TheBrahmanBrewer
Member
So this is our (we are group of three colleagues doing this together) first attempt at brewing after having researched the topic well over 2 months. We finally decided to take the plunge and brewed an all extract Red Ale out of best brewers kit and a cloned Kingfisher (Indian Beer) recipe. I wanted to see if we had our steps / plan laid out correctly. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Both brews were done and set for fermenting on Saturday around 5 pm.
1) Red Ale - Used the Nottingham Ale Yeast and pitched it after re-hyrdating it (perhaps waited a bit long...30 mins and temp of the yeast slurry got to 70F). I pitched in a 80F wort. I was worried initially because when I moved the fermenting bucket (pail) downstairs in the basement the sides felt slightly warm...not hot by any means. The temp in the basement is around 61-64F and looks like the red ale stabilized around 62-63F after a few hours. however, I didn't see any airlock activity so I was worried and researched the crap out of the topic. Turns out it could be a leak or something and as long as I see a nice Krausen (which I did after 18 hours...peeked through the airlock hole) it's fermenting just right. Also, I learned that at 62-63F, the fermenting is slow to start but will pick up eventually. My goal is to let this ferment in the primary for 2 weeks and bottle after that. Let it condition in the bottle for additional 1.5-2 weeks and then put it in the fridge.
Can you guys please help me confirm the following:
1) Absence of airlock activity in the first 48 hours is OK as long as I see a nice thick Krausen. The temp is at 63F last checked this morning.
2) Bottling is OK after 2 weeks if the fermenting has stopped
3) How long to leave it in the bottle to condition
4) When can you drink this already nice smelling brew after bottle conditioning?
sorry for too many questions, but trying to get my timelines right.
2) Lager - I should've rehydrated the yeast, but didn't. I used a Saflager 34/70 yeast which specifically said to pitch it directly. I cooled the wort down to 70F, stirred, airlocked and moved it immediately to the basement with a cooling fan / wet-t shirt / water-ice assembly i made to achieve lower temps. I am getting 59-57 degrees with this setup. Once again, the airlock activity was absent, but Krausen formed really fast and as of this morning (36 hours later), I have good 2-2.5 inch thick layer of this stuff. My plan is to let it ferment here for the next 2 weeks and move it to the secondary after 1-2 days of diacetyl rest and add some clarifying agent if needed. I have a second fridge which will allow me to lager at lower temps. I am thinking 36-38F for 3-4 weeks. After which I will bottle condition in the basement at 61F for 1 week and move it back to fridge.
Similar questions to that of Red Ale:
1) Are the steps described OK for a lager?
2) I know it's fermenting right now with very thick Krausen, but no airlock activity 36 hours past...that's OK, right?
3) It looks very very cloudy right, which i am thinking is because of busy yeasts doing their thing, but will it clear up towards end of the primary fermentation? If not, should I add something to the secondary (polyclar, etc) to achieve that or will cold conditioning do that?
4) 2 weeks of primary + 2 days of diacetyl rest + 4 weeks of secondary in fridge + 1 week of bottle conditioning at 61F...when will this sucker be ready to drink?
Let me know if i am missing anything here.
1) Red Ale - Used the Nottingham Ale Yeast and pitched it after re-hyrdating it (perhaps waited a bit long...30 mins and temp of the yeast slurry got to 70F). I pitched in a 80F wort. I was worried initially because when I moved the fermenting bucket (pail) downstairs in the basement the sides felt slightly warm...not hot by any means. The temp in the basement is around 61-64F and looks like the red ale stabilized around 62-63F after a few hours. however, I didn't see any airlock activity so I was worried and researched the crap out of the topic. Turns out it could be a leak or something and as long as I see a nice Krausen (which I did after 18 hours...peeked through the airlock hole) it's fermenting just right. Also, I learned that at 62-63F, the fermenting is slow to start but will pick up eventually. My goal is to let this ferment in the primary for 2 weeks and bottle after that. Let it condition in the bottle for additional 1.5-2 weeks and then put it in the fridge.
Can you guys please help me confirm the following:
1) Absence of airlock activity in the first 48 hours is OK as long as I see a nice thick Krausen. The temp is at 63F last checked this morning.
2) Bottling is OK after 2 weeks if the fermenting has stopped
3) How long to leave it in the bottle to condition
4) When can you drink this already nice smelling brew after bottle conditioning?
sorry for too many questions, but trying to get my timelines right.
2) Lager - I should've rehydrated the yeast, but didn't. I used a Saflager 34/70 yeast which specifically said to pitch it directly. I cooled the wort down to 70F, stirred, airlocked and moved it immediately to the basement with a cooling fan / wet-t shirt / water-ice assembly i made to achieve lower temps. I am getting 59-57 degrees with this setup. Once again, the airlock activity was absent, but Krausen formed really fast and as of this morning (36 hours later), I have good 2-2.5 inch thick layer of this stuff. My plan is to let it ferment here for the next 2 weeks and move it to the secondary after 1-2 days of diacetyl rest and add some clarifying agent if needed. I have a second fridge which will allow me to lager at lower temps. I am thinking 36-38F for 3-4 weeks. After which I will bottle condition in the basement at 61F for 1 week and move it back to fridge.
Similar questions to that of Red Ale:
1) Are the steps described OK for a lager?
2) I know it's fermenting right now with very thick Krausen, but no airlock activity 36 hours past...that's OK, right?
3) It looks very very cloudy right, which i am thinking is because of busy yeasts doing their thing, but will it clear up towards end of the primary fermentation? If not, should I add something to the secondary (polyclar, etc) to achieve that or will cold conditioning do that?
4) 2 weeks of primary + 2 days of diacetyl rest + 4 weeks of secondary in fridge + 1 week of bottle conditioning at 61F...when will this sucker be ready to drink?
Let me know if i am missing anything here.
