Quick Noobie Question Re: Airlock

If using Star San in an airlock, definitely dilute it, just like you would for sanitizing. I'm imagining you have quite a foamy mess with straight Star San. But if you have any vodka, I'd recommend using that instead of Star San. It doesn't foam, and if it would happen to get sucked into the fermenter, it won't contaminate anything (i.e. it's safer than plain water).

 

It would really be best to mix according to instructions. You don't have to make 5 gallons: It's not that complicated to scale down.

That all sounds normal. How soon fermentation starts depends on a lot of factors. One of them is temperature. It's pretty common for a brewer's first batch to take off pretty quickly, due to no fermentation temperature control. What's the temperature of your wort/beer?

 

Sometimes it's typical, sometimes it's not. A ton of variables here: yeast strain, temp, healthiness/quantity of yeast, OG, etc. As for timing, here's what is going on in your primary:

Notice the timeline is vague, that's what you should expect. You might finish in 3 days or it might take weeks Oh yeah, stop counting bubbles . . . could bring bad luck. Only your hydrometer will tell you when it's finished (you do have a hydrometer?). If you want more entertainment on the subject, search Google images for "fermenter blow off".

 

Fermentation after 12 hours is not uncommon if you are using dry yeast, but I really wanted to tell you to get some vodka. You need it for the airlock.

Cheers

 

I have only used tap water in my airlocks and over 464 batches (so far) never had an issue here. I suppose I should insert the caveat of YMMV?

Cheers!

 

The ambient temperature is of lesser importance - it is the temperature of the fermenting beer that matters.

Do you have a fermometer on your primary fermenter? If so, what is it reading?

If you don't have a fermometer, I would recommend you get one:

 

At 68F ambient temp, the fermentation itself could be getting as high as the upper 70s, which for most yeast strains isn't ideal. The yeast actually don't mind at all, but at those temps they are prone to producing more fusel alcohols and excess esters. Hopefully, the avg temp in that closet is closer to 64 than to 68. Either way, you'll still make beer.

 

@VikeMan you can lager with 34/70 at 75. HBT told me.

 

This is ancillary to your topic of inquiry, but anyway... regarding vodka in your airlock.
It is more of an insurance policy. Tap water is fine. Unless..

Insects, especially fruit flies, love to get into the airlock and they can sometimes get through the airlock and into the wort. I have had this happen with cider. Fruit flies will make very poor vinegar. The sweet smell, the CO2, it is screaming for insects to come check it out.

A warm batch of wort, that is to say you did not cool the wort enough before putting on the airlock (and perhaps having added the yeast - don't do that) when placed in a cool environment can shrink in volume and suck in the liquid in the airlock. A reverse airlock. Sort of a bong. If you have a diluted vodka mixture, the liquid is pretty much sterile. But tap water may be a problem. This is usually not an issue but again, insurance. If the beer has already fermented, problem.

Cheap vodka is a fantastic sanitizer. Many homebrewers and the pros too keep it around to quickly sanitize small parts, fingers, o-rings, all sorts of stuff. So keep it around if you can. A liter of cheap vodka is very cheap.

More importantly, we want to get your fermentation temps under control. Or at least have an idea. One of the greatest challenges for a new brewer. But once that is dialed in your beers will improve, and it's not even hard.

Cheer

 

I have never had a fruit fly make its way through my three piece airlocks but....

Cheers!

 

Just saw this today:
"In contemplating life's defining moments, I've come to a crossroad about lagers. In this age where we have so many choices of yeast, what the hell is the point of using a traditional lager yeast? Beside the pure challenge of doing something that is generally considered more difficult - why ever use a lager yeast when we can use amazingly clean fermenting ale yeasts, and even more so kveik, to create a product that comes out so great? Is the definition of a lager shifting, and can we claim that a lager is a lager if it is presented as such, or are we still tied to traditional yeast if we want to claim lager styles? If it's clear and clean and represents the style - is that enough?"

 

At HomebrewCon 2019 Fermentis gave a presentation entitled: “The most neutral lager strain? Effect of pitching rate and fermentation temperature on strain Weihenstephan 34/70”.

They presented lab data on the results of varying fermentation temperature (12, 14, and 20 °C) and varying wort density (1.048, 1.065, and 1.083). They also conducted sensory analysis with trained taste testers. Needless to say but the warmest condition was not 75 °F but 68 °F (20 °C).

On page 28 there is the conclusion of:

“-It ensures faster fermentation at higher temperatures, without affecting the flavor”

So, according to the testing (both analytical and sensory) you can ferment with W-34/70 at 68 °F with no impact to the resulting flavor profile of the fermented beer with the benefit of completing primary fermentation more quickly.

Cheers!

P.S. If you are a member of AHA you can access an archive of the above referenced presentation.

 

Oh brother.

 

@JackHorzempa I've never had a lager fermented with 34/70 that warm so I can’t say I’d tell the difference but I think I most likely could. It may be something you can “get away with” with some aggressive hopped lager or a darker lager but I find it hard to believe that a Pilsner wouldn’t be noticeable. I’ve had “lagers” made with Kviek Oslo and while they are clean I wouldn’t call them lager clean.

I think this may be a case of fermentis beating their own drum. I will continue to cold ferment as I have the ability to do so and I would rather take the time to make the beer as good as possible for my ability and system.

what do you do personally jack?

 

I would strongly encourage you to go to the AHA website and read the charts. There is a lot of data, both analytical and sensory, to support that fermenting warm with W-34/70 will yield good results.

I have been homebrewing lagers for well over 20 years and 'back in the day' you had to use liquid yeast (well, I was unaware of dry lager yeast then). Out of habit I still use liquid yeast since I know how to use them to achieve what I want. I have a Tmavý Ležák in the primary right now where I used WLP802 and tomorrow I will be brewing a Bohemian Pilsner using WY2124. I choose to ferment cold (e.g., 50 - 55 degrees F) since this was what I did two+ decades ago and I still do it today because: if it ain't broke don't fix it. I have an unheated utility room as part of my basement and I can easily maintain cold temperatures for lager fermentation so that is what I do.

I attended the W-34/70 presentation at HomebrewCon 2019 and I have zero reasons to doubt the data presented. If I ever chose to switch from liquid yeast to dry lager yeast (W-34/70) and I wanted to ferment at 68 degrees F I would have no compunction here.

You are the head brewer of your brewery. You get to decide how beers are produced in your homebrewery.

Cheers!

 

used both vodka and starsan solution in the airlock. the star san can foam for a few days but its easy to add more and since im in the celler every day its no big deal.

 

Have fermented W-34/70 warm, and the beer was good, but I've never done a side-by-side comparison with the same recipe warm/cold and done a proper triangle.