Ale fermentation profile following How To Brew 4th

[MarkMarine]

I've been reading the new edition of How to Brew and there are a couple things mentioned, so I'm trying to tie it all together into a profile. Here is my best guess from the reading:

I'm using WLP090, so per White Labs I chill my wort to 65 deg and pitch, then let it free rise to 67 and hold the temp there for 4 days or so.

Then, per how to brew, I let them temp rise 5-10 deg F for a Maturation Rest. I hold the temp at 75 deg for 4 (up to 8) days.

Now I'm a little lost... the things I have to do are: dry hop (9 days for dry hop 1, 5 days for dry hop 2), cold condition (slowly cool the beer by 2F per day for 9-15F below the fermentation temp to promote flocculation and settle the haze) and carbonate.

so if I follow these things in order, I've got a profile that looks like this:

How does this look? Reasonable? Did I read how to brew incorrectly?

 

[eric19312]

You have modeled it correctly and it looks like it would work. I’m pretty sure you would also do fine holding it at 67 for 2 weeks and packaging.

 

[catdaddy66]

It certainly looks do-able and should be successful. Once you repeat the process and get more comfortable you may realize that brewing beer is fairly forgiving and while the preciseness seems explicit, being close is going to make really good beer as well!

I love this hobby because I get lazy occasionally... Ok, frequently.

 

[mongoose33]

You have modeled it correctly and it looks like it would work. I’m pretty sure you would also do fine holding it at 67 for 2 weeks and packaging.

Typically that's what I'd do. I'm fermenting an Amber right now where I started at 67 degrees. When krausen falls, I bump it to 71 for 48 hours or so, then back down to 67. I might let it go the full two weeks, might keg it earlier depending on time and mood.

 

[RM-MN]

I've been reading the new edition of How to Brew and there are a couple things mentioned, so I'm trying to tie it all together into a profile. Here is my best guess from the reading:

I'm using WLP090, so per White Labs I chill my wort to 65 deg and pitch, then let it free rise to 67 and hold the temp there for 4 days or so.

Then, per how to brew, I let them temp rise 5-10 deg F for a Maturation Rest. I hold the temp at 75 deg for 4 (up to 8) days.

Now I'm a little lost... the things I have to do are: dry hop (9 days for dry hop 1, 5 days for dry hop 2), cold condition (slowly cool the beer by 2F per day for 9-15F below the fermentation temp to promote flocculation and settle the haze) and carbonate.

so if I follow these things in order, I've got a profile that looks like this:

View attachment 566424
How does this look? Reasonable? Did I read how to brew incorrectly?

You pitch the yeast at 65 and let it rise to 67 (or not, your choice. A couple degrees isn't a real big deal) for, not 4 day, but as long as it takes for that part of the fermentation to slow. Yeast doesn't understand calendars and they are the ones in charge. Never follow a strict schedule. Let the beer warm up as it can help the yeast complete their cleanup phase. Again, no calendar. No secondary, this can all work in the primary and it will have less chance of oxidation and infection if left alone. Just leave the beer set where it is for your 4 to 8 to 36 days or whatever you choose. This lets the yeast complete cleanup and clump up to settle out. The longer it sets, the more yeast settles and the more the trub compacts. The yeast will settle faster if you chill the beer but it will settle warm too. About 3 to 7 days before you intend to bottle you add the dry hops to the primary fermenter. I'm not convinced that the two dry hop additions need to be separated. Leaving the hops too long can give your beer a "grassy" smell I'm told but I've left mine in the fermenter for up to 2 weeks without that. It may depend on the hop variety. Bottle up the beer and let it set at room temp for 3 weeks or more. That lets it carbonate fully and if gives time for the heading components to form. From now on your beer can set at the 41 degree or maybe 55 or even 72. It's done. It won't get any doner. It may clear faster if stored cool.