Safale S04 Yeast Newb Question

[rtogio]

Hey guys,

So I had a question about Safale 04 Yeast, or maybe top fermenting yeasts in general. When the cap of foam and yeast forms at the top of the wort, you do not need to stir that back into the fermenting beer, correct? That just naturally settles out?

Sorry, I am usually a home winemaker, so I am kind of new to beer yeasts.

 

[theseeker4]

Hey guys,

So I had a question about Safale 04 Yeast, or maybe top fermenting yeasts in general. When the cap of foam and yeast forms at the top of the wort, you do not need to stir that back into the fermenting beer, correct? That just naturally settles out?

Sorry, I am usually a home winemaker, so I am kind of new to beer yeasts.

You are correct, with beer, you definitely do NOT want to mess with the beer once the yeast is pitched, other than keeping it in the proper temperature for the yeast. Adding oxygen by stirring up the beer, or even just opening the fermentor too often, can cause your beer to taste like wet cardboard. Oxygen at the time of pitching yeast is good, it is bad for flavor later on in fermentation.

 

[ByramMike]

theseeker4 is correct, but recall that the fermentation process also yields carbon dioxide, and that stays as a layer over the top of the fermenting beer. You don't want to mess with it, as theseeker 4 says, but as long as you don't start stirring the beer up or gaze lovingly for too long at the creation you've brought into the world, that CO2 layer will protect the beer for a short while.

 

[goodsuds]

S-04 can have huge krausen too, especially at high temps, but it usually finishes up in 2-3 days and starts to settle. By day 4 or 5 (unless it's high gravity) it should mostly recede. Try to keep the temps under 65*F for the first 4 days and then let it ramp up to high 60's. S-04 can get really estery if you let it get above 65* in the first few days. YMMV.

 

[unionrdr]

I love S-04 for any kind of English-style ales. Like my ESB's or browns. Nice flavor balance, & as long as it isn't allowed to get too warm, it'll be fine.