Is This A Good Fermenting Method

[vicbrewer]

a mate of mine ferments his beer with this method, is this any good??

once all the ingredients are in the fermenter he lets if ferment till all the bubbling in the air lock is finnished
he then leaves the brew in the fermenter for a week to settle and then bottles,

he said doing that you dont need to use a SG meter


does anyone on here use this sort of method??

 

[buttersd70]

vicbrewer


What if he gets a stuck ferment? That would cause his airlock to stop.....lLeaves it for a week then bottles....and when it's bottled, fermentation starts again (which is quite likely because of the addition of more priming sugar, usually easily fermentable)?

Without a sg reading to confirm that a/ gravity is stable, and b/ that it has achieved a sensible level of attenuation (ie, the sg is as low as it should be for the ingredients used, or at least close to it), how does he know that it has actually finished, and hasn't just stalled? The load bang and flying glass would be one indication....personally, I'd like to take 60 seconds to confirm it with a gravity reading....

 

[Pollux]

Plus gravity readings are a great way to perform taste tests as it goes along...

 

[seemax]

assuming you have used a fresh dry yeast, pitched and fermented (not too cold) at correct temperatures then it most cases this method would probably work

BUT

what if he has a small air leak and never get bubbles? what if the airlock bubbles but yeast was in poor health and it stops half way? all recipes for bottle bombs
plus i like to know the FG for my records and to calculate the alcohol content

the advice about leaving a week or so (for ales) is good though, once FG is reached, it will help yeast drop out a bit
ideally you would rack to secondary with some finings too

 

[vicbrewer]

I aksed him the other day about if he has had any explode, he said he has only ever had one bottle explode on him.


how do you tell if the fermentation has stalled and if it has how do you get it goin again, im talking about kit cans??

 

[vicbrewer]

also i know this has came up over 100 million times but when priming is there much difference in using plain sugar and dextrose?

im talking from a sediment/taste point of view ?

 

[buttersd70]

how do you tell if the fermentation has stalled and if it has how do you get it goin again, im talking about kit cans??

From the ingredients used, and the yeast, you can get a good indication of roughly what the final gravity should be...it's not a precise thing, you allow a bit of leeway one way or the other. But if the gravity is considerably higher than expected, then it's likely that it stalled....

For example, a coopers draught kit plus 1kg BE1, using the kit yeast, at 23L, should end up somewhere in the vicinity of 1012. If its 1014, and has remained stable for several days, there is a very good chance that it's finished...2 gravity points isn't much. At 1016 I'd be starting to worry a little. If it was 1018 or higher, I would consider it stuck. (basically. There is a more technical way of considering it...thats looking at the rated attenuation of the yeast strain, and the attenuation that was achieved, and making a judgement from that, based on the difference. But it still basically comes down to a judgement, not a calculated, precise number.)

 

[boingk]

I'd consider it safe about 95% of the time. But like others, what if the ferment sticks? What then? Jeeeeeebuuus!

At a very minimum, I'd rack to secondary after 5 to 7 days to ensure the ferment comes good.

Cheers - boingk

EDIT: Or...just take a gravity reading...

 

[crundle]

also i know this has came up over 100 million times but when priming is there much difference in using plain sugar and dextrose?

im talking from a sediment/taste point of view ?

I think the normal sort of amount is around 200g of sugar for priming for a 22 litre batch, so there is not a lot in each bottle/keg to affect taste, but I think most people will say that while sugar is ok to use, it is better to use dextrose to not have any effect on the taste of your beer.

Having said that, I normally use sugar and have not had any complaints, but from a purist point of view it seems better to use dextrose, especially if you have gone to the trouble of using nice fermentables to make a better beer, why not go the whole way?

Cheers,

Crundle

 

[buttersd70]

Crikey, crundle...you must like your beer fizzy :lol:
I don't think I've ever used that much priming sugar in 22L....

 

[Gavo]

I think the normal sort of amount is around 200g of sugar for priming for a 22 litre batch

Boom? h34r:

 

[raven19]

Boom? h34r:

Um, yep. +1.

Back to original Q - use a hydrometer (or refractometer), only way to be sure.

 

[achy02]

Um, yep. +1.

Back to original Q - use a hydrometer (or refractometer), only way to be sure.

Yeah I am probably guilty of over fizzing things but if you look on this link it gives a range of 160 - 230 g for high carbonation:

http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Methods/...mpleGuide.shtml

cheers

 

[buttersd70]

Yeah I am probably guilty of over fizzing things but if you look on this link it gives a range of 160 - 230 g for high carbonation:

http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Methods/...mpleGuide.shtml

cheers

160g in 23@20, maybe. Thats 2.6vol. but 230? Hell, thats just shy of 3.4volumes......
Just had a quick flick throught the BJCP reccomended carb levels in beersmith...only 3 styles are listed at over 3.0volumes, and they max at 3.1.

 

[King Brown]

160g in 23@20, maybe. Thats 2.6vol. but 230? Hell, thats just shy of 3.4volumes......
Just had a quick flick throught the BJCP reccomended carb levels in beersmith...only 3 styles are listed at over 3.0volumes, and they max at 3.1.

I've got a recipe for gueuze that reccomends to carb to 4 volumes, but it strongly advises to use heavy duty champagne bottles...

If your just brewing kit and kilo and don't want to get into all the nitty gritty of style co2 volumes and bulk priming, buy a homebrew measuring spoon, you should be able to get it from your lhbs or even from the any supermarket with a home brew section. it has a measurement on each end, the small end will give you enough sugar for a 375ml bottle, and the large end enough for a 750ml bottle. Couldn't be easier.

 

[mfdu]

i vary b/w bulk priming and bottle priming - it just depends on what side i'm hanging that day.

but re. to use hydrometer readings or not, the answer seems pretty clear - taking a reading = taste test.

it there any debate?

(well, it seems like there is a mass debate around this, but who wouldn't want a taste test? mmmm yum)

chris.

 

[PostModern]

I often use the leave it two weeks and bottle/keg method. Rarely bother with FG readings, but I always pitch enough yeast, always aerate the wort, I know my wort, have temperature control and always taste the beer at packaging time. Haven't had a disaster yet. However, until you are sure of what you're doing and know your limitations, familiarity with the system, etc, best to stick to measuring your gravity.

 

[real_beer]

I aksed him the other day about if he has had any explode, he said he has only ever had one bottle explode on him.


how do you tell if the fermentation has stalled and if it has how do you get it goin again, im talking about kit cans??

The danger aspect of this reply is directed at brewing for glass bottle storage.
What if that one bottle that exploded blinded an eye (or two)? It's not worth the risk.
What if you brew the best beer you've ever done and don't take any readings, how are you going to replicate it accurately?

There's a lot of people who buy a carton or two of can kits a month and throw in some sugar for a cheap drink supply, their not interested in high quality or improving their process, it's a necessary choir they have to do. But if it's your hobby & a joy to do, do it the best you can. It takes way more time to do something poorly than properly, It takes way more time to do something poorly than properly, It takes way more time to do something poorly than properly, It takes way more time to do something poorly than properly, and I can guarantee you that will never change whatever you do.

To improve your brewing copy the people who do things properly, and when your good at doing it yourself you'll evolve your own way of doing things that work for you. Out of form sportsmen always go back to the basics to get back on top of their game, but they can't do it if they never learnt them well in the beginning. Always take readings.

The yeast your going to put in your wort is a living organism that you want to keep happy and brew you the best beer in the world, yours. Give it a good home to grow and work in and you wont look back. The fact that your on this forum asking questions shows you want to to things properly, let your mate do his way and you do the proper way, and if you go round his place for a beer stand in another room while he opens one for you .

What a rant, oh well,

Cheers real_beer :icon_cheers:

 

[Weizguy]

QUOTE (crundle @ Jan 23 2009, 08:41 AM) *
I think the normal sort of amount is around 200g of sugar for priming for a 22 litre batch

Boom? h34r:

No boom unless bottled prior to full attenuation.
That's about the right amount for a weizen, maybe a bit low, actually.
Bulk prime total amount depends on the temp at which bottled. More sugar at higher temp, due to lesser dissolved CO2 in the beer at that temp.
Sorry for the brief OT post.

 

[caleb]

Well, not to mention that by doing an SG reading, you can probably turn them over quicker and thus brew more beer.

Most normal ales are ready to bottle after one week, maybe only 3-4 days after they stop bubbling - thus I can start on one weekend and bottle the next. If I had to wait a week after it stopped bubbling, it'd probably get put off until the next weekend, and thus take twice as long between brews.

That said, I HAVE just bottled after waiting around 1 week after bubbling ceases... I DID still take an SG test, but didn't necessarily do the "two consective days the same" thing - just a test for FG so I know how strong it is, and make sure it seems about right.

Of course, there's also the taste test. Who could pass up that?