Am I being a worry wort?

[Pantherjon]

Yes, pun fully intentional...

Anyway, with 1 brew under my belt I have been busy in the couple weeks following that brew..Currently I have 3 batches fermenting in their LBK's in my closet...Now for some 'show and tell' and words of wisdom if I am being a worry wort...

PIC 1: My 2nd brew, Bavarian Weissbier, brewed on 12/15..Never really achieved a thick layer of krausen like my 1st(Czech Pils), and now just 'patches' of foam..Brew started on 12/8..Was planning on bottling this coming Tuesday the 29th..

PIC 2: Classic American Light..Has a pretty consistent, but thin, layer of krausen on top..Brew started on 12/15..A little concerned with the condensation on the top of the LBK..Bottling planned for the 1st Tuesday in January.

PIC 3: Brewdemon kit Brown Nut Ale, fairly thick krausen layer over the entire top of liquid..Brew started on 12/15..Been like this pretty consistently from day 2..Again quite a bit of condensation in top of LBK...Now, these 2 brews I did on 12/15(C.A.L. being a Mr Beer kit), I may have pitched my yeast with the wort a bit hot...The wort temp for both of them were right at 80F, main contributor to the condensation in the top of the LBK?

So, am I just being a worry wort and should relax? Or any real concerns? I am trying to be relaxed, but am still a bit nervous that I have something funky going on...I was going to do a hydrometer reading on them but can't find my vial..sigh...lol..Thoughts?

 

[kh54s10]

The only thing I see of any concern is pitching the yeast at 80 degrees. I ferment in the mid sixties and get the wort to that temperature before pitching the yeast.

You could have off flavors. It will most likely be fine, but a bit different than intended. How far off depends on the recipe and the type of yeast used.

So, while you have something to worry about, there is nothing you need to do. As to the amount of krausen, it will vary with each batch. No worries here unless you get none at all.

 

[madscientist451]

Yes, you are worrying too much. Forget about your plans on bottling on any specific date.
Wait for the ferment to stop, wait a day or two and take a gravity reading, then wait 2-3 more days and take another reading to see if it changed. If its done, go ahead with your bottling routine. For $25 you can get a 5 gallon carboy, get a 7 gallon pot on line and make 3-4 gallon batches on your kitchen stove and quit using kits.

 

[Pantherjon]

Okay...worrying mode off...So, on the Weissbier,or actually on all 3, just wait until all the foam is gone before bottling?

I do have 2 5G kits w/buckets waiting for me to initiate..Just 'working my way up' so to speak..When I start the 5G brews they will be partial grain recipes. After I get a couple of those under my belt I will try doing all grain stuff..

 

[johnsant]

Everything is fine "your making BEER' all fermentation is different so just RDWHAHB.

 

[AkTom]

I'd wait at least 2 full weeks. Then bottle. Don't be in a big hurry.

 

[Pantherjon]

Everything is fine "your making BEER' all fermentation is different so just RDWHAHB.

Yeah, I am, at least I am hoping it is beer when it gets done! LOL...S'Okay, deep breaths, relaxing..Does a Sam Adams Winter Lager count?

I guess I am just OCD, I look in on my 'babies' every night as I am going to bed!LMAO

Quick question..Since I can't seem to find my test vial(either I didn't order one, or mine has gone hiding) how tall of a glass would I need to use to get a proper gravity test? I DO know where my hydrometer is!

 

[johnsant]

Use a glass of water and hydrometer insure it floats.

 

[Pantherjon]

Use a glass of water and hydrometer insure it floats.

Only glass I could find that would allow the hydrometer to float is HUGE and would dang near take half my batch! So, will just have to rely on the tongue..LOL

Anyway, being OCD about these brews and checking them nightly..Thought I would post an update on them...

The Weissbier still has little 'islands' of foam still floating around. Drew a 1/2 shot glass worth and took a sip..Tasting a bit more 'beer like' but still has a bit of a fruity cider taste to it...

The Nut Brown Ale still has a good layer of foam about 1/4" covering the top of the liquid..Condensation on the inside of the LBK has pretty much disappeared...Did not pull a taste sample.. Then, I got bold..

The C.A.L. still has a pretty intact thin(approx 1/8" thick) layer of krueasen(sp?) floating on top of it...Condensation on the inside all but gone, a little bit still there but not nearly as much as a few days ago..Did not pull a taste sample.. NOW, here is where I got adventurous.. I had recently just received 2lbs of hops(1lb of Cascade and 1lb of Columbus) and after mulling it over for a goodly while, I decided 'what the ****' and tossed a 1/2oz of Columbus hops into the fermenter to 'dry hop'. Just loose by themselves to swim and enjoy the fermenting beer! LOL


Pulled 2 bottles of my 1st brew and stuck in the fridge..Squeeze test indicates full carb, but, are they in 'prime time' ready for drinking? Will find out later tonight when I open one as I watch 'Curse of Oak Island'!


Comments and/or concerns?

 

[Dirt_McGirt]

Until you get a graduated cylinder or wine their that allow you to take hydrometer readings in a small sample, could you do the same in the container your hydrometer came in? My second hydrometer came in a narrow, clear cylinder like that, and it's what I typically use.

 

[slym2none]

Yep, that's how I use mine. It's a little narrow & the hydro likes to stick to the sides sometimes, but I can get it to work.

 

[Pantherjon]

Until you get a graduated cylinder or wine their that allow you to take hydrometer readings in a small sample, could you do the same in the container your hydrometer came in? My second hydrometer came in a narrow, clear cylinder like that, and it's what I typically use.

The case for mine is a square clam shell arrangement..Not much bigger then the hydrometer is in diameter to keep it from rattling about in transit...Guess time to hit the web and get a cylinder...

 

[rmarshall100]

Leave them all alone. The weissbeer especially needs to rest a few more days to a week to work off that cidery or "green apple" (my words) flavor. Let the yeast do it's work. Do you have any good idea what temperature your babies have been at?

 

[Pantherjon]

Leave them all alone. The weissbeer especially needs to rest a few more days to a week to work off that cidery or "green apple" (my words) flavor. Let the yeast do it's work. Do you have any good idea what temperature your babies have been at?

I have one of those tape on 'fermometer's and it is reading 70 right now.Ambient air temp in room has been between 68 and 74..

 

[Dirt_McGirt]

The case for mine is a square clam shell arrangement..Not much bigger then the hydrometer is in diameter to keep it from rattling about in transit...Guess time to hit the web and get a cylinder...

Or....or...if you can find any of those tubes of M&Ms or other candy shaped like candy canes on after holiday clearance, they're pretty much the same size and shape. I used one of those for my very first brew.

 

[Dirt_McGirt]

Yep, that's how I use mine. It's a little narrow & the hydro likes to stick to the sides sometimes, but I can get it to work.

Haha...yeah - the main drawback is that there's no stable base, so I have to make sure not to breath on it when I set it on a surface for measurement!

 

[slym2none]

Oh, mine came with a little base.

hmm...

 

[Dirt_McGirt]

Fancy! Probably going to order a legit grad cylinder on my next order of odds and ends.

 

[Pantherjon]

Just placed an order for a few other thingies and threw in a vial..Should be here Thursday..Gotta love Amazon Prime!

 

[Doctor_M]

Just placed an order for a few other thingies and threw in a vial..Should be here Thursday..Gotta love Amazon Prime!

I was about ready to post that between amazon prime and places like more beer you should be able to get most things home brew delivered within 3 days.

 

[rmarshall100]

My LHBS charges the princely sum of $3.20 for a "test jar". I bought two since I just lost mine due to a fall from a height. Luckily, it was empty at the time.

 

[Pantherjon]

And I JUST realized that the 5G kit I ordered from Adventures in Home Brewing has a hydrometer and test vial! DOH! BUT, the box is kind of buried right now with all sorts of other brewing paraphernalia on it! LOL Plus I get my new vial tomorrow, so it can wait.

I have kind of gone a bit overboard with the brewing thingy me thinks...lol

 

[Pantherjon]

Okay, got my new hydrometer and test vial in today. And I pulled a sample from the weissbier..IF I am reading this thing correctly(and I got a bit of foaming when I pulled the sample<???>) and I THINK I read it as 1.030..The triple scale hydrometer I used has markings for wine and beer and the reading was in the green zone for beer. The one labeled 'Finished'... I know the level was in between the 2nd and 3rd line below 1.00 so that would be 1.025, correct? And wort temp was 70 degrees, so instructions show a temp correction of +0.002, which would be 1.027..And according to their table would put ABV at about 3.3-3.9%....So, looks like this batch is ready to go into bottles?

 

[Pantherjon]

Okay, so I went ahead and decided to bottle my 2nd batch of beer..The Bavarian Weissbeir..Pulled the LBK out of the closet and set it on the dining table..Did jostle it a little, so I started sanitizing the bottles and caps and getting things ready would allow any 'stuff' to settle...Then I bottled! Went fairly smoothly, only mishap was the last bottle as I needed to tip the LBK and I overfilled the bottle spilling some on the floor..I made sure to label the cap on that bottle so I would know it was the last one and to expect a bit more sediment then usual..All in all took me a little over an hour. Got almost a full case out of it! Am using one of the plastic bottles from my first batch as the 'control' so I can judge when carb is done...

Of course a picture is needed..no picture, it didn't happen!LOL