Atonal
Member
Should I wait or should I just bottle condition the brew?
Bottle conditioning a young beer...
- Thread starter Atonal
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
QuercusMax
Well-Known Member
How young are you talking about? And by bottle condition, are you just talking about normal priming and bottling, then allowing to carbonate at around 70F for 3 weeks?
Atonal
Member
The brew has been sitting in the primary for 4 weeks and I haven't bottled it yet. I was just asking if a brew still has that young smell, should I bottle it or should I let it sit in the primary longer? Sorry, I'm a newbie. : )
Mirkin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2013
- Messages
- 66
- Reaction score
- 7
As long as fermentation has ended (3 days of the same hydrometer readings) you can bottle and condition, taste every week or 2 to discover its variation with age.
4 weeks is quite long in primary for most ale styles, unless its a high abv brew I remove from primary within 10 days and have a secondary (cube that fits in fridge easily) I use for dry hopping or any further cold conditioning required such as lagering or a big porter or imperial stout that needs a few months in the naughty corner to calm down ;-)
Secondary vessels are not necessary, but a process of personal preference for some like myself who are old dogs when it comes to some things.
4 weeks is quite long in primary for most ale styles, unless its a high abv brew I remove from primary within 10 days and have a secondary (cube that fits in fridge easily) I use for dry hopping or any further cold conditioning required such as lagering or a big porter or imperial stout that needs a few months in the naughty corner to calm down ;-)
Secondary vessels are not necessary, but a process of personal preference for some like myself who are old dogs when it comes to some things.
TANSTAAFB
Well-Known Member
Can you describe what you are calling a young smell? I keep most brews in the primary for 3-4 weeks to let the Yeastie Beasties clean up and for flavors to blend and mellow. I started doing this because if I bottled sooner I just had to wait for the beer to condition in the bottle! It sounds like you are already doing this so I am wondering what you are detecting. Have you tasted a sample?
Atonal
Member
Smells like green apples and no I haven't had a taste of the brew since BEFORE I pitched the yeast. Here's the recipe. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/cottage-house-saison-254684/
TANSTAAFB
Well-Known Member
That green apple smell is acetaldehyde and is a normal byproduct of fermentation that the yeast would usually clean up in that amount of time. I did a quick search and longer conditioning seems to be only recommended cure, so removing the beer from the yeast now isn't going to help. I would give it a couple more weeks, maybe rouse the yeast with a few gentle swirls. Others have had acetaldehyde problems from saison yeast and time took care of it. Good luck!
Atonal
Member
Thank you. Any clue too what would cause this?
ChandlerBang
Well-Known Member
Outside of anything goofy happening during primary.... This all the way. I usually don't even check the gravity until I'm bottling or kegging.
ChandlerBang
Well-Known Member
A fruity off flavor is usually fermenting too hot. Green apple specifically I've never experienced. Or at least I'm able to say specifically green apple rather than fruit in general.
Atonal
Member
Didn't think that would be a problem during winter. : /
Atonal
Member
So what should I do?
ChandlerBang
Well-Known Member
In my experience age is about the only thing that will help. Bottle it and keep it 70*F for three weeks at least. Then pop a couple in the fridge and give them a try a couple days later. Meanwhile, start another!
ChandlerBang
Well-Known Member
Maybe that's not it. Just a problem I've had. Even in the winter if my basement is 65* the beer at active fermentation could easily be 72 or more.
ChandlerBang
Well-Known Member
Just went back to check this. 4 weeks. That's perfect in my book. The yeast will continue clean up the beer while in the bottles albeit more slowly.
TANSTAAFB
Well-Known Member
"Acetaldehyde
A flavor of green apples or freshly cut pumpkin; it is an intermediate compound in the formation of alcohol. Some yeast strains produce more than others, but generally it's presence indicates that the beer is too young and needs more time to condition."
This is from John Palmer's How to Brew. Many have reported this problem with various Saison yeasts as they may produce more acetaldehyde than other strains. It is a normal part of the fermentation process and the yeast need to clean it up.
Leave it in the fermenter to allow the yeast time to do their job. If you bottle there will be some yeast left, but you will be removing the beer from most of the one thing that can fix your problem. It will take longer to clear in the bottle than it will if you let it bulk condition longer. Just my 2¢...
A flavor of green apples or freshly cut pumpkin; it is an intermediate compound in the formation of alcohol. Some yeast strains produce more than others, but generally it's presence indicates that the beer is too young and needs more time to condition."
This is from John Palmer's How to Brew. Many have reported this problem with various Saison yeasts as they may produce more acetaldehyde than other strains. It is a normal part of the fermentation process and the yeast need to clean it up.
Leave it in the fermenter to allow the yeast time to do their job. If you bottle there will be some yeast left, but you will be removing the beer from most of the one thing that can fix your problem. It will take longer to clear in the bottle than it will if you let it bulk condition longer. Just my 2¢...
allow me to offer up the other point of view: there is nothing wrong with 4 weeks of primary. 10 days on the primary yeast is the minimum i'd recommend, 2-3 weeks is my standard and 4-5 weeks being quite common for my big beers. there is nothing to fear from a 4 weeks primary if you pitched good, healthy yeast. once upon a time good yeast was hard to come by for homebrewers, and you did indeed want to remove it as soon as possible. nowadays good commercial yeast doesn't caused those problems. in fact, extended contact with the beer helps ensure that the yeast have done as much cleaning as possible.
try warming the fermenter. once warmed a few degrees, you could gently rouse the yeast at the bottom of the fermenter and get it back into suspension. this might help re-absorb some of the acetaldehyde.
Mirkin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2013
- Messages
- 66
- Reaction score
- 7
sweetcell said:
Very good and true points, my personal problems aren't with leaving on the yeast it's all the trub from the boil that I don't want tainting the beer from prolonged exposure. That's a problem I have with my process of not being able to whirlpool effectively or filter by boiled wort away from the majority of it.
