and I figured if it’s finished and there are no off flavors it’s better to seal it up sooner rather than later. Plus I’m eager to try it with carb in a week or two. Need to grab some priming sugar first though…
     
  4. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Jul 5, 2010 Maryland
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    My point is you don't know if it's finished yet. Three days without movement is cheap insurance, and if nothing else, will help with yeast cleanup.

    At this point you can move it to a warmer room with no repercussions if space is the issue.

    Also, just use table sugar to prime.
     
  5. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,737) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
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    The opposite is the case. The yeast are not done when you reach FG, that's when the conditioning phase starts. Lots of variables here, but basically a high OG brew requires more time. Here's a detailed explanation on conditioning (scroll down for the details):
    https://www.morebeer.com/category/fermenting-equipment.html#Fermentation
     
  6. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    Thanks for the advice and article. I learned more than I thought reading it. I’ll plan on going at least 2 weeks in primary and will try and save plenty of bottles 4 weeks after packaging to see if it peaks in smoothness
     
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  7. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    Yes, beers will further condition within the bottle.

    When I brew my annual batch of Saison I let those beers sit in the bottle several months before drinking them. And for my Quads I do not really start drinking them until at least 6 months in the bottle with the goal to drink the last few bottles at the 5 year mark.

    Cheers!
     
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  8. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    Bottled today. Made a rookie siphon mistake - tube on racking cane wasn’t tight enough. Once I got the siphon fixed I proceeded to break a bottle and discovered that the Dos Equis bottles I was reusing may not seal as well bc the bottom lip is very close to the top lip. Only had 6 of them and decided to only use one. Then I realized that a 750ml bottle that contained a wild ale from a local brewery had a fatter lip that my caps couldn’t fit around. I actually paused my bottling raced to Binnys and got some more bottles. Glad I wasn’t bottling an ipa. Plan on trying a bottle with the least amount of headspace in roughly 8 days to gauge the carbonation level.
     
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  9. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    Hopefully your next bottling session will go more smoothly.

    Cheers!
     
  10. riptorn

    riptorn Maven (1,410) Apr 26, 2018 North Carolina
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    FWIW....Toward the end of my bottling sessions I often have one or two bottles that are suspect due to excessive headspace, sediment, interruptions, etc. Those 'suspicious' bottles are typically opened first for taste/carb test; and sometimes for no other reason than remove them from rotation. The more properly packaged bottles are reserved for additional conditioning and tasting/serving later.
     
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  11. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    Would you say that a 6.3% milk stout would carbonate in bottle as quickly as an ipa assuming temp and priming sugar amount is the same?

    I dissolved about 2.9 oz of corn sugar in a cup of water and poured in 90% of it into bottling bucket once I saw I had 4 gallons instead of 4.25 gallons. I also removed cap from Dos Equis bottle which wasn’t crimped as well and came off super easy and gently poured into another bottle that crimped much better. Probably should move these bottles out of my bedroom but at least I know that Dos Equis bottle will no longer explode
     
  12. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    FWIW I have noticed that my higher gravity beers (e.g., Strong Belgian Ales) require a bit more time in the bottle to reach final carbonation levels, but these beers are > 6.3% ABV.

    With that out of the way I would guess that a 6.3% beer would carbonate at similar rates regardless of style (Milk Stout vs. IPA). But the bottle conditioning process is an actual secondary fermentation so there can be more occurring here than just the aspect of carbonation. You may want to conditions beyond the two week target for carbonation for flavor maturation reasons.

    A strategy you may want to utilize here is try the first bottle at the two week mark to check it out (e.g., fully carbonated? tastes like expected/desired? etc.). You can then perhaps try the second bottle at the three week mark and so on. Once the beer is reaching its peak of flavor - party time!

    Cheers!
     
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  13. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    Update: yesterday I put two bottles with the least headspace in fridge. Opened one with friends last night and carbonation was low - maybe half what it should have. Wasn’t sure if the second one that was in fridge all day would be worth storing at room temp again so cracked that open when another friend arrived. It was only the 10th day in the bottle so I’m going to wait two more weeks before I check again. Unlike my previous ipa batch where I over pitched slightly and there was a lot of yeast at bottom of bottle, the stout bottle has virtually no yeast at bottom - super thin layer. Would going longer than 3 weeks in bottle stop yielding further carbonation?
     
  14. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,737) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
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    Lots of variables going on here and difficult to pin down an answer. In my house room temp is 'bout 79, so bottle carb'ing is near complete in less than a week. While 6.3% isn't anything especially high you have doubt on how many active yeasties are still in the game. Another variable to consider is it isn't uncommon for carb level to vary between bottles (result of poor mixing of sugar) . . . shouldn't happen, but sometimes it does. Your plan to wait 2 more weeks is sound . . . evaluate again at that point.

    A po-man's test on measuring carb level before opening is to slowly invert a bottle and hold it up to the light. The sediment (trub) from the secondary fermentation (bottle carb'ing) will slowly drift down and be visible . . . it actually looks kinda gross. Over time you'll be able to estimate carb level based on amount of sediment. Major Caveat: This step will speed up oxidation as any oxygen remaining in the headspace will be mixed with the beer. So only do this for one beer at a time, ideally just before you pop it.
     
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  15. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    As I understand it carbonation will stop once the yeast has consumed all of the priming sugar. As mentioned above the rule of thumb for achieving carbonation is two weeks at room temperature. It will not 'hurt' to let the beers condition for more time (i.e., > 2 weeks) and can be beneficial as regards flavor maturation.

    Please 'remind' me about your process here:
    • What sugar did you use (e.g., corn sugar?)?
    • How much sugar did you use (weight in ounces)?
    • Did you boil the sugar in some water (e.g., a cup of water) and did you very gently stir to ensure proper mixing?
    • What was the volume of beer?
    • etc.
    Cheers!
     
  16. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    I measured 2.85 oz of corn sugar (roughly 2/3 cup) and dissolved in a cup of boiling water. After cooled down, I added most of the priming sugar (about 90%) bc I had 4 gallons instead of the 4.25 gallons I used in the priming sugar calculator. I gently stirred for about 30 seconds. Went from primary fermentation to bottling bucket, no secondary fermentation. Bottles were stored at about 69 degrees. Temp may swing from 67-72 between midnight and noon. One thing that worries me is that I accidentally cooled down wort on day 3 of fermentation to 55 degrees and although I eventually hit final gravity I wonder if that made the yeast not as viable for consuming priming sugars. It was in primary fermentation for two weeks before I bottled
     
  17. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I consulted an online priming sugar calculator and using 2.85 ounces of corn sugar for 4 gallons of beer at 68 degrees (end of fermentation temperature) the 'result' is about 2.1 volumes of CO2. This is lower than I typically choose as a target level (e.g., 2.5 volumes of CO2). Assuming this calculation is correct these beers will result in a low(er) carbonation value.

    I personally would not be too concerned about the aspect of 55 degrees at day three since you have achieved your target FG (which indicates the yeast was able to complete the job). The yeast should be sufficient to complete the bottle conditioning process.

    Being in the primary for two weeks is OK. Some homebrewers even keep their beers in the primary for longer than that with the concept of further/continuing conditioning.

    Also the aspect of 67 - 72 is a non-issue here.

    My suggestion is to give your bottles another week of conditioning and assuming the above calculation is correct just expect that at around 2.1 volumes of CO2 these beers will not be very carbonated.

    On a related matter I homebrew a batch of English Bitter Ale every year and for that batch I use less than normal amounts of priming sugar to obtain a lesser carbonated beer (to mimic a cask beer). I am personally happy with a lower level of carbonation for that style of beer; it accentuates the the maltiness aspect and mouthfeel for this style of beer. Maybe you will enjoy this aspect in your batch of Sweet Stout?

    Cheers!
     
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  18. mijclarke

    mijclarke Initiate (0) May 4, 2014 Illinois

    2nd tasting update. 9 days after 1st tasting and 19 total days in bottle it was still significantly under carbonated. Fortunately drinking straight from the bottle helps retain the carbonation and the flavor is very good. Eager to try a similar recipe and make improvements. Oxygenate wort better, check fermentation temp with accurate thermometer, use a yeast starter possibly, etc
     
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  19. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Jul 5, 2010 Maryland
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    Better yet, brew the same recipe with the improvements so that you can see what they actually do.
     
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  20. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    Entirely up to you here but I prefer to pour/decant my bottle conditioned beers into a glass so I leave the sediment behind - about 1/4 inch of beer/sediment left in the bottle.

    Drinking the sediment (mostly yeast but other stuff too) will have a flavor impact and consuming live yeast may cause GI distress (e.g., bloating, diarrhea, etc.).
    I would add "properly use a priming calculator" to your list.

    Cheers!
     
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