Airlock activity only lasted short hours?

[Devvrider]

Hi there!

This is my first IPA brew. I have pitched in 11g whole packet of rehydrated BRY-97 into 20L of wort inside a 35L bucket, there is quite a lot of head space.

I have been regulating the temperature with a swamp between 17-23C, on average 20C.

After pitching in, first vigorous airlock activity appears after 24 hours on the 2nd night, however the next day when I woke up the activity stopped.

OG was 1.064 and I took a current sample which is 1.034.

I dont see much of the krausen too as my bucket is white.

Is this normal?

 

[Amadeo38]

Buckets are the worst for staying sealed enough to show good airlock activity. There was probably only enough co2 pressure to show airlock activity at its most vigorous, and once it slowed down slightly, whatever air leak there was in the bucket lid is allowing the co2 to mostly escape there. Just let it do its thing for at least a week before you check it, in the future. For this one, let it go until it’s time to dry hop and test again.

For future brews, and especially IPAs, you want to limit opening the fermenter at all. Especially that early in the game, where contamination could occur. As the fermentation progresses, you’ll want the layer of co2 to remain on the beer to keep the hops fresh and limit oxidation. When you go to dry-hop, do it as fast as you can. The dry-hop opening is typically the only time I test for gravity, if at all.

 

[Devvrider]

Thanks!
I dare not to open the lid so I took the sample through the tap on the bucket. I will wait till this weekend to take another sample.

Large glass carboy is hard to come by near my location, next time instead can I use PET bottles like those from office drinking machines?

 

[Amadeo38]

Thanks!
I dare not to open the lid so I took the sample through the tap on the bucket. I will wait till this weekend to take another sample.

Large glass carboy is hard to come by near my location, next time instead can I use PET bottles like those from office drinking machines?

Oh good!

Just to check, what was your yeast rehydration procedure, and did you aerate your wort before pitching the yeast?

I’ll let someone else chime in about reusing those PET bottles, as I don’t know.

BTW - welcome to the forum!

 

[Devvrider]

Oh good!

Just to check, what was your yeast rehydration procedure, and did you aerate your wort before pitching the yeast?

I’ll let someone else chime in about reusing those PET bottles, as I don’t know.

BTW - welcome to the forum!

I prepared 35C water from the microwave in a sanitized pyrex jug, added the yeast and wrapped the jug with plastic film and let it sat for 15 minutes.

I did shake the wort in the bucket for a while like 5 minutes before pitching the yeast.
The wort was chilled to room temp with a coil.

Should I pitch in a second package this weekend if the gravity remains unchanged?

 

[Amadeo38]

I prepared 35C water from the microwave in a sanitized pyrex jug, added the yeast and wrapped the jug with plastic film and let it sat for 15 minutes.

I did shake the wort in the bucket for a while like 5 minutes before pitching the yeast.
The wort was chilled to room temp with a coil.

I don’t see anything wrong with your procedure so long as the packet of yeast indicated 35C to be the ideal rehydration temperature. Seems slightly high for what I usually use, but could be fine for that type.

Should I pitch in a second package this weekend if the gravity remains unchanged?

I’d cross that bridge when you get to it. More than likely things will be fine. Some will have different opinions on this, but here’s mine: It’s possible that if your yeast are “duds” then the additional packet is from the same lot and will be similarly ineffective. I’ve taken a liking to using White Labs “San Diego Super Yeast” (Wlp095) to finish off my stalled beers. It’s fairy neutral and does well in the presence of alcohol. However, you’ll likely not have to resort to that measure.

 

[cswant88]

A buddy of mine is an extract brewer. He gets those 5 gallon water cooler bottles, uses the water for brewing, ferments in them, then exchanges the empty for a new one.

Edit: I will add, in case it’s not obvious, he does give them a quick cleaning. Don’t expect them to exchange them full of crap.

 

[Devvrider]

I don’t see anything wrong with your procedure so long as the packet of yeast indicated 35C to be the ideal rehydration temperature. Seems slightly high for what I usually use, but could be fine for that type.



I’d cross that bridge when you get to it. More than likely things will be fine. Some will have different opinions on this, but here’s mine: It’s possible that if your yeast are “duds” then the additional packet is from the same lot and will be similarly ineffective. I’ve taken a liking to using White Labs “San Diego Super Yeast” (Wlp095) to finish off my stalled beers. It’s fairy neutral and does well in the presence of alcohol. However, you’ll likely not have to resort to that measure.

Thanks! Cant wait to see how it turns out this weekend.
Learned a bunch with this first brew

 

[Devvrider]

A buddy of mine is an extract brewer. He gets those 5 gallon water cooler bottles, uses the water for brewing, ferments in them, then exchanges the empty for a new one.

Edit: I will add, in case it’s not obvious, he does give them a quick cleaning. Don’t expect them to exchange them full of crap.

Thanks for the info! I'll do this next time and use my bucket for bottling.

 

[Soulshine2]

Hi there!

This is my first IPA brew. I have pitched in 11g whole packet of rehydrated BRY-97 into 20L of wort inside a 35L bucket, there is quite a lot of head space.

I have been regulating the temperature with a swamp between 17-23C, on average 20C.

After pitching in, first vigorous airlock activity appears after 24 hours on the 2nd night, however the next day when I woke up the activity stopped.

OG was 1.064 and I took a current sample which is 1.034.

I dont see much of the krausen too as my bucket is white.

Is this normal?

check for a leak somewhere...your airlock grommet or lid may be the culprit of a leaking seal.

 

[Soulshine2]

I prepared 35C water from the microwave in a sanitized pyrex jug, added the yeast and wrapped the jug with plastic film and let it sat for 15 minutes.

I did shake the wort in the bucket for a while like 5 minutes before pitching the yeast.
The wort was chilled to room temp with a coil.

Should I pitch in a second package this weekend if the gravity remains unchanged?

you could, wouldnt hurt.

 

[Devvrider]

I took another hydrometer reading today, unfortunately it is still at 1.034.

Is there anything I need to look out before I repitch?

Do I need to aerate the wort again?

and do I still need to pitch in the whole package of yeast when my gravity is halfway down?

 

[kh54s10]

The water bottles are not PET, but should be OK for fermenting. I would not do a long aging in one. Get a real PET carboy. My advice is to stay far away from glass carboys. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/broken-glass-carboy-horror-stories-compendium.376523/

Do not aerate again that would oxidize your now weak beer.

I would swirl it gently to rouse yeast that has fallen to the bottom, warm it up to about 68 - 70 and pitch another pack. I would pitch the whole pack unless you have use for the other half soon. The extra yeast will not hurt anything, and may help.

 

[Devvrider]

The water bottles are not PET, but should be OK for fermenting. I would not do a long aging in one. Get a real PET carboy. My advice is to stay far away from glass carboys. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/broken-glass-carboy-horror-stories-compendium.376523/

Do not aerate again that would oxidize your now weak beer.

I would swirl it gently to rouse yeast that has fallen to the bottom, warm it up to about 68 - 70 and pitch another pack. I would pitch the whole pack unless you have use for the other half soon. The extra yeast will not hurt anything, and may help.

Thanks for the tip.

I did swirl the fermenter with all the trub at the bottom and raised the temperature. And almost immediately it starts bubbling again at a 5 seconds rate!

 

[balrog]

Temp rise will cause headspace gas to expand and bubble out airlock, with or without anything happening to the beer or the CO2 dissolved in the beer.
Temp rise will change the dissolved CO2 equilibrium in the beer, causing CO2 to come out of solution, without having anything to do with yeast creating more CO2

Thought you should know. I've also see weather changes, barometric pressure, cause airlock activity, but mainly temp changes in an otherwise finished beer will cause outgassing and headspace volume changes.

Bottom line in this long diatribe is that working yeast are not the only reason your airlock bubbles, and only SG measurements can be used to determine fermentation progress.

 

[kh54s10]

But if it keeps bubbling after the temperature has stabilized it should indicate further fermentation. But I would wait, either way for a while before taking another gravity reading. The less you open the fermenter the better.,

 

[OpenSights]

A buddy of mine is an extract brewer. He gets those 5 gallon water cooler bottles, uses the water for brewing, ferments in them, then exchanges the empty for a new one.

Edit: I will add, in case it’s not obvious, he does give them a quick cleaning. Don’t expect them to exchange them full of crap.

Brilliant!

 

[Devvrider]

Temp rise will cause headspace gas to expand and bubble out airlock, with or without anything happening to the beer or the CO2 dissolved in the beer.
Temp rise will change the dissolved CO2 equilibrium in the beer, causing CO2 to come out of solution, without having anything to do with yeast creating more CO2

Thought you should know. I've also see weather changes, barometric pressure, cause airlock activity, but mainly temp changes in an otherwise finished beer will cause outgassing and headspace volume changes.

Bottom line in this long diatribe is that working yeast are not the only reason your airlock bubbles, and only SG measurements can be used to determine fermentation progress.

But if it keeps bubbling after the temperature has stabilized it should indicate further fermentation. But I would wait, either way for a while before taking another gravity reading. The less you open the fermenter the better.,

Almost three hours since I did the swirl and there's still constant activity going on, hopefully it's back on.
I just put it at room temp around 22C.
Anyways I'll take another hydrometer reading tomorrow, thanks people!

Edit: 6 hours since then it is still bubbling, I think thats a positive sign

 

[Devvrider]

Got my packets of yeast today so I took another reading before repitching ....1.030
Repitched the rehydrated yeast. Lets see how it goes..Beer smells good though.

 

[balrog]

Still 1030 eh? Hm. This is a hydrometer and not a refractometer reading, right?

 

[Devvrider]

Yep hydrometer reading
Throughout the week there has been week airlock activity daily, from 1034 to 1030

 

[Devvrider]

Airlock activity is back, but not much, I know it does not mean fermentation
but hopefully the new yeast is picking up the baton

 

[Devvrider]

Took another hydrometer reading today, it's still 1030 (OG 064)
Should I bottle them?

 

[kh54s10]

1.030 seems really high. It should be 1.015 or lower. Does your hydrometer read 1.000 in water at the temperature it is calibrated for? It might be printed on the paper scale at the bottom, in the bulb.

Taste it. If you like it go ahead and bottle it.

 

[Devvrider]

1.030 seems really high. It should be 1.015 or lower. Does your hydrometer read 1.000 in water at the temperature it is calibrated for? It might be printed on the paper scale at the bottom, in the bulb.

Taste it. If you like it go ahead and bottle it.

My hydrometer shows 1.000 from the tap water at room temperature (around 23C) so it's probably quite accurate.
It taste and smells pretty close what I usually had and it is not sweet at all, I guess I'll go ahead.

What would cause such low attenuation ?

My recipe:
**Base**
5.2kg IREKS Pale Ale Malt 5-7 EBC

**Specialty**
0.3kg IREKS Crystal Mahogany 55-65 EBC
0.3kg IREKS Crystal Teak 140-160 EBC
0.5kg IREKS Crystal Maple 3-4 EBC

 

[cswant88]

What was your strike temp? Unless you mashed really hot, I don't know how you ended up such a high FG. Seems like your fermentation temps were ok and you pitched plenty of yeast. You didn't add any unfermentable sugars. If you have a buddy with a hydrometer or refractometer you can double check just to be absolutely sure it's not your instrumentation. According to Lallemand, that yeast should have wrapped things up within 4-5 days with an attenuation 73-77%.

 

[seatazzz]

I've only used BRY-97 once, and it took forever to finish (about 4 weeks). I would say the only thing you need to add to your beer right now, is patience. Let it ride another week, with no disturbances. It has come down a few points already, pitching more yeast may help but it might not be necessary.

 

[Devvrider]

What was your strike temp? Unless you mashed really hot, I don't know how you ended up such a high FG. Seems like your fermentation temps were ok and you pitched plenty of yeast. You didn't add any unfermentable sugars. If you have a buddy with a hydrometer or refractometer you can double check just to be absolutely sure it's not your instrumentation. According to Lallemand, that yeast should have wrapped things up within 4-5 days with an attenuation 73-77%.

I mashed in at 60-65C. Checked with a temp gun every once and a while. However I do notice the bottom of the mash in pot is hotter, I then reduced the flame a bit. I also did a sparge at 75C after the boiling.

 

[Devvrider]

I've only used BRY-97 once, and it took forever to finish (about 4 weeks). I would say the only thing you need to add to your beer right now, is patience. Let it ride another week, with no disturbances. It has come down a few points already, pitching more yeast may help but it might not be necessary.

Thanks, while I'm wait my bottles to arrive I will keep it at optimal temperature.
If it's still stuck at 1030 next week, will I be making some bombs ?

 

[balrog]

I mashed in at 60-65C. Checked with a temp gun every once and a while. However I do notice the bottom of the mash in pot is hotter, I then reduced the flame a bit. I also did a sparge at 75C after the boiling.

Flame was on during mash, right?
No stirring during mash, right?
I wonder what the temp was. Higher mash temp will make less fermentable wort.

 

[Devvrider]

Flame was on during mash, right?
No stirring during mash, right?
I wonder what the temp was. Higher mash temp will make less fermentable wort.

Yes flame was on , i keep it almost the lowest power.

I did stir the mash quite often and that’s where I found the bottom temp is quite different from the top. I think I will need a submerged thermometer next time for more accurate readings. Top reading can be 55C but after stirring it will be over 65C

 

[kh54s10]

Yes flame was on , i keep it almost the lowest power.

I did stir the mash quite often and that’s where I found the bottom temp is quite different from the top. I think I will need a submerged thermometer next time for more accurate readings. Top reading can be 55C but after stirring it will be over 65C

Because that is always a problem with direct fired mashing, I chose not to even try that. I went with a 3 vessel system with a water cooler mash tun. When it is very cold outside, I insulate it by wrapping blankets around it. When I do small batch BIAB, I preheat my oven to about 150 and put the pot in there. If I stir, it is usually only once half way through the mash. I usually only drop a few degrees during the hour long mash.

BTW 65C is pretty low for a mash temperature, unless you are aiming for a very dry beer. Quite the opposite of the problem you are experiencing.

 

[seatazzz]

Thanks, while I'm wait my bottles to arrive I will keep it at optimal temperature.
If it's still stuck at 1030 next week, will I be making some bombs ?

If it is still at 1.030 next week, pitching more yeast may be your only option. However, I would suggest (and I know I'm going to get some flak here) not pitching more BRY-97. If you really want to salvage this beer, go with something that will attenuate better, like Safale-05 or Nottingham. Both ferment clean, with little to no esters, and while it might take it down a bit further than expected, shouldn't add any off-flavors as long as the beer itself is free of any infections.

 

[Devvrider]

Because that is always a problem with direct fired mashing, I chose not to even try that. I went with a 3 vessel system with a water cooler mash tun. When it is very cold outside, I insulate it by wrapping blankets around it. When I do small batch BIAB, I preheat my oven to about 150 and put the pot in there. If I stir, it is usually only once half way through the mash. I usually only drop a few degrees during the hour long mash.

BTW 65C is pretty low for a mash temperature, unless you are aiming for a very dry beer. Quite the opposite of the problem you are experiencing.

I will try to use a mash tun next time.

One thing I realized was my fermentation volume is less than my target, my target is a 20L batch, but after boiling my batch is just around 16L.
Is that why I had such high OG?

Should I top it up with boiled sugar water before I bottle it?

 

[kh54s10]

I will try to use a mash tun next time.

One thing I realized was my fermentation volume is less than my target, my target is a 20L batch, but after boiling my batch is just around 16L.
Is that why I had such high OG?

Should I top it up with boiled sugar water before I bottle it?

\

You should work on your boil off rate so that you end up with the proper volume into the fermenter. Expecting 20L and getting only 16L will cause your OG to be high.

You will need a sugar priming solution, carbonation tabs, or something like Domino Dots for priming. Without addition of a small amount of some sugar, there will be no carbonation.

Use a priming calculator so that you use the proper amount. I use this one: https://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/priming-sugar-calculator

 

[Devvrider]

Update:
My bottles have arrived.

So before I bottle I took another hydrometer reading. It read 1.012 at first when I put it in then it settles at around 1.015.

I guess the repitching worked?
A bit off then the targeted 1.010 mark but I guess it’s now safe to bottle. It smells even better now

Thanks guys

 

[bleme]

Yes flame was on , i keep it almost the lowest power.

I did stir the mash quite often and that’s where I found the bottom temp is quite different from the top. I think I will need a submerged thermometer next time for more accurate readings. Top reading can be 55C but after stirring it will be over 65C

You are usually better off letting your mash temp drop than trying to maintain it with a flame. A low temp with convert the sugars slower but a high temp can stop conversion altogether, so I always err toward lower temps.

To maintain temps, you can mash in a cooler, wrap your mash in a sleeping bag, or store your mash in an oven preheated to 150F.

 

[Devvrider]

Updates:

Two weeks after bottling and today without chilling nor cold crashing I tried and opened one of them. It was gushing and 2/3 of the beer is gone.

Is this normal? Tasted the beer it seems fine . The bottles were left in room temp 25-27C for two weeks, is it too warm?

I tried to relief some pressure by prying the cap a bit but it keeps coming.

Did another hydro reading and it’s 1.008 now.

I have put them in the fridge for now

 

[balrog]

CO2 dissolves into liquid (beer) based on overhead pressure and temp of liquid.
Warm liquid will not hold as much CO2 as cold
High pressure will force more CO2 into liquid that low pressure

If you have a carbonated closed bottle at room temp, you have some CO2 forced into liquid as there is pressure in the bottle. Release the pressure and the system will rebalance---CO2 comes out of warm liquid in low pressure. That's gushing.

Chill the bottles a day or two. If it's still gushing, you might have picked up an infection that further fermented (does it taste sour and it should not be sour?).

 

[Devvrider]

CO2 dissolves into liquid (beer) based on overhead pressure and temp of liquid.
Warm liquid will not hold as much CO2 as cold
High pressure will force more CO2 into liquid that low pressure

If you have a carbonated closed bottle at room temp, you have some CO2 forced into liquid as there is pressure in the bottle. Release the pressure and the system will rebalance---CO2 comes out of warm liquid in low pressure. That's gushing.

Chill the bottles a day or two. If it's still gushing, you might have picked up an infection that further fermented (does it taste sour and it should not be sour?).

Yup I put all of them in the fridge now hopefully the CO2 gets dissolved.

I also put one in the freezer for an hour without getting it to freeze. At the moment opening it, it was stable, but all of a sudden it gushes again and picking up all those residue at the bottom lol.

It's not sour, but not particularly good either, I think it's because the residue got kicked up when it's opened.

I hope it's not an infection !