Fermentation Paranoia

[dmichaelt54]

Hey all,

I just wrapped up a brew day on my first all grain (non-extract, non-kit) beer. I'm pretty ecstatic with how most everything turned out, with most targets being met or nearly so. The growing dread I'm facing is around fermentation schedule.

I produced an IPA sitting at an OG of 1.051, and pitched a Vermont Ale Yeast (Escarpment Labs) with estimated attenuation between 73-83%. After doing some reading, and referencing my kit brews, I've come up with this:

Primary Fermentation: 6-7 days.
Secondary Fermentation (separate vessel): 10-12 days, with 4 days dry hopping.

Ultimately, I just want to make sure that this is sufficient!

 

[jmcnamara]

Congrats!
Are you saying it'll be in secondary for 10-12 additional days? That seems about twice as long as necessary.

Disclaimer, I use a secondary but some will say it's not necessary. To each their own

 

[dmichaelt54]

The total number of days would fit somewhere between 16-19 days, spending only the first week in the current primary vessel. How long would you recommend before bottling? I'm open to pretty much any, and every suggestion.

 

[jmcnamara]

Accurate answer, it's done when the gravity has stayed the same for a few days.
Personally, I don't fuss with things much. So 1 week in primary, 1 week in secondary, at least 2 weeks in a bottle before sampling. Probably won't be fully ready for about 4 weeks.
Give or take depending on the specific brew and whatever lifr is throwing you at the moment
Either way, have fun with it!

 

[jmcnamara]

For your beer, I'd do what I normally do. Also, dry hops 2 or so days into either primary or secondary (I've only done secondary). That way you can rack off the hops to clear the beer up a bit

 

[dmichaelt54]

Thanks so much! This is greatly appreciated.

 

[BoomerBrian]

Hey all,

I just wrapped up a brew day on my first all grain (non-extract, non-kit) beer. I'm pretty ecstatic with how most everything turned out, with most targets being met or nearly so. The growing dread I'm facing is around fermentation schedule.

I produced an IPA sitting at an OG of 1.051, and pitched a Vermont Ale Yeast (Escarpment Labs) with estimated attenuation between 73-83%. After doing some reading, and referencing my kit brews, I've come up with this:

Primary Fermentation: 6-7 days.
Secondary Fermentation (separate vessel): 10-12 days, with 4 days dry hopping.

Ultimately, I just want to make sure that this is sufficient!

My experience with Vermont is it took off quick and finished fast. Think I had total 10 days fermenting with it. Brought it in the house the last 3 days to cleanup.

I also dry hop way earlier. I dry hop on day 4 and leave in for 4-5 days.

 

[J A]

I've been leaving beers in fermenter for 21 days unless I have some reason to want to get them into a keg a little sooner or I'm paranoid about getting a bug. Your schedule sounds fine with maybe a cold crash during the last few days of secondary. Personally, I wouldn't transfer it for secondary. I'll do that when I have a yeast that doesn't want to floc quickly and it helps with clarity, but separate secondary vessel isn't really necessary.

 

[jeffpn]

On the other hand, I always secondary. I never cold crash. My ale schedule is 7-10 days primary, 14 days secondary, keg. Next day when it's cold, I force carb. My lager schedule is 3 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary. Keg and force carb same day.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

5 brewers and 10 opinions ...All the methods above work with minor pros and cons .
Just for another option i store my cubed fresh worts for anywhere up to a month before pitching , they stay in primary for 9-14 days with a few days at near freezing added on the end with polyclar then straight into kegs or bottles as required .

 

[jeffpn]

All the methods above work with minor pros and cons .

And I bet you wouldn't be able to place the beer with the method by drinking it. In other words, there's probably less pros and cons than one might think.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

And I bet you wouldn't be able to place the beer with the method by drinking it. In other words, there's probably less pros and cons than one might think.

I doubt i could , the debate over primary only or racking has been done to death and comes back to personal preference .
I started out racking to secondary but got either more confident or lazy so primary only now , i think the timing for racking is still a bit of a trick to ensure there's still positive pressure in secondary to force 02 out but still a very very minor issue .

I know brewers who swear drinking no chilled beers will give you Botulism , or at the very least very harshly bittered beers ...they seem to like mine though

 

[jmcnamara]

Its all about adapting and incorporating what works for your methods, limitations and tolerances

 

[J A]

i store my cubed fresh worts for anywhere up to a month before pitching

Why? Are you mashing big and fermenting small? I can't think of any reason not to go ahead and make beer if you've got wort...other than smaller fermenter capacity than mashing capacity.

 

[jeffpn]

I know brewers who swear drinking no chilled beers will give you Botulism , or at the very least very harshly bittered beers ...they seem to like mine though

I never heard of that. I just looked it up. Botulism is scary stuff. Only 20 deaths a year, but I wouldn't want one of those to be mine! I've already been concerned with botulism when I'm smoking meats. I do what I can to avoid the risk.

 

[Nosybear]

I never heard of that. I just looked it up. Botulism is scary stuff. Only 20 deaths a year, but I wouldn't want one of those to be mine! I've already been concerned with botulism when I'm smoking meats. I do what I can to avoid the risk.

The absurdity of this is that a no-chill beer stays hot longer, reducing the chance of a botulism spore surviving to create the toxin. 20 people a year, the alcohol in the beer kills far more than that. Your odds are just as good of picking one black jellybean blindfolded from a swimming pool of white ones.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Why? Are you mashing big and fermenting small? I can't think of any reason not to go ahead and make beer if you've got wort...other than smaller fermenter capacity than mashing capacity.

I can ferment 3 batches at once but only mash 1, no chill works for me but won't be pushing on others by any means .
Upside is I can gift cubes of wort to friends , took 1 to mates and had batch in FV , aerated and pitched before we finished a beer

 

[jeffpn]

The absurdity of this is that a no-chill beer stays hot longer, reducing the chance of a botulism spore surviving to create the toxin. 20 people a year, the alcohol in the beer kills far more than that. Your odds are just as good of picking one black jellybean blindfolded from a swimming pool of white ones.

According to the article I read, botulism spores can survive boiling temps. The article states that unfermented wort provides good condition for the spores to grow. It's not likely they are there because it is so rare, but it could happen. I suppose the acid test is if your stored wort eventually killed someone with botulism, would you continue to store wort and run the risk again? That's a big pool of white jellybeans, right?

 

[GFHomebrew]

Fresh wort kits are on sale at most homebrew stores here in Aus not sure about overseas HBS. So my understanding is their made using exactly the same technique as Mark just rack in your boiling wort into sanitatized cube bung lid on invert cube (my way of sterilising lid) let it cool and use as needed.

I take my hat off to the cubing dudes I had some very tasty cubed ales on the few I did. Water ain't an issue on the coast and I've got a healthy veggie patch that loves when I brew and chill with Imersion chiller.

But @Mark D Pirate i hear that SA is getting a price hike in electricity I hear it's going to be highest priced electricity in the WORLD!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

heres an easy way to brew a home made kit if you keg any way and like light style beers

here’s my perfect mild beer recipe, if you’re in a pinch and run out, I love it
Title: Quick Light Coors Type
Brew Method: Extract
Style Name: American Light Ale
Boil Time: 30 min
Batch Size: 11 gallons (ending kettle volume)
Boil Size: 4.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.122

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.044
Final Gravity: 1.010

FERMENTABLES:
9 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Pilsen (75%)
3 lb - Rice Syrup Solids (25%)

HOPS:
4 oz - Cluster, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.5, Use: First Wort, IBU: 19.84

YEAST:
Mangrove Jack - US West Coast Yeast M44
Fermentation Temp: 60 F
partially freeze 7 gallons of 5.2 ph double carbon filtered water. add crushed campden tablet before chilling in the freezer
after the boil add the frozen water to the fermenters then pour the wort over the top, close up and shake or add oxygen, chill to 60F and add yeast
keep at 60 for 5 days the ramp up to 70 by day 7 and keep it there to day 10, keg at day 10, chill to 34 then add gelatin, slow carb at 12 psi for 10 days then drink