Fermenting 8 Days - Solid Yeast floating in bucket

[fireberd350]

See pic. IS this OK?

Process:

1. Chill Wort to 75degrees
2. Aerate with spoon
3. Sprinkle Dry Yeast right from package on top of foam
4. Wait 20min
5. Spoon mix
6. sprinkle remaining dry yeast on top of new foam
7. cover and ferment for a week

I'm new to this but based on the OG of 1.054 and current of 1.014 it means that it did ferment, correct?

 

[Schmoltsbeer]

Looks great.

 

[Rhumbline]

it's fine. the chunks are yeast rafts, nothing to be concerned about. You hit your gravity target and as long as it doesn't smell like @ss then you're good to go.

 

[shortyz]

i just sprinkle the whole packet on the surface and put the lid on. never had any issues.

 

[dmashl]

I always Sprinkle the whole packet on the wort after aerating with a whisk and spoon. Lightly cover the bucket, do my clean up of equipment, then stir the yeast into the wort. Cap it, set the airlock.

 

[fireberd350]

Great feedback as always. Beginner worries, nothing to see here, move along.

Thanks all.

 

[pdog44450]

Yeah that looks fine to me, I'll have floating yeast rafts like that 2+ weeks into fermentation quite often.

In the future however I would do a yeast starter. Here's a very simple way: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html

Also 8 days of fermenting is way too short. I would do at an absolute minimum 2 weeks, ideally 3-4 weeks. The flavor will be much better as even if you are at your FG, the yeast clean up a lot of the remaining "bad stuff" after they finish fermenting.

 

[Clonefan94]

Yeah that looks fine to me, I'll have floating yeast rafts like that 2+ weeks into fermentation quite often.

In the future however I would do a yeast starter. Here's a very simple way: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html

Also 8 days of fermenting is way too short. I would do at an absolute minimum 2 weeks, ideally 3-4 weeks. The flavor will be much better as even if you are at your FG, the yeast clean up a lot of the remaining "bad stuff" after they finish fermenting.

Sorry, but some of your information is just off.

You don't make starters for dry yeast. Rehydration of the dry yeast is best, but it's been said on here many times, don't do starter with dry yeast.

Also, 3-4 weeks for fermentation? For a normal gravity beer, that was brewed with good practices and temperature control, you can package when you reach final gravity. I like to personally go 2 weeks, because then I don't feel the need to check FG all the time to see when it's done,

I'll do three weeks a lot, because that's what fits my pipeline, but plenty of people on here turn around good beer from grain to glass in two weeks. No need to promote 3-4 weeks as a necessity, if it works for you, great, but there really is no need to promote it as "The way to do it."

Now darker and or higher gravity beers are a different story, but for a lighter colored 1.054 beer, I wouldn't wait 4 weeks for fermentation to be done.

 

[Rhumbline]

I'm not sure if it's just a matter of terminology, it's true that fermentation is frequently done in one week or less but I always give a brew 2 weeks more to clean up.

I do use a secondary and for simple low % beers it usually works out to 1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary, three weeks bottle aging/carbonation.

Others have good results with a different time profile, it's just whatever results in a brew that you like.

 

[pdog44450]

Sorry, but some of your information is just off.

You don't make starters for dry yeast. Rehydration of the dry yeast is best, but it's been said on here many times, don't do starter with dry yeast.

Also, 3-4 weeks for fermentation? For a normal gravity beer, that was brewed with good practices and temperature control, you can package when you reach final gravity. I like to personally go 2 weeks, because then I don't feel the need to check FG all the time to see when it's done,

I'll do three weeks a lot, because that's what fits my pipeline, but plenty of people on here turn around good beer from grain to glass in two weeks. No need to promote 3-4 weeks as a necessity, if it works for you, great, but there really is no need to promote it as "The way to do it."

Now darker and or higher gravity beers are a different story, but for a lighter colored 1.054 beer, I wouldn't wait 4 weeks for fermentation to be done.

First, I meant rehydrating the dry yeast, not a starter. The link I provided clearly shows rehydration, sorry for my mistake.

Second, don't call me out for accusing me of saying I do it the right way. I specifically said "I WOULD DO"... I never said "do it this way".

I don't bottle until a minimum of 3 weeks in the primary no matter what the OG is. I have found the final product is much better tasting. Patience is big in home brewing, if anything, that's what I'm trying to communicate.

Don't be an ass.

 

[pdog44450]

I'm not sure if it's just a matter of terminology, it's true that fermentation is frequently done in one week or less but I always give a brew 2 weeks more to clean up.

I do use a secondary and for simple low % beers it usually works out to 1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary, three weeks bottle aging/carbonation.

Others have good results with a different time profile, it's just whatever results in a brew that you like.

Exactly, I agree 100%. Just because the beer is done fermenting doesn't mean you bottle it. Some of my beers ferment in 3 days but will obviously taste terrible so being done fermenting means nothing when it comes to making a great beer.

 

[Clonefan94]

First, I meant rehydrating the dry yeast, not a starter. The link I provided clearly shows rehydration, sorry for my mistake.

Second, don't call me out for accusing me of saying I do it the right way. I specifically said "I WOULD DO"... I never said "do it this way".

I don't bottle until a minimum of 3 weeks in the primary no matter what the OG is. I have found the final product is much better tasting. Patience is big in home brewing, if anything, that's what I'm trying to communicate.

Don't be an ass.

I wasn't being an ass, just relaying information to a new brewer based on what you posted. Your post clearly stated "Starter" Sorry, i didn't read the link because I know how to make a starter so I didn't bother clicking that.

Also, just because you find your beer better tasting after 3 weeks doesn't mean that everyones has to be that way. In fact, hoppy ales are usually the best the younger they are. I brew a House Amber regularly. My friends and family always comment on how consistent it is and often wonder if it's the same one they had last time. Rarely it is. I've turned that beer around in two weeks before and have also kegged it at 3 weeks and not tapped it for another 2. I will say at that point they aren't exactly the same, but honestly, I would never say one is better than the other. I don't think you are wrong, I just believe that time isn't the sole contributor to making a beer better. Best brewing practices over all is what makes a better beer.

Also 8 days of fermenting is way too short. I would do at an absolute minimum 2 weeks, ideally 3-4 weeks. The flavor will be much better as even if you are at your FG, the yeast clean up a lot of the remaining "bad stuff" after they finish fermenting.

Again, not being an ass here either, but above is what you posted. The bolded part is what I noticed. There is no "Ideally 3-4 weeks" rule.

I'm sorry if you took offense to my post. It wasn't meant that way. But, just throwing times out there like "Minimum two weeks." Ideally 3-4 weeks" is really not solid information for a new brewer. A beer is done fermenting when it's reached final gravity, no more, no less. If you choose to leave it for 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or a year, that's up to you, but at that point your beer is conditioning or aging, not fermenting.

 

[Firewalker11]

Lots of wives tales here. Yes, I know I'll get flamed good but there are a few opinions here that are not backed by science in that production brewers just don't do what is being argued about.

Damian McCon, head brewer at Summit told me directly that once the yeast has stopped working and has become dormant (no food to eat), the beer can be taken off the cake with no Ill effects. As far as the yeast cleaning up goes, yes, they can chew on other yeast or stuff left behind in the trub but if the recipe is the flavor you want, pull it and keg it, bottle it, move to secondary etc. But leaving it in primary is a waste of time, money (brewerys) and unknown flavor changes.

Big backstep: many beers do better in primary over as longer time period, many do not. This is home brewing so YMMV.

Secondly, YES! Dry yeast is "started" just like a smack pack to increase cells. Can you sprinkle and forget? Yes you can. Will your beer turn out Ok? Likely. Well it be as good as it can be? Doubtful.