First post. Could use some help...

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by mcjaxon, Dec 24, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 1 of 2
  1. mcjaxon

    mcjaxon Initiate (0) Dec 24, 2015 Colorado

    Hi Guys/gals,

    I found your site this morning and would love to hear your thoughts on my situation. First off, a bit on me. I have been brewing all grain recipes since ~1990. That said I have been a "stalled sparge" for the last 5 years. Maybe 5 batches since 2000 as well. Sadly, life family and other stuff have messed up my fermentation productivity :slight_smile:.

    Anyhow, yesterday I jumped back in. I planned to make an altbier last spring using Wyeast German Ale II but after 8 mo of refrigeration I figure I had about 10% of those 100billion yeast still around and instead of repitching I bought a new pack for around 8 bucks. Only thing is they didn't have 1007 so I opted for 2565 Kolsch which should be fine I think.

    Anyhow, all of my brewing previous to yesterday had been in a warm climate. Im in Colorado now with a basement that sits year round ~60F. I used 10lbs of grain and topped off at 5.3gallons and still had a 1066 IG. I was surprised. I suppose I was expecting less efficiency from my sparge. I was expecting in the low to mid 50s. I activated the smack pack 24h earlier and it was ready to burst. According to Wyeast this IG is not too much for this strain.

    In any event, after adding the slurry at about 6pm last night it still isn't visibly showing signs of fermentation inside the glass carboy (its 10am so 16h has passed). That said the airlock tells a different story as I do see about 1 bubble every ~4 minutes which is somewhat encouraging. I never had this issue in Florida but then again id be lucky to have fermentation temps at 75F there.

    When should I get a bit worried and what are my options at that point? I am thinking 24-36h before I should panic but I'm not too sure on that time frame. I have some yeast nutrient but I don't think that will help me now. I guess its surprising that I never ran into this problem over the years but I havent...

    Thanks for your help and for allowing me entry into your forum. :slight_smile:

    Joseph
     
    #1 mcjaxon, Dec 24, 2015
    Lash_LaRue, laketang, lambpasty and 1 other person like this.
  2. SILVER

    SILVER Zealot (668) Jan 3, 2007 Florida

    Hi, Joseph,
    The only help I can give you is to suggest you post this in the Beer Brewing section.
    You'll get a lot more help there.
    Maybe one of the moderators will move it over there when they see it.
    Good luck with your renewed hobby.
     
    #2 SILVER, Dec 24, 2015
  3. JISurfer

    JISurfer Grand Pooh-Bah (3,006) Dec 10, 2002 Utah
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Welcome to BA! Make sure to read the posting FAQs, that helps with posting too.
     
    #3 JISurfer, Dec 24, 2015
  4. papat444

    papat444 Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,961) Dec 28, 2006 Canada (QC)
    Pooh-Bah

    Welcome to BA! Check out the homebrewing forum and hope you find your answer.
     
    #4 papat444, Dec 24, 2015
    laketang likes this.
  5. ssam

    ssam Pundit (997) Dec 2, 2008 California

    The answer is: RDWHAHB- Relax, Don't Worry & Have a Home Brew
    Airlock activity is a good sign, but sometimes the fermentation takes that or longer to kick off. You have new yeast. Most people will say one pack is an underpitch for that gravity and volume but that doesn't mean it's not going to make beer. Also the temp can have a slowing effect on the start up speed.

    Check the temp range on your yeast, if 60* ambient is too cold, move it somewhere warmer but remember to account for a few degrees warmer inside your fermenter once the yeast start expending energy. [EDIT: I googled, it's not too cold]

    Oh and by the way, its 2015... we say OG now, not IG. Get up on the lingo dude.
     
    #5 ssam, Dec 24, 2015
    inchrisin and PapaGoose03 like this.
  6. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    Agree with @ssam , just relax and let the yeast get up to speed.

    Good News: if your smack pack inflated as you described that pretty much confirms the yeast are alive, that means they will be ready to consume the sugar in your wort. Bad News: a single pack in 5+ gallons of 1.066 is a little less than half of what is recommended. This is reflected in the longer "lag" time; those little guys are trying to adapt to their new environment and the underpitch is making it difficult for them. But don't panic, they will figure it out and beer will certainly be made. Yeast nutrient is better added during the boil (I think it helps), at this point I wouldn't risk adding.

    Here's a pretty good read on pitch rates:
    http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php
    Don't let the math bog you down, it's pretty easy (and quick) to compute what you need. Most brewing software have a yeast calculator built in, or several online versions are available. This is one of my favorites:
    http://yeastcalculator.com/

    What I would give for a basement at 60F . . .
     
    #6 PortLargo, Dec 24, 2015
    inchrisin likes this.
  7. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,958) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    Be careful what you wish for, you don't usually have palm trees with basements, especially if the basement is 60F.

    My mother lives in Ft Myers, she is complaining about running her AC the week of xmas, it is warm in KY, but not that warm :slight_smile:
     
    #7 wspscott, Dec 24, 2015
    GetMeAnIPA likes this.
  8. GormBrewhouse

    GormBrewhouse Pooh-Bah (2,111) Jun 24, 2015 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    Waiting can be the hardest part of brewing, but your early into the ferment so just keep. Track of it. And warm it up if needed.

    Welcome back to the best hobbie around
     
    #8 GormBrewhouse, Dec 25, 2015
  9. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    If your carboy is on the basement floor, try putting it on a table. If that doesn't speed things up after a day or so, try moving the carboy a little closer to your furnace or water heater.

    P.S. Welcome to the BA site and welcome back to this great hobby.
     
    #9 PapaGoose03, Dec 25, 2015
  10. MarriedAtGI

    MarriedAtGI Zealot (569) Feb 26, 2013 Illinois

    I would want to ferment an alt cool, so I would keep it on the floor. If there is no sign of krauesen tomorrow morning, consider adding a second pack of yeast. I would say to do it today, but the LHBS will be closed for Christmas.
     
    #10 MarriedAtGI, Dec 25, 2015
  11. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Heh. I've seen your beer tasting environs. Based on that, I offer the following:
    [​IMG]
     
    #11 VikeMan, Dec 25, 2015
    Lash_LaRue, CurtFromHershey, inchrisin and 3 others like this.
  12. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Welcome welcome!

    60F Should be fine with that strain. It's a house yeast for me. Like lots of other strains, it kicks off slow if you don't make a starter and your OG is a touch high. You should see a krausen build around 3-4 days. Let it do its thing. I get a lot of green apple, (acetaldehyde), of this strain when I underpitch. <--- Not a bad thing necessarily. Just watch for it and don't be afraid to tuck this beer away for a little extra conditioning.
     
    #12 inchrisin, Dec 26, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2015
  13. mcjaxon

    mcjaxon Initiate (0) Dec 24, 2015 Colorado

    Hi All,

    Thanks for the great replies. A "day 9" update...

    Wow. I should have waited another 2h before I posted my original entry! I kid you not, 2h after my post visual evidence of active fermentation was undeniable, and by 24h it was going very strong. In fact the next day (xmas) it was going so well that part of the krausen made it back up through the airlock! After clean up of that minor mess, by the 26th things had settled down to a less frenetic pace. I went from having some concern about getting things going to things going a bit overboard 24h later! Anyhow its all good now. I am seeing about a bubble every 4 minutes and my plan is to recheck things Saturday and either bottle Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

    Thanks again guys. Your warm welcome (and help) are greatly appreciated. :slight_smile:

    J
     
    #13 mcjaxon, Jan 1, 2016
    SFACRKnight and PapaGoose03 like this.
  14. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I'm glad that everything progressed to being beer. I suggest that you delay your bottling though, and wait a week for the yeast to clean up behind themselves. Your beer will be better for it.
     
    #14 PapaGoose03, Jan 1, 2016
  15. mcjaxon

    mcjaxon Initiate (0) Dec 24, 2015 Colorado

    Thanks MotherGoose. Typically I would bottle on day 10-11 (which would be Sat or Sunday). Are you suggesting wait it out until next week sometime? I'll be on work travel Monday through Thursday. So if I wait the earliest I could bottle would be Thursday evening (day 15). Do you think there is any downside risk to waiting this long?
     
    #15 mcjaxon, Jan 1, 2016
  16. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    15 days shouldnt be a problem. I would check for gravity stability first though.
    Also, welcome to BA and welcome to CO. Lots of great homebrew stores and comps. Check out the peterson airforce cl mpetition, they actually run it like a pro comp with homebrewers pouring their beers for people to taste.
     
    #16 SFACRKnight, Jan 1, 2016
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
  17. mcjaxon

    mcjaxon Initiate (0) Dec 24, 2015 Colorado

    Thanks SF. After reading some additional posts 2 weeks seems to be about the average with some keeping their batch in primary a month or longer (depending on variety). Just curious, how long do you typically keep it in primary? This is a higher OG batch ale (1066) but not crazy Big.

    I live near Boulder btw and have good friends in the Colo Springs area. When is that AF competition and is it held on base?
     
    #17 mcjaxon, Jan 1, 2016
  18. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I typically brew on a Saturday and try to be ready to bottle on a Sunday of the following week, but that all depends on my gravity readings confirming that the fermentation has stabilized in the area of the predicted FG. I've had one big beer go 4 weeks before bottling, but most of my brews have average ABV amounts. Whatever you do, just make sure that your hydrometer agrees with your decision.
     
    #18 PapaGoose03, Jan 1, 2016
  19. mcjaxon

    mcjaxon Initiate (0) Dec 24, 2015 Colorado

    That's typically what I do...maybe a day or two longer (i.e. 10 days). This time however since I have a lower fermentation temperature and a higher OG brew the yeast are still active on day 9 so I will wait until I get back which will be just over two weeks. I'll take a reading next Thursday and the following day to make sure we are stable. No exploding bottles wanted! lol. Thanks again!

    PS I take good notes from all my batches (which helps when u have a 5 yr layover!) but I'd still like to see what you all do. I will have about 5.2 to 5.3 gallons from this batch. Once racked, I plan to use 1C of priming (corn) sugar. This seems to work for me and gives me decent (moderate) carbonation. I realize certain beers you may want more or less but for those who bottle condition, on average, what amounts do you all use (per 5gal)?
     
    #19 mcjaxon, Jan 1, 2016
  20. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Registration is open now...
    www.brewscene.com
    It is held at the officers club if I recall correctly.
     
    #20 SFACRKnight, Jan 1, 2016
Page 1 of 2
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.