Low OG (1.050), low IBU (20) and light colored beer. FG reached in about a week.
Am I crazy to bottle at day 14?
Am I crazy to bottle at day 14?
Ferm time too short
- Thread starter Ridire
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Rugrad02
Well-Known Member
Not crazy!!! But if you want to be "double" sure, wait another week before bottling. If your reading is to your liking though I say bottle it.
OP
OP
Last time I made this beer, I left it in fermenter for 5 weeks. This time I think I'll try it at 14 days and see if I can tell the difference.
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OP
woozy said:
Agreed about being crazy for other reasons.
Gravity is under 1.010. I brought the temperature up a few degrees, I think I will cold crash all day Friday and try to get it in bottles Saturday. I'll be thrilled if I can get this beer from boil to bottle that quick without sacrificing the quality...and I have a benchmark now that I've let it ride longer recently.
EDIT: the sample did not look quite as clear as the last batch...but I increased the wheat this time.
OP
OP
On the cold crash point, I've never done it before. Using an Ale Pail and I'm a bit concerned about airlock suck back. Do you get this with the Ale Pail lots of headspace or just with carboys and bung?
I was thinking of sanitizing aluminum foil, removing the air lock and covering the entire top with the foil.
Alternatively, I have an Ale Pail lid with no airlock hole. Should I just sanitize that lid and use it during cold crash?
I was thinking of sanitizing aluminum foil, removing the air lock and covering the entire top with the foil.
Alternatively, I have an Ale Pail lid with no airlock hole. Should I just sanitize that lid and use it during cold crash?
freisste
Well-Known Member
Either option is fine. If you choose the alternate lid, make sure you set it on the bucket, but don't snap it down. Unlikely, but you could get enough vacuum to crack the lid.
I've heard that people use the aluminum foil method successfully.
I've heard that people use the aluminum foil method successfully.
If you're going to cold crash, do it now and give it the 3-5 days needed to work well. It will take several hours for the beer to get down to crash temp (I crash at 35*F), so one day won't really get the job done.
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BigFloyd said:
Done. Ferm chamber set for 36F. This makes me more nervous about shortening the ferm time, though. This means I will have yeast below active temp at only 10-11 days. I can't believe I've got any more attenuation to achieve but my yeast will also cease "cleaning up", right?
EDIT: but I guess that's why you need to experiment, right?
If you give it three weeks in the bottles at 70-75*F, it ought to condition fine.
I really wasn't trying to encourage you to conclude the fermentation right away, but wanted to give you the heads-up about allowing the cold crash the time it needs.
I really wasn't trying to encourage you to conclude the fermentation right away, but wanted to give you the heads-up about allowing the cold crash the time it needs.
OP
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BigFloyd said:
Definitely plan on 3 weeks in bottles at room temp and a week in the fridge.
OP
OP
Yeah, I do not want any bottle bombs. Visible signs of fermentation (airlock activity - yes, I know) ended about 72 hours after pitch. Gravity is now at around 1.009 or 1.008 and holding. My only concern was really with the "clean up" I hear so much about after fermentation has ended. Guess I'll see, as the beer was at around 40 degrees this morning when I checked it; can't imagine the yeast are doing much of anything right now.
OP
OP
OK, I do not want to start a new thread to ask this because I'm sure it has been asked a thousand times (and I'm too lazy to sort through search results) but this will be the first batch I've bottled since the weather started looking summery around here. Any downside to bottle conditioning in my garage, where temps may fluctuate a great deal from mid-day to late night, reaching highs in the upper 80's?
This time of year, I just find an out of the way place inside the house (constant 75*F) to bottle condition. I don't know if upper 80's would have any negative effect (since I've not done that), but I'd not want to put the bottles in a place where the temp fluctuates a lot.
OP
OP
My problem is the only "out of the way" place I have is my basement. Basement ambient temps will not get to 70 unless it is crazy hot outside for an extended period of time. I had this batch in a ferm chamber with the probe taped to the fermenter and the Johnson control set for 66F. I think I heard the fridge turn on once during fermentation.
I just thought I might get quicker carb from the garage when outdoor temps are well above 70F during the day but maybe as low as 60F at night. Now that I think about it, the temp in the garage probably won't drop that much with the door closed...it seems to hold temperature fairly well in there when the door is closed.
freisste
Well-Known Member
Put them in a cooler in the garage. It will reduce temp swings considerably. You could even add a bit of water for extra thermal mass, but I would be concerned with mold. I know the bottles are sealed, but I still don't want to mess around with it on the outside of the bottles.
OP
OP
Ok, beer is at 39F when I got home tonight. Is that cold enough to get a good cold crash? Not sure if it is still getting cooler but I think the fridge had shut off so I doubt ambient temp (whatever that is right now) is as cold as it is getting.
EDIT: spoke too soon. Beer temp is now at 38F and compressor is running. Maybe she'll get down to 35F?
EDIT: spoke too soon. Beer temp is now at 38F and compressor is running. Maybe she'll get down to 35F?
You're fine. Let it sit there at that temp for a few days and you'll be good to go to the bottling bucket.
When priming the cold beer especially, you'll want to gently stir with a sanitized plastic spoon to evenly distribute the sugar.
When priming the cold beer especially, you'll want to gently stir with a sanitized plastic spoon to evenly distribute the sugar.
OP
OP
Down to 35 and holding. Going in bottles tomorrow. If its anywhere near as good as this recipe was when I left it for 5-6 weeks in the fermenter, I will be one happy dude.
I routinely package beers by day 14. The "clean up process" we talk about so often is after the yeast is finishing up fermenting, but it still active. After the fermentable sugars are gone, the yeast will scrounge for other less preferred foods to eat, including digesting their own waste products. That's important, but it only lasts for about 24 hours or so once final gravity is reached. That's why it's good to make sure the beer has been finished at least three days, and is starting to clear- you know that process is finished. I've packaged beers at day 10 when the fermentation finished in 5 days, and then the beer started to clear. It's fine to package by day 14.
It should be. More time in the fermenter, once the yeast has finished its job and the clean up phase is finished, won't do anything. Except maybe give the beer a bit more clarity, since it had more time for gravity to work.
OP
OP
Sure hope you're right, Yoop. First time it turned out very clear.
