Hmm... thoughts?

[slcmorro]

I put down two beers recently, and I have a small problem...

I fly overseas tomorrow for two weeks, and neither of them have yet hit my estimated FG.

Here's the specs...

Made to 20L
23gm of Cascade for 20 mins
23gm of Nelson Sauv for 10 mins
500gm Light Wheat Malt
500ml of Light Malt Extract
250gm Dextrose
1.7kg Spicy Ghost Draught Tin
5gm Crushed Coriander Seed
O.G. 1050
Est F.G 1011
Hydro on 17/06 - 1017
Hydro on 19/06 - 1017

As you can see, this one has an SG of 1017, a full 6 points higher than the estimate. It's been fermenting at 16c for 7 days now.

The second one is...

Made to 23L
25gm of Calypso for 20 mins
10gm of Calypso for 10 mins
1.25 kg of Dextrose
1.7kg Mexican Cerveza Tin
O.G. 1041
Est F.G. 1006
Hydro on 17/06 - 1027
Hydro on 19/06 - 1020
This one is falling, and will probably be completed by Sunday. It's also been at 16c constant for the last 7 days.

I won't be back until July 3rd, which means these two will sit in their fermenters on the yeast cakes for another 2 weeks. Not such a bad thing if they're still doing their thing the whole time, but with #1 I suspect it's lagged or possibly even finished and #2 will finish and sit for maybe 10 days, so that's not so bad.

I can either leave them both in the 16c temp controlled fridge, or I can pull them both out and (maybe) fit them both in my conditioning fridge. They'll both need to be 'woken' up of course if I do this, when I return.

Suggestions?

 

[Lodan]

Hey,

if either use an ale yeast you can expect them to take a bit of time fermenting at 16degc

I think you should switch the temp controlled fridge off and let them warm up gradually to ambient temp while you're away. This may help finish off the leftover sugaz in the spicy ghost as well and will not do any harm to either beer

 

[slcmorro]

#2 has Saflager W34/70 in it, and #1 has the kit yeast.

Ambient temp here in Ballarat, Vic would be approx 10c at a guess. Does that change anything?

Thanks for the super quick reply too!

 

[Lodan]

No probs mate

Lager yeast explains why 2 has finished and 1 is still going
Kit yeast for the spicy ghost is almost certainly an ale yeast.

Ambient temp does change things a little. I would warm beer #1 up to about 18 deg first and then allow to go to ambient, but unless your fridge has heating control as well as cooling you will have runout of time. in that case let beer #1 sit at 16

#2 would be fine to sit at 16degc or a bit lower for the next two weeks

 

[slcmorro]

I've got them both in the same fridge at 16c. It has heating/cooling capacity. If it's ok to leave them both at 16 for two weeks without any adverse effects, then I'll do just that. Cheers

 

[MastersBrewery]

I'd probably rack before leaving them for that long, to get them off the yeast cake, even with 10 points to go they would still ferment out .... that maybe just me, the time at that temp shouldn't harm them

 

[adryargument]

I'd probably rack before leaving them for that long, to get them off the yeast cake, even with 10 points to go they would still ferment out .... that maybe just me, the time at that temp shouldn't harm them

I'd leave on the yeast cake, Racking is asking for dangerous growth hormones while afk.

 

[stakka82]

Absolutely no need to rack and for the record I would not be going higher than 13 degrees with 34/70 until d rest.

 

[treefiddy]

My record is probably 7 weeks primary. 2-3 weeks ferment and the rest CC. If you have to leave it then so be it. Don't stress, forget the beer and focus on your trip.

 

[Rodolphe01]

As already stated, leave them in primary, it will only be 3 weeks, I used to routinely leave my beers for 3-4 weeks in primary.

 

[jakethesnake559]

Hey mate, what they said ^.
It's a bit hard trying to ferment an ale and lager together in the same fridge...16's a bit high for your lager, and a bit low for your ale.
Just stick with what it's at till you get back.
Enjoy the trip B) .

 

[benno1973]

At the risk of repeating others, leave them. I personally think that the issue of off-flavours from sitting on the yeast cake is over stated. That's just personal opinion. I will happily let my beers sit on the yeast cake for weeks after they've done fermenting if I can't be arsed putting them in the keg. Racking would add the extra risk of oxidation or infection, and chilling them and trying to re-rouse them 2-weeks later just seems like hard work.