Yeast dropped out 1 day after bottling

[BandonBrewingCo]

Hi,

I brewed Revvy's Leffe Clone and bottled it last night. I was worried it was looking a little clear so I took this picture with an led torch behind it:

And after checking on it not 24 hours later all the yeast is at the bottom and I can really see the individual LEDs (can't get a good pic). They are being conditioned at approx 18C (65F)

So let's say worst case scenario:

• I've missed my FG by approx 6 points
• I've added priming sugar to get to 3 Volumes
• My yeast appears to be dead

If all of the above are true (points 1 and 2 certainly are) my plan is:

Wait a week to see if there's any sign of carbing. If there is, all is well with the world. If not, up end the bottles to resuspend the yeast.
Wait another week. If still no sign time to start worrying.

So, if after 2 weeks still nothing, time to assume my yeast is dead. Now comes the fun part, did I miss my FG because I mashed too high (possible) or because my yeast crapped out early.

If my yeast crashed out early I have A LOT of unfermented fermentable sugars in my bottles.

However, Austrian swingtop bottles stronk and I have a spare pack of US05 lying around the place.

Do I make a starter with the US05 and put a teaspoon of yeast into each of my 34 pint bottles?

Or is there another way? Or should I put in the US05 now?

All help is appreciated!

 

[WrQth]

Unless the yeast were in primary/secondary a very long time or you exceeded the alcohol tolerance of the yeast then they are still alive and processing the sugar making CO2. Yeast are microscopic so just because you can't see them doesn't mean they are not there.

 

[Mainer]

Clarity in your beer is usually a good thing.
RDWHAHB. Your yeasties are fine.

 

[BandonBrewingCo]

RDWHAHB = 42 somehow

 

[kh54s10]

The beer looks quite hazy, most likely lots and lots of yeast still in suspension.

65 f is a little low for bottle conditioning so I would expect at least 3 weeks, maybe longer for these to carbonate.

Unless you have had problems that are not listed in your post, there is plenty of yeast in the beer to carbonate it.

Leave these alone for at least 3 weeks then come back for troubleshooting. I doubt you will need to.

 

[kristiismean]

Agree with all of the above, they are carbing just fine. I condition at 70 degrees, for 1-2 weeks, then store at 59-63 degrees. If a beer is running slow (not ready at 2 weeks), I flip them over for a day, then flip them back. I am not sure flipping them over does anything, but it makes me feel like I am doing something to help....

 

[doug293cz]

Hi,

I brewed Revvy's Leffe Clone and bottled it last night. I was worried it was looking a little clear so I took this picture with an led torch behind it:

...

And after checking on it not 24 hours later all the yeast is at the bottom and I can really see the individual LEDs (can't get a good pic). They are being conditioned at approx 18C (65F)

So let's say worst case scenario:

• 
  [*]I've missed my FG by approx 6 points
  [*]I've added priming sugar to get to 3 Volumes
• My yeast appears to be dead

If all of the above are true (points 1 and 2 certainly are) my plan is:

Wait a week to see if there's any sign of carbing. If there is, all is well with the world. If not, up end the bottles to resuspend the yeast.
Wait another week. If still no sign time to start worrying.

So, if after 2 weeks still nothing, time to assume my yeast is dead. Now comes the fun part, did I miss my FG because I mashed too high (possible) or because my yeast crapped out early.

If my yeast crashed out early I have A LOT of unfermented fermentable sugars in my bottles.

However, Austrian swingtop bottles stronk and I have a spare pack of US05 lying around the place.

Do I make a starter with the US05 and put a teaspoon of yeast into each of my 34 pint bottles?

Or is there another way? Or should I put in the US05 now?

All help is appreciated!

Hopefully, you don't have 6 pts worth of residual fermentables in the bottled beer, as that by itself will create ~3 volumes of carbonation. Combined with priming for 3 volumes, that would give you the potential for 6 volumes, which would put you at risk for bottle bombs.

Brew on

 

[BandonBrewingCo]

Hopefully, you don't have 6 pts worth of residual fermentables in the bottled beer, as that by itself will create ~3 volumes of carbonation. Combined with priming for 3 volumes, that would give you the potential for 6 volumes, which would put you at risk for bottle bombs.

Brew on

I'll crack open one in 2 weeks and see how we're getting on. Let's say I have a total of 6 volumes... given that I use swingtops could i briefly open every bottle to release 1 or 2 volumes and then let the bubbles soak back into the beer over the next month?

 

[doug293cz]

I'll crack open one in 2 weeks and see how we're getting on. Let's say I have a total of 6 volumes... given that I use swingtops could i briefly open every bottle to release 1 or 2 volumes and then let the bubbles soak back into the beer over the next month?

Swing tops may be able to handle the pressure, especially if you have enough cooler space to store them cold. It's possible that your beer actually finished 6 pts high, and that you will only end up with 3 volumes of carb. I think your plan to check a bottle after some time is good. Chill the bottle for at least 24 hrs, and then lift the retaining lever. If you have a lot more hiss than you usually get, then it's time to start thinking about mitigation. Unsealing bottles at room temp will release more pressure than doing the same with cold bottles. All you need to do is let the hiss stop and then reseal the bottle. Don't let it sit open, or you will get oxygen into the headspace. Check again after a week, and repeat the mitigation as needed each week until things stabilize.

Edit: Thought about it a little more, and to be safe it's probably better to check a bottle warm one week after bottling. Might want to check a highly carbed warm commercial beer as well to calibrate hiss levels. If your hiss level seems high at that short carb time you may be headed for trouble, so vent all the bottles. Check again in 3 days, and repeat venting if hiss level seems high. Keep doing every 3 days until hiss doesn't seem excessive. After that wait a week, and check again, and vent all bottles as needed. Continue at one week intervals. Once things settle down, stop the venting. If after more storage time, you find the carb level excessive, do another vent cycle to all the bottles. By never actually flipping the top open, you won't expose the beer to contamination, and if you flip the lever back down immediately after venting, you won't let in significant amounts of O2.

Brew on

 

[BandonBrewingCo]

Well, I had an infection. The beer tastes sickly sweet and is totally undrinkable. If it's any help, here's a picture from my fermenter. I suspect it was from when I added the gelatine towards the end.

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