Fermentation Poll

[Thommo]

Apologies if I stuff this up. This is my first attempt at a Poll.

I recently returned from my honeymoon in England. The wife is originally from there (migrated when she was six) so we got to see all her relatives and I got to try heaps of beers that you don't really find in Oz.

While we were there I was introduced to the beers of the Ludlow Brewery (they only have two, but they were both awesome.) I rang the bloke and he was more than happy to show me around the place the next morning.

Just so you guys can get a bit of an idea where I am coming from, here is their webpage.

Ludlow Brewery


and here is the webpage to the place where they got their system from. He had the six barrel system.

PBC Brewery Installations

He showed me the batch he was brewing at the time and I was surprised to see that he open ferments. I guess it makes sense, as that's the way they have traditionally done it over there, and all he was brewing was Ales, but when I have visited small breweries over here they are all close fermented. I guess I just assumed that it would be the same over there...even though they only really brew ales. It took me by surprise.

Plus, when we all start out with our first coopers kit we pump the temp up to 27 degrees and make sure the fermenter is airtight so that the airlock bubbles away for four days.

So I thought I'd ask my brewing bretheren how meticulous you all are about your own fermenting techniques. I vaguely recall various people posting that they don't even use airlocks any more (was it Ross that just uses a bottle cap??) and I have done this myself in a pinch, but I am yet to try an open ferment, and have decided that this is something I will attempt this year.

Interested to hear all your thoughts.

One last point of interest...there were a few small fruit fly like insects hovering around his fermenter. Beer was still bloody beautiful so I didn't mind.

Cheers,
Thommo.

 

[colinw]

I still use a lid and airlock, but I'm not entirely sure why because my fermenter hasn't sealed properly for years.

A bottle cap to prevent ingress of fruit flies & other sundry crawlers would be sufficient.

Just got back from the old country myself ... here's some photos of the recently opened small brewery in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

cheers,
Colin

 

[Phrak]

Voted for option 3, no Airlock.

Welcome back from the Old Country Thommo. Hope the wedding went to plan!

Tim

 

[frogman]

I have the bucket with push on lid type fermenters so never have a problem with them sealing and I find them a lot easier to clean.
I have 3 taps and just keep swapping them. 1 is always out of use getting a thourgh clean and dry.

FROGMAN

 

[Ross]

Welcome back Thommo - i'm off there on a beer quest 1 month business trip at the end of july - drooling already at the thought :chug:
yep, i just use a plastic bottle cap over the grommet hole - only exception is when doing a big beer & then fit a blow off tube..

cheers ross

 

[Tony]

I Like to see my airlock bubble...... but i do realise its not needed.

I find it an easy method of opening the firmentation fridge and seeing whats happening, if its started or stalled, if its slowing down and ready to rack.

It saves taking hydromiter readings.

I only take a reading these days when its been racked and is ready to keg, just out of interest on how the yeast went.

I did do a couple of open firments, well i had the lid on loose not screwed down when i was using WLP028 burton ale.

Aparently its ment to be open firmented as when you closed firment it, it just wants to climb out the airlock and gets messy. as soon a i lifted the lid and sat it on top loose, it went great.

Maybe it could be a good yeast to try the open firment with.

cheers

 

[Keifer]

gladwrap for the win!
I don't even bother sanitising it anymore, very easy and gives you a crystal clear view inside.

 

[lucas]

i started with the airlock, moved to the bottle cap method, then to glad wrap and then finally started putting the lid on and put my thermowell/diptube in the airlock hole for the fridgemate probe to go down. I stopped using the o-ring in the lid too, just seemed like another place for nasties to hide and since I'm not trying to make a seal it's just not unnecessary. that said, I havent had done a beer lively enough to need a blowoff tube since i stopped using o-rings but i could see such brews being quite a mess

 

[Tyred]

I like to see the airlock bubble. It makes a nice noise as well. I suppose as I get further down the track, with more brews under my belt, I may not care as much, but for now, bubbles are good.

 

[Stoodoo]

I prefer to see my airlock bubbling away. I think having slight positive pressure in the fermentor can only be a good thing. However on the few occasions it hasn't bubbled, I don't get too fussed about it unless I can see no other signs of fermentation.....Then I worry.

Cheers

 

[matti]

Just want my bubbles...
With Tony on this no need for anything else then looking at rate of bubbles
no bubbling or very slow and a week gone RACK.
A week later CC
Bottle or keg when you ready
Too easy

When making a lager i feel it is essential to know as i like to rack at 2-3 days post high krausen.
matti

 

[Brewtus]

I use the airlock and like the bubbles. As long as there is positive pressure in the fermenter all should be OK. Open fermenting in Europe is OK but, like Kangaroos and Koalas, wild Australian yeast is not common over there. Their wild yeast is the stuff that works in beer, or so I am led to believe. Ever heard of Belgian Monks that will not dust their breweries as it may upset the wild yeast?

Last time I read about the history of Aust brewing, in the early days the small breweries in pubs where really hit and miss affairs. The quality control was shocking and wild yeast was the curse of brewers. In the 1880s they changed the laws so you needed to be a big brewery to be viable with the aim of knocking out the little breweries that could not control wild yeast and bacterial infections and brewing temperatures. This is when Carlton, Fosters, VB, MB etc all joined forces. The rest is history.

Now that hygiene is much easier to control, small breweries and home brewing are making a comeback and the choice of beer is so much better. The sound of the bubbles reminds me of this and is thus a joyful noise.

All power to the bubbles.......

 

[Tony]

An interestiog piece of history there brewtus.

I tend to think that open firmentation has its reasons in regions where its practiced.

Lanbics for instance, they are brewed my what the wind blows in the window.

I know when a wild auusie yeast gets in there, it just tends to fart and belch and make the whole thing taste like road kill

typical aussie

the Co2 blanket on top of the firment would stip air entering but what about heavier particles like dust and dying flies that are more prone to gravitational forces dropping in there, carting the germs with them.

I think i would need the gladwrap at least, i wouldnt go much further personally.

cheers

 

[Corny]

Maybe it could be a good yeast to try the open firment with.

cheers

Sounds a bit hairy to me.

 

[warrenlw63]

Glass with bungs and airlocks.

That being said the bungs have been known to shoot out at high krausen sometimes. Hasn't done any harm though.

No need for hydro readings. You can see all. B)

Warren -

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Plastic Cling Film.

Much Less Cleaning. Plus, I like to watch (Eve).

It's only occurring to me as I write this that once cling film becomes the closure of choice, there's no reason *not* to go the bucket fermenter route...

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Gladwrap!

 

[delboy]

nice one Thommo

i think this fella david porter needs a medal , I think there may be a bulk buy needed here LoL
it would be nice to get him over here on a craftbrewers quest to help on design of our home units. Ross this might be one for you ?

del