New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association

Brewing => Yeast => Topic started by: Waterlogged on October 28, 2013, 08:10:32 PM

Title: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 28, 2013, 08:10:32 PM
I did an imperial stout (og: 1.08) at the mash occur.  Pitched each carboy with 1.5 litre starter from washed wyeast 1056. After 24 hour small krausen in 1, a little top foam in other.  Added slurry from another mason jar of washed yeast into both.  Another 24 hours and first carboy has same thin fräulein (1/2 inch), second now has same.  The started had a huge overflowing krausend when I pitched it.  Should I ad a third mason jar of yeast? Temp is 19 degrees.  A little warmer maybe?
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on October 28, 2013, 08:46:50 PM
No.  Adding yeast probably won't help much at this point.  They're doing their thing.  Aeration is pretty important with a beer as big as this.  You saw I was using O2 in mine.  I pitched a 2L starter into 1.090 wort and it was coming out the blowoff tube in 12 hours.

The temperature isn't the problem.

Now, all that said, there isn't necessarily a problem.  At this point, I'd leave it alone.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 28, 2013, 09:02:27 PM
I used one of those drill aerators in each for at least minute or two before pitching the yeast which is what I usually do.  I have been giving it a shake ever couple of hours to stir things up a bit.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on October 28, 2013, 09:08:36 PM
From Jamil's Yeast book:

This book is the Yeast bible.

Quote
Recommended O2 level = 8 - 10 ppm

Shaking, 5 minutes = 2.71 ppm
30 seconds, pure O2 = 5.12 ppm
60 seconds, pure O2 = 9.20 ppm
120 seconds, pure O2 = 14.08 ppm
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 28, 2013, 09:32:29 PM
Should I hit it with the aerator again or shake it some more?
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on October 29, 2013, 06:46:07 AM
No, leave it now.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 29, 2013, 07:25:01 AM
Still no real fermentation action this morning.  Consiidering dropping in a pack if us-o5 once noble grape opens. 
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on October 29, 2013, 08:00:33 AM
Did you check the gravity?
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 29, 2013, 08:59:12 AM
It is down from about 1.078 to about 1.058.  There are large bubbles and some foam but not much.  There are tiny bubbles percolating up the sides but no churning action.  Lots of sedament on the bottom.  When I check the gravoity of one carbot this morning, I swirled the yeast on the bottom with the auto siphon.  Also, the wort was still very sweet with maybe a hint of algohol. 
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: jamie_savoie on October 29, 2013, 09:26:06 AM
When you pitch the first starter, was it active?  I found that it help ALOT with big gravity beer, not just cell count.  Even if the washed yeast is only a few weeks old
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on October 29, 2013, 09:32:07 AM
It is down from about 1.078 to about 1.058.  There are large bubbles and some foam but not much.  There are tiny bubbles percolating up the sides but no churning action.  Lots of sedament on the bottom.  When I check the gravoity of one carbot this morning, I swirled the yeast on the bottom with the auto siphon.  Also, the wort was still very sweet with maybe a hint of algohol. 

20 points since Saturday.  I'd say things are going ok...not ideal, but just wait it out now.  I do think you'll finish higher than you expected, but it may work out for you.  Either way, there's nothing you can do now.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 29, 2013, 09:54:49 AM
I made a 3 litre starter and had it overflowing.  Also added a second mason jars slurry on Sunday when noting was realy happening.  So it is too late to put in some US-05?
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on October 29, 2013, 10:11:48 AM
It won't hurt, but by the time that yeast grows enough, the beer will have pretty much fermented out.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 29, 2013, 11:22:30 PM
Well, things are still chugging along so will leave everything alone and hope for the best.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: JohnQ on October 30, 2013, 06:52:13 AM
Did you use Fermcap during your boil?
I know someone had some around right?

JQ
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 30, 2013, 07:02:27 AM
I did and I know you can use it to keep the foam down in the fermentor but we have used it often and we still usually get a huge head of foam in the carboy.  Checked again this morning and still lots of bubbles and co2 chugging in the blow off tube growler.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: fakr on October 30, 2013, 09:01:16 AM
When used in the correct amount (foam cap), I don't get more than 1/2-3/4" of krausen in my fermenters.   

Any chance you made mineral additions to your mash? 
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on October 30, 2013, 01:59:48 PM
No additions at all this time in the form of gypsum or epson salts.  I did bring my own water that I had steep chaga mushrooms in the day before for 8 hours.  I guess that may be playing a factor in this.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on November 03, 2013, 01:40:11 PM
Well I left them alone until today and am glad I did.  Still lots of bubbling in the airlocks and a slightly smaller coating of foam.  Gravity for 1 is 1.022 and other is 1.024.  The flavour is great.  Rich coffee and malty flavour ending with mild bitterness and notes of chocolate.  The recipe says to leave it in primary for 10 days, then add to secondary with some more coffee for a week and then keg.  I am heading to Halifax tomorrow (Anyone need anything) and back on Wednesday so the earliest I can rack to secondary is Wednesday night or at day 11.  Is that to late to put into secondary?  Should I just add the coffee to the carboy and wait the week or whatever it takes for the FG to stabilize??
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: jamie_savoie on November 03, 2013, 04:29:19 PM
Me personally, I would not secondary. Never tasted a difference, less chance of infection and less work. Win win
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Waterlogged on November 03, 2013, 04:35:56 PM
Yeah, I was thinking the same.  I used hop bags so there isnnt a whole lot of trub in the bottom.  Will wait till I get home, add the coffee and bottle the following week.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on November 03, 2013, 04:44:23 PM
Me personally, I would not secondary. Never tasted a difference, less chance of infection and less work. Win win

I also rarely do a secondary.  If I were keeping the beer in a carboy for an extended period of time, I would do it.  Anything under 30 days...never.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: jamie_savoie on November 03, 2013, 05:21:43 PM
I also rarely do a secondary.  If I were keeping the beer in a carboy for an extended period of time, I would do it.  Anything under 30 days...never.
I do too.  But I've gone as far as 6 weeks in primary for a kolsch once and it still made a nice clean beer
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: Chris Craig on November 03, 2013, 06:05:47 PM
Autolysis is the concern here, and it takes quite some time to happen.  I say 30 days, and I've had luck with that.  6 weeks, or even 8 is probably fine.  You'll know if you have a problem here. 

John Palmer has a chapter on this: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10-3.html
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: fakr on November 14, 2013, 10:00:00 AM
Before the conical fermenters, I only used to secondary to dry hop and clarify the beer...otherwise I'd just leave it in the primary for the duration.
Title: Re: Small krausen after 48 hours
Post by: HappyHax0r on November 19, 2013, 11:08:58 PM
I dry hop after fermentation in the same carboy that I fermented in. I've yet to suffer autolysis, or even have an off-flavor from it. It's been my experience that 6 to 8 weeks on the lees in a clean sanitized carboy that never gets opened (or only opened for a minute while you sanitize the opening and dump in hops) isn't likely to be an infection vector, and you're not likely to get autolyzed yeast either so long as you keep your temperatures within about the same conditions you'd ferment in or perhaps slightly lower temperatures.