Talking with another homebrewer...ugh

[StusBrew]

So talking with a fellow homebrewer. Gets me worried. I told him I brewed on Sunday. Pitched rehydrated, dry yeast. Fermentis S-33 for a wit. OG was 1.052. In less then 24 hours there was evidence of kreausan (Ugh... It's one of those words I have to look at to spell!) Shocked. Usually it's 2 or 3 days before see it. I was impressed.
So I run into this guy I've seen once before this evening. He asks me about the wit I'm brewing. I tell him the above. He says I should repitch. SOON!

Also the same guy who says he only lets his beer sit on yeast for 4 days and moves to secondary. I did secondary once. Beer was stale halfway through my 48 bottles.

So it got me thinking.

Checked specific gravity tonight. OG = 1.052 Gravity Now (N.G.????) = 1.022 The way I calculated it: 3.6 % ABV or something.

What say everybody? Too late for adding honey or table sugar or DME or LME? Or a new batch of yeast. Like I said. Some guy talking, gets me thinking and fretting. 3 % ABV isn't bad. I was expecting uner 1.020. Like 1.016.
Too late???

Beer tastes fine to me.

 

[snccoulter]

First thing first it is not done fermenting till you have a few days of the same reading. second it will not hurt for the beer to sit on the cake for a few days let alone a few weeks... I usually let it sit for a few weeks before I even check for the FG. Relax Don't Worry.. You know the rest.

 

[StusBrew]

Yeah. That's what I thought. It tastes pretty descent for first AG! Though didn't hit my OG. Was kind of high. By 0.08. Happened kind of fast with krausen?!?!? My mother wa over to see her grand kids and she makes her own wine and she thought it was pretty good. So not worried about flavor. I had planned on at least 2 weeks sitting in primary. Maybe 3 weeks before bottling.

 

[Dan]

first thing first it is not done fermenting till you have a few days of the same reading. Second it will not hurt for the beer to sit on the cake for a few days let alone a few weeks... I usually let it sit for a few weeks before i even check for the fg. Relax don't worry.. You know the rest.

+1

 

[Stauffbier]

first thing first it is not done fermenting till you have a few days of the same reading. Second it will not hurt for the beer to sit on the cake for a few days let alone a few weeks... I usually let it sit for a few weeks before i even check for the fg. Relax don't worry.. You know the rest.

+2

 

[fredthecat]

+3

i know its a huge generalization, but ive never heard bad guidelines or advice from an internet source (as long as i google doublecheck it), but ive heard some truly bizarre and awful advice from homebrewers in person who perhaps dont use the internet as a resource.

the safest bet to have a successful beer is to just let it sit in primary for 3 weeks, then either secondary for a really short period or just bottle it

 

[StusBrew]

My plan is to sit in primary for 2 weeks. Maye 3 weeks. I've always just let it go a week. Checking FG. Then bottle it. Condition in bottle for 2 weeks. But wanting to take longer this time.

 

[Stauffbier]

2 weeks should be fine. After initial fermentation it is beneficial to let the beer sit on the yeast cake, so the yeast can "clean house" so to speak. This only takes a few days. In some cases I bottle after 2 weeks and in others I'll wait as much as 4 weeks. I almost never do a secondary. I don't even bulk age in a secondary. I prefer to age in the bottle. My rule of thumb is, if gravity is stable and it tastes good I bottle it. If it tastes a little "hot" or "yeasty" then I might let it sit in the primary for and extra week or so.

 

[Bobby_M]

The culprit for a high final gravity on an all grain batch is likely too high of a mash temp assuming the recipe looks right (you didn't mention). A rehydrated pack of dry yeast is plenty.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Re-pitch? Bizarre.

That ABVis pretty low, the beer maight taste a little watery would be the worst problem. If you want to add something, it is not too late. Just boil and cool and add DME or honey or both.

Fermentation will start all over and clean up any O2, but again, you don't have to add anything.

If you do add something, start the 3 weeks for primary all over. Treat it like you just pitched the yeast in fresh wort.

 

[bottlebomber]

You need to not talk to this guy anymore.

 

[BrewerBear]

You need to not talk to this guy anymore.

I agree

 

[StusBrew]

That's what I was thinking. He kind of contradicted what I've found I like doing (and sounds like majority of beer buds here in the forum). I had mentioned rousing the yeast by doing a little rousing of carboy. He said no, no. Don't do that. Oxygen will killt he yeast. I'm thinking um...no.... Too much CO2 would inhibit. Yeast need oxygen. Besides, the airlock is still on as I do this.
So yesterday I bought a commercial witbier. (It wasn't Blue Moon!) Just to remind myself what it tastes like, looks like, etc. My beer was right on par. Color was spot on. Just ABV and FG so far were off. But again, what's wrong with having a low ABV. Means I can drink more of it. Besides, I next plan on brewing a Golden Strong Ale in a few weeks.

 

[Stauffbier]

Rousing the yeast is fine, and oxygen certainly won't kill the yeast. I would be gentle with rousing though, because if done to vigorously you can indeed experience suck-back on the airlock. That will suck whatever liquid you have in the airlock into the beer along with a negligible amount of oxygen. It's likely not enough oxygen to worry about, but I'd still rock the carboy gently IMO..

 

[bottlebomber]

That's what I was thinking. He kind of contradicted what I've found I like doing (and sounds like majority of beer buds here in the forum). I had mentioned rousing the yeast by doing a little rousing of carboy. He said no, no. Don't do that. Oxygen will killt he yeast. I'm thinking um...no.... Too much CO2 would inhibit. Yeast need oxygen. Besides, the airlock is still on as I do this.
So yesterday I bought a commercial witbier. (It wasn't Blue Moon!) Just to remind myself what it tastes like, looks like, etc. My beer was right on par. Color was spot on. Just ABV and FG so far were off. But again, what's wrong with having a low ABV. Means I can drink more of it. Besides, I next plan on brewing a Golden Strong Ale in a few weeks.

I think everyone knows a moron like this. There's a guy in my homebrewing group who thinks he can brew, but doesn't actually have any time for the hobby and is intimidated by the knowledge I have and so is constantly trying to contradict me. I was serving a beer to the group, a Belgian quad, and was describing my fermentation schedule of ramping up the temperature.

He piped in with "you really don't want to warm the yeast up so quickly, it will kill the yeast." I explained that it only rose about 2 degrees a day. He maintained that I probably killed off a lot of yeast, and so I had to ask him "what is the effect on the yeast when you take the fresh vial out of the fridge? It raises about 40 degrees over the course of an hour." Blank stare, lots of blinking. Seriously just be polite when he wants to talk, but don't do anything he tells you. Just hang out here and you will know everything you need to and more in about 6 months.

 

[cyclonite]

I think everyone knows a moron like this.

+1

Most of us know more than one... :cross:

 

[RM-MN]

Depending on what temperature you fermented this beer at you might want to warm it a bit to encourage the yeast to bring the gravity down a bit more. I start my ales at 62 to 64 and after a week I bring that temperature up to 72 for another week or more. Most of my beers stay on the yeast cake for 3 to 4 weeks with no off flavors noticeable.

 

[StusBrew]

Temperature was 62 in basement. That's why I thought the fermentation was fast. The temps had been mid to high 70s that week I brewed. (It was rising up to 75 in the house, upstairs). So basement at 62. I guess it was first time seeing fermentation activity so fast after pitching. Well, I can just file it away now.

 

[StusBrew]

The dude was talking about how he knows the brewers of the local brew pubs down here. He got all panicky and wide-eyed when I told him about seeing the fermentation activity within 2 hours and "ring around the carboy". He was saying take a gravity next couple of days and get it off the yeast.
So I tried explaining to him it was a Wit. He pipes up never had a wit before so he really wasn't sure. I told him about rousing the yeast and then took it upstairs when weather cooled down a day or two later to under 70 degrees. He had all kind of suggestions. I left thinking to myself I better not tak homebrew with that dude again!

 

[kh54s10]

Yes, DO NOT take advice from that guy!

What he says WAS accepted practice, about 20 years ago!

At least from what I have read. I started brewing last July.

I have had fermentations start and end within 2 days and others that took about 24 hours to start and lasted almost 1.5 weeks.

I always pitch the proper amount of yeast and never had one that I was worried about being stuck.

 

[AmandaK]

Just ABV and FG so far were off. But again, what's wrong with having a low ABV. Means I can drink more of it.

From what I gather, you're making a witbier, which should be dry, crisp and refreshing. So I wouldn't be worried about a low ABV, but a high level of sweetness in the beer.

However, I would also not be worrying anyway, it's been less than a week. BTW, what is your gravity reading now?

 

[StusBrew]

Yes. Started thinking more about the style of witbier earlier this week. Then thinking to myself: self....It may be too sweet for the style. So really, 4% instead of the 5% isn't much to complain about. I've never hit my FG. (This wit was first all-grain.) So I'm thinking of playing around more with aerated wort more/better than I'm doing. Usually just a shake and a swirl in glass carboy. Now thinking an air pump or something. Does the yeast good.
The Fermentis S-33 dry yeast usually has more than enough cells. This time around instead of pitching dry yeast, I rehydrated. So not worried about that. Just concerned probably might try oxygenating wort better next batch of brew.

So yes... Wanted the dryness. After all, it's supposed to be more refreshing beer to drink.
But what the heck. I got a brew that so far I've had a small taste and happy with it.

I have a problem....I try all these beers and think I want to make these beers. The problem with that is..... The list grows bigger and bigger, yet not enough time, equipment, money, etc.

 

[c8h12n4o3]

What??? The yeast were working within 2 hours? Probably should add more yeast. The others are full and can't eat anymore.

I used my first yeast starter this weekend. I was actually amazed at how fast it took off. As for a rehydrated dry yeast packet...never that quickly. I'll agree with everything everyone has said so far.

 

[foltster]

Another factor to keep in mind is that a summer approaches, your beer will be fermenting faster unless you can controller you fermentation temperature.

 

[StusBrew]

Well, the yeast were rehydrated at least 40 - 45 minutes before I pitched it. I had only planned like 20 -30 minutes before pitching.

My fermentation controller.....is me. I plan on buying a carboy hauler and I'll be hauling it downstairs where it stays under 70 degrees. Or using 1 of the 4 plastic fermenters I have.