Must you bottle exactly at the end of fermentation?
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As long as you keep a good seal so no air can get in, it will be fine in there for a month or more. It might even get better...
My usual yeast is US-05 and my typical schedule is:
3 weeks at 63F
2 days at 72F
2 days at 32F
Although lately I have been playing with kveik yeast, which can be completely done in 1 week, which I am really appreciating!
My usual yeast is US-05 and my typical schedule is:
3 weeks at 63F
2 days at 72F
2 days at 32F
Although lately I have been playing with kveik yeast, which can be completely done in 1 week, which I am really appreciating!
Does ambient temperature play a huge role - the kit instructions said nothing about temps. Of course I don't have a way to keep something that large at 32F or even 63F as I'm in the south US. I have it in my basement...so it's dark, but even so it's still 75F down there.
If it was that warm during the peak of fermentation, we can assume the actual temp of the fermenting wort was probably 85+. Not ideal. You should look into swamp coolers until you're able to have a dedicated fermentation chamber.
It really depends on the yeast. I ferment in a dorm fridge that my wife picked up at a yard sale for cheap. Before I had that, I would keep my fermentor in a big rope tub of water with a black t-shirt draped over it. If I needed it cooler than that got it, I'd blow a fan on it and if I needed even cooler I'd toss in 2-liter bottles of frozen water. As the water wicks up the t-shirt it evaporates and cools the fermentor. With California's dry air, that typically made a 15F difference.
On the other hand, kveik and saison yeast can be happy from 70F to 100F.
On the other hand, kveik and saison yeast can be happy from 70F to 100F.
One of those 6 gallon plastic jugs (northern brewer) fits in a dorm fridge?
When it comes to bottling , making sure the fermentation is complete is a must. 14 days its should be done , however always check with a hydrometer to make sure. I'm a 3 week in the fermenter kind of guy. It will be fine until you get back .
As of temps , yeah it's a huge part right behind cleaning and sanitizing imo. You will get off flavors . What kit did you brew?
+1 on the swamp cooler method until you get something set up.
As of temps , yeah it's a huge part right behind cleaning and sanitizing imo. You will get off flavors . What kit did you brew?
+1 on the swamp cooler method until you get something set up.
It would fit easily in mine. If you take the empty jug with you to the appliance store, they should be happy to let you try it in each of them. Even if you don't buy new, it will give you a good idea what to look for. Plug the fridge into an Inkbird controller and you can set it to any temperature you want.
as long as there's no oxygen, it won't turn to vinegar.....so you'll have an alcoholic drink! 
edit: and at 75f, it'll probably be done in 4-5 days, could bottle before your trip....
edit: and at 75f, it'll probably be done in 4-5 days, could bottle before your trip....
Well this is going to chap my hide if the "beginner's brew kit" from northern brewer has no mention of fermenting temperature and mine goes to sh*t.
The directions say this exactly "Move the fermenter to a warm, dark, quiet spot until fermentation begins."
Block party amber ale is the recipe kit I'm using.
The directions say this exactly "Move the fermenter to a warm, dark, quiet spot until fermentation begins."
Block party amber ale is the recipe kit I'm using.
My guess is that it won't be sh*t, it just won't be as good as it could have been. I'll bet it is still good, will surprise your friends and you are learning a lot!
A rope tub full of water in this case would have tripled the thermal mass and kept the inner temperature from spiking as much. It would be a great experience to brew the same beer again and taste the difference for yourself.
A rope tub full of water in this case would have tripled the thermal mass and kept the inner temperature from spiking as much. It would be a great experience to brew the same beer again and taste the difference for yourself.
Hmm says it comes with muntons ale yeast and temp range of 57-77. Then the instructions say to add yeast when wort is 78 lol. How could a company instruct a brewer to add yeast at 78 knowing that fermentation drives the temp up! These kits are often done by starting brewers who wouldn't know . This is why you hear people saying the first thing to do with these kits are to toss the instructions.
Lefou
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Don't you just love those brewing directions?
The base kit includes Muntons dry yeast. I would've set it aside and purchased WLP001 instead - if it was available.
Ambient temps can't always be relied on but I tend to keep it low to mid 60's at most for non-temperature controlled brewing.
The base kit includes Muntons dry yeast. I would've set it aside and purchased WLP001 instead - if it was available.
Ambient temps can't always be relied on but I tend to keep it low to mid 60's at most for non-temperature controlled brewing.
I did pitch yeast at 64F...I did read enough before hand to get as low as possible.
Charlie Papazian, the Godfather of homebrewing, coined the phrase "Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew" (RDWHAHB). I personally love the research that goes into making my beer better, but you can't let the uncontrollable stuff stress you out.
The airlock bubbles are not a reliable measure of fermentation progress. You need to take a gravity reading with a hydrometer, if you get the same reading a few days apart, it is done fermenting.
If I felt like gambling, I'd bottle on day 13 but more than likely I'd wait until day 21. The airlock is fun to watch, but it doesn't tell the whole story and can be fooled.
Lefou
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I'm one of those laissez-faire people. It's French for "lazy".
Anything 1.050 or below for SG I will still wait three weeks before bottling - but that's me. Typically my routine waits until we have our first frost in NJ before I decide to do non-temperature controlled brewing in the house. Some people think 58F-60F in the house during fall and winter seems cold, but it's relative. It seems to work for me and my fermentations have been fairly reliable using glass carboys so far.
Anything 1.050 or below for SG I will still wait three weeks before bottling - but that's me. Typically my routine waits until we have our first frost in NJ before I decide to do non-temperature controlled brewing in the house. Some people think 58F-60F in the house during fall and winter seems cold, but it's relative. It seems to work for me and my fermentations have been fairly reliable using glass carboys so far.
Same here. My last batch has been in the fermenter for a month now. Need to either cold crash it or just transfer to a keg.
davidabcd
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Bottle it when you get back. Check that the gravity is stable then for two days in a row. I don't do that but it is the safest way.
For being new to brewing, 75F is fine. The beer will be fine. As far as the airlock, fermenting higher will cause it to finish in as little as 3-5 days so you're fine.
For being new to brewing, 75F is fine. The beer will be fine. As far as the airlock, fermenting higher will cause it to finish in as little as 3-5 days so you're fine.
If you don’t already have these 2 tools, get them soon and it’ll be the best $10-$15 you can spend.
Have them. That’s how I measured a sg of 1.110 (before topping up with water....doh)
I’m glad you provided a link for that, because I had no idea what a “rope tub” was.
Kickass
Well-Known Member
I’m going to go against the current here, under one condition: gravity has stabilized within the expected FG range of the yeast strain. Which, as warm as you fermented, I’d lay money down at Vegas that she’s done.
I rarely ferment a beer beyond 10 days. I can’t tell a noticeable difference. I have a 1.051 amber ale that was brewed 9 days ago and I’m kicking myself for not cold crashing it tonight.
I rarely ferment a beer beyond 10 days. I can’t tell a noticeable difference. I have a 1.051 amber ale that was brewed 9 days ago and I’m kicking myself for not cold crashing it tonight.
Yes once your beer is done it's safe to bottle. If you bottle without checking you are probably safe after 10 days . It just takes 5 minutes to check the gravity. That 5 minutes could save you from bottle bombs.
When the beer is safe to bottle happens at least several days BEFORE it is sediment free. No harm in waiting a week longer.
dwhite60
Well-Known Member
I live in central NC. When I got started I made a LOT of pretty good beer at room temp meaning about 74F. Now, I do have some temp control and I make better beer.
I won a blue ribbon in a local competition for a pale ale I made using Wyeast 1056 and pretty much a 74F room temp. Judges said it was very clean.
You're starting out. You're not going to have everything you want to make the best beer possible but, you will make good beer. If you are stuck fermenting really warm look into Saisons. Great beers at room temp. Also, like someone else said, a change of yeast to a WLP-001 or a Fermentis US-05 will work better at higher temps.
Relax. Your beer will be fine! That first batch is always scary though.
All the Best,
D. White
I won a blue ribbon in a local competition for a pale ale I made using Wyeast 1056 and pretty much a 74F room temp. Judges said it was very clean.
You're starting out. You're not going to have everything you want to make the best beer possible but, you will make good beer. If you are stuck fermenting really warm look into Saisons. Great beers at room temp. Also, like someone else said, a change of yeast to a WLP-001 or a Fermentis US-05 will work better at higher temps.
Relax. Your beer will be fine! That first batch is always scary though.
All the Best,
D. White
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Your beer will be totally fine whenever you bottle it. I'm going to say that you won't notice any temperature related off flavors and you will go on to brew many beers and flout conventions like fermentation temperature and time length repeatedly.
So if I do the math right with OG of 1.044 (guesstimate since I did it before adding water) to right now of 1.012...OG-FG * 131 = ABV means that it's 1.044-1.012*131 = 4.19%
I suspect that if I check the gravity in 3 more days and if no change is made...its done and ready to bottle???
I suspect that if I check the gravity in 3 more days and if no change is made...its done and ready to bottle???
dwhite60
Well-Known Member
Good color. Needs to settle a bit more though. I'd let it sit with the lid on for at least another week.
Did you taste it? Anything completely off-putting? If so don't worry, three weeks in the bottle and it will change quite a bit.
You're on your way!
All the Best,
D. White
Did you taste it? Anything completely off-putting? If so don't worry, three weeks in the bottle and it will change quite a bit.
You're on your way!
All the Best,
D. White
No tasting - I will next time I test the gravity. Smells like a normal beer though.
Question on settling/bottling - I have a valve on my fermenter that's about 1in off the bottom of the bucket. Should I bottle via the valve and assume all the sediment will not be picked up as it'll be below the hole to the valve...or use the racking siphon?
dwhite60
Well-Known Member
Depends.
If you have priming sugar normal process is to boil it in about a cup of water for 15 minutes, let it cool, dump it into you bottling bucket then siphon the beer in on top of it. Use a spoon to do some gentle stirring to blend the solution but not get air in the beer. You then siphon from that into your bottles.
I, and many others, started using the "Domino's Dots" sugar cubes to prime. One in a twelve ounce bottle is perfect carbonation for your beer. Then you can bottle right out of your fermenter through the valve. The cubes are a tight fit in some necks but they can be forced without breaking the bottle (ask how I know).
Using the valve you will probably get a bit of sediment in your first couple bottles but the vast majority will be fine.
You do have a "bottling wand"?
All the Best,
D. White
If you have priming sugar normal process is to boil it in about a cup of water for 15 minutes, let it cool, dump it into you bottling bucket then siphon the beer in on top of it. Use a spoon to do some gentle stirring to blend the solution but not get air in the beer. You then siphon from that into your bottles.
I, and many others, started using the "Domino's Dots" sugar cubes to prime. One in a twelve ounce bottle is perfect carbonation for your beer. Then you can bottle right out of your fermenter through the valve. The cubes are a tight fit in some necks but they can be forced without breaking the bottle (ask how I know).
Using the valve you will probably get a bit of sediment in your first couple bottles but the vast majority will be fine.
You do have a "bottling wand"?
All the Best,
D. White
What did the instructions say the OG and FG were supposed to be? I have found that every one of the extract kits I've done were right where the kit said it should be. So if the kit says the OG should be around 1.044 then yeah you have a 4.2 abv beer.
You dont want to bottle from your fermenter because you have to add priming sugar and stir, which would rise up all the trub and crud. Unless you are using dots or priming each bottle . If so then yeah I'd bottle via that spigot. Use a small piece of tubing connecting your spigot with your bottling wand and your good to go.
You dont want to bottle from your fermenter because you have to add priming sugar and stir, which would rise up all the trub and crud. Unless you are using dots or priming each bottle . If so then yeah I'd bottle via that spigot. Use a small piece of tubing connecting your spigot with your bottling wand and your good to go.
Sorry dwhite beat me to the punch lol.
Thanks jag and dwhite. Yes I do have a bottling wand.
Technically I have the priming sugar from the kit that I was going to put in my other fermenter (the kit I bought had 2 plastic buckets...I added a valve to the one that didn’t come with it) then transfer from the fermenter it’s in now via the valve (instead of pouring like instructions show) and then bottle from the second container’s valve.
OG per instructions is 1.043. I backed into my 1.044 based on the measurement I took of the concentrate and how much water I added.
Technically I have the priming sugar from the kit that I was going to put in my other fermenter (the kit I bought had 2 plastic buckets...I added a valve to the one that didn’t come with it) then transfer from the fermenter it’s in now via the valve (instead of pouring like instructions show) and then bottle from the second container’s valve.
OG per instructions is 1.043. I backed into my 1.044 based on the measurement I took of the concentrate and how much water I added.
Cool deal . Just make sure when you transfer to the priming solution bucket use tubing that goes to the bottom so it doesnt splash inviting large amounts of o2.
dwhite60
Well-Known Member
Instructions showed POURING the finished beer? Nuts. Do that and your beer IS finished!
I think you did the smart thing adding the valve to the second bucket. Siphoning can be a pain in the arse. Now you can just run it from the fermentor through a hose into the bottling bucket. Be sure your hose goes ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM of the bottling bucket. You want to eliminate any splashing which will get air into your beer and give you oxidized flavors.
Remember with valves, lots of nooks and crannies inside of them. You need to be really thorough in cleaning them. Lots of people here use them without problems. Just keep them clean. Rinse well and sanitize well.
All the Best,
D. White
I think you did the smart thing adding the valve to the second bucket. Siphoning can be a pain in the arse. Now you can just run it from the fermentor through a hose into the bottling bucket. Be sure your hose goes ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM of the bottling bucket. You want to eliminate any splashing which will get air into your beer and give you oxidized flavors.
Remember with valves, lots of nooks and crannies inside of them. You need to be really thorough in cleaning them. Lots of people here use them without problems. Just keep them clean. Rinse well and sanitize well.
All the Best,
D. White
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