Fast fermentation

[robfletcher]

Hi. Just new here and back into brewing. Used to do the bottle thing but have set up a keg system. My first wort seems to have finished after 4 days. Its Morgans Australian lager. I had it fermenting in a cupboard wth a heat belt but was still only 20 degrees soi moved it to an old fridge and temp rose to 28 29 and it bubbled away for a few days but has now stopped and is reading 1011. Can I keg it now or should I leave it longer??

 

[pnorkle]

Did you use the yeast that came with the kit? or a lager yeast that you bought separately. I don't know about Morgans kits and if they supply lager yeast with their lager kits or ale yeasts, but suspect it's a generic brand. Generally you should ferment lager yeasts at around 10 degrees and ale yeasts at around 18. 28/29 is way too warm for either, so you might have some off flavours,especially if it's lager yeast that you use. Generally speaking, a brew will take around 2 weeks or so to ferment out. Usually, the advice given for testing if a beer is ready to bottle is "measure the specific gravity about 3 days apart, and if it doesn't drop any more, it's probably ready" Very important for glass bottles, not so much for kegs. If it was me, I'd measure it again in 3 or 4 days, and if it hasn't changed - keg it.

Edit - spelling was atrocious.

 

[robfletcher]

Thanks. It was the kit yeast and guy at the shop told me the the kit yeast is a mixture of three yeasts so it has a wider range of temp to ferment. Maybe I should buy a specific yeast next time and get the temp right? I'll leave it for a few days anyway and if the SG hasn't changed I'll keg it. Cheers.

 

[mrsupraboy]

Only believe 50% of what they tell u in the shops lol

 

[Spiesy]

Thanks. It was the kit yeast and guy at the shop told me the the kit yeast is a mixture of three yeasts so it has a wider range of temp to ferment. Maybe I should buy a specific yeast next time and get the temp right? I'll leave it for a few days anyway and if the SG hasn't changed I'll keg it. Cheers.

Sorry mate, but that doesn't sound right.

Get yourself some decent yeast next time, and maybe some decent advice.

 

[SJW]

Dont let your Ale yeast go too much over 20 deg C. Up to 25 Deg C you might get away with, depending on the style. I use US-05 dry or 1056 Wyeast for most ales and a Wyeast Lager and I drop the ales to 18 deg C and let them rise up to 20 deg C. With Lagers I drop em to 10 Deg C and let them rise up over a week to 15 Deg C. Thats with the temp probe in the wort also. So make sure what ever method u use for measuring temp (like taping a probe to the fermenter or the like) you check the real wort temp to see the diff.
Top three tip of brewing good beer:
1- Fresh ingredients - including a good yeast
2- Temp Control
3- Sanitisation

 

[Yob]

Most flavour pre cursor is made early in the ferment, you may 'get away' with it but generally speaking, get a more specific yeast and always read the manufacturer's advice regarding the correct temperature for that specific yeast... They vary so it's always good to print off the specifics you want to use.

Cheers

 

[Weizguy]

No lager should be fermented at 20°C or above. It's cruelty to the yeast, the lager and most of all, your palate.

Welcome to the forum. Pleased to see you here.

*The advice about not listening to advice is to be taken with a grain of salt too. You should do some research (here, other forums, google, etc) and see what other people are saying about your situation, and then make an informed decision.
A good ferment can easily be finished in 3-4 days. Check the gravity a few days apart and keg that beer.

I hope to hear more from you. 3 last suggestions:

1. Please Introduce yourself in the Welcome thread.
2. Consider joining the local brew club for feedback on your beer and brewing.
3. Develop a rapport with your brew shop owner, but occasionally refer to the * point above.

Les out