zombiefreak
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- Joined
- Jun 15, 2012
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Just curious if anyone has seen this. I've got about 80 batches under my belt and have never run across this. I've never had a stuck fermentation and I've only made lagers about 8 times.
I made a lager on 1/18/14 and pitched 2 packs of Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager Yeast and did not make a starter, didn't have time. I pitched at about 60 degrees and put the carboy in my swamp cooler with two ice packs which slowly brought it down to 50 degrees. Everyday I swap the ice packs out and it keeps at 50 degrees solid with not lid(Great friggin cooler)
Within 24 hours I saw signs of krausen building to a very thin layer. On 1/23/14 everything dropped out and not a stitch of Krausen was to bee seen so I assumed it was a quick fermentation but I stuck to my schedule and left the beer in the swamp cooler.
During the polar Vortex it got real cold so I upped my house temp from 70 degrees to 72 for 2 days. Yesterday I go to swap out the ice packs in the cooler and bang, there's a new layer of Krausen on top of my beer. I did a double take. I've never seen everything drop out completely and then come back. I did a temperature check and my swamp cooler had risen to 55 degrees. I'm assuming the change in temp caused this. I've never seen everything drop out and then come back again.
So my questions are, have ya seen this before and is this just a product of a stuck fermentation. And...what temp do you think I should keep it at 50 or 55 degrees? I planned originally on a 14 day fermentation in primary and 25 days in the secondary at 34 degrees at a minimum.
Attached is the photo of the fermentation coming back to life, I don't have the before picture.
I made a lager on 1/18/14 and pitched 2 packs of Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager Yeast and did not make a starter, didn't have time. I pitched at about 60 degrees and put the carboy in my swamp cooler with two ice packs which slowly brought it down to 50 degrees. Everyday I swap the ice packs out and it keeps at 50 degrees solid with not lid(Great friggin cooler)
Within 24 hours I saw signs of krausen building to a very thin layer. On 1/23/14 everything dropped out and not a stitch of Krausen was to bee seen so I assumed it was a quick fermentation but I stuck to my schedule and left the beer in the swamp cooler.
During the polar Vortex it got real cold so I upped my house temp from 70 degrees to 72 for 2 days. Yesterday I go to swap out the ice packs in the cooler and bang, there's a new layer of Krausen on top of my beer. I did a double take. I've never seen everything drop out completely and then come back. I did a temperature check and my swamp cooler had risen to 55 degrees. I'm assuming the change in temp caused this. I've never seen everything drop out and then come back again.
So my questions are, have ya seen this before and is this just a product of a stuck fermentation. And...what temp do you think I should keep it at 50 or 55 degrees? I planned originally on a 14 day fermentation in primary and 25 days in the secondary at 34 degrees at a minimum.
Attached is the photo of the fermentation coming back to life, I don't have the before picture.
