Lag Times

[Goat]

(this is an edited re-post from the Skunk Fart thread)

Well I finally did my first AG yesterday, which took all day but it was good to put the theory into action !!

The gravity was down a bit on what I had hoped at 1.051 adjusted (aiming for 1.054) and the efficiency was 63% which needs some work... oh well, there's always next weekend.

One thing that is bothering me a bit and hopefully you guys will clarify it for me: I dropped the wort into the fermenter from a fair height and had about a 5" head on it to aerate before putting it into an ice bath. Due to ambient temps (38 in perth yesterday), I finally had to chuck the fermenter into the freezer and wait. I just pitched the starter at 21deg (it got down to about 17 at the tap) but its been about several hours since I aerated the wort.

Should I re-shake/aerate the fermenter to re-oxygenate it or will what I did earlier do the trick?

Its now about 12 hours since I pitched the yeast and there is no airlock activity - do I have a problem here?

TIA

 

[GMK]

I would check it tonight.....see if you have air lock activity.
Also, make sure that it is an airtight seal.

If no activity tonight, pitch another yeast starter and aerate.

What yeast are you using....

 

[Goat]

Hi GMK thanks - I'll do that.

I used a 1.75L starter of 1272

 

[Murray]

JM has posted quite a bit of information about dropping a beer on the first or second day of fermentation for additional aeration. Give that a try.

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Yes you will get a lag time and no it isn't bad

the yeast is just making more yeast while there is oxygen in the wort


JM

 

[big d]

goat
this can save you a bit of time .starting temp to pitch your yeast can be in the range of 26-33 deg c.
brewing temp is 18-24 deg c

cheers
big d

 

[kook]

I've had lag times of 24-48hrs with some yeasts. Its usually been due to the starter having finished, or not started enough.

I've always still ended up with a good beer

 

[Jovial_Monk]

24-48 hours sounds wayyyy to long

dropping the beer kicks the yeast in the seat ofg the pants and it starts work
10-17 hours is an acceptable lag time

Jovial Monk

 

[Goat]

Thanks guys

I might get an aquarium pump and stone (been meaning to do this anyway) and give it a good blast anyway - It can't hurt... can it?

 

[Linz]

Goat's initial post.............



"One thing that is bothering me a bit and hopefully you guys will clarify it for me: I dropped the wort into the fermenter from a fair height and had about a 5" head on it to aerate before putting it into an ice bath"



Please tell us you cooled your wort before dropping for aeration.....This might be a hassle in the future......just means you'll have to drink it quick,cause the shelf life might be short.

 

[wedge]

i dont think he did Linz!

Goat if you aerate you hot wort your going to have some very 'speacial' flavours

 

[Goat]

oh dear......

I cooled the wort to about 33deg before 'dropping' it - that was the best I could get out of my tap water + immersion chiller - I was a very hot day in Perth. Will I still be in trouble?

Well, Ill just have to take your counsel and drink it fast

Following on from my previous post, I raced out and bought an aquarium air pump and a stone, came home and plugged it in to give it a dry run before plunging into the fermenter. The horrible chemical/rubber/solventy smell coming out of the air tube scared me so I didn't use it. (even after puling it apart and soaking the diaphragm in everything I could think of, it still stinks). Has anyone else had this problem? How does one get rid of the smell - or do you just stick it in the fermenter and hope for the best?

Anyway, I went down to the shed at around 3:00pm to check my baby and I was getting some very occasional bubbles !!! I went back at 6:00pm and it was going at a bubble every 3-4 seconds, so I think we might be OK

Thanks for your help with this chaps - I really appreciate it.

 

[Jovial_Monk]

33C doesn't sound sound too hot to drop

note that one drop only supplies 14% of the oxygen needed by the yeast, though in practise for beers under OG 1040 I find it is enough

for beers in excess of OG 1050 I drop from quite a height through an old bottling tube with 4 holes drilled at 90deg around it at 2", 2.5' and 3" below the end that goes in the tap. Adjust the flow rate right and you can HEAR air being sucked into the wort dropping past those holes! Beers over 1040 get the second aeration 14-18 hours later. Really big beers (my fave!) tend to get aerated twice a day for 3 days and ALL attenuate to target gravity within 5 days

Jovial Monk

 

[GMK]

Goat

Make a cold tap water pre chiller....some copper tube coiled and put into an ice slurry that the tap goes thr u first.

 

[PostModern]

Really big beers (my fave!) tend to get aerated twice a day for 3 days and ALL attenuate to target gravity within 5 days

Holy cardboard taste BatMan! That's a lot of aerating.

I recently brewed a 1.096 beer. Gave it three drops and about 20 mins with the electric egg whisk. It fermented down to its target FG of 1.022 in 5 days. I think it all comes down to pitching rate. If you really need to aerate for several days after pitching, you might just want to make a bigger starter?

Goat, aeration stones do stink. Which is why I use the egg-whisk. If you do opt to use the air stone, make sure you boil it before every use as it'll be sitting there with wort in its cavities between uses. A friend who uses one replaces the stone every second brew.

 

[Goat]

Thanks again for the comments guys.

PM - The smell is definately comming from the diaphram within the air pump - its like a small black rubber cup which moves in and out against a valve to give the pumping action. And let me tell you it smells bad !! I think I might let it run overnight in a glass of water and see if it gives off a flavour.

The stones cost like $1 so changing them regularly wouldn't be a problem. Of course boiling and sanitising would be mandatory for that sort of thing. The 2micron S/S stones from B3 look nice too

 

[Linz]

...its cool....I just had horrible thoughts running through my mind when I read your post re " dropping for aeration then into ice water"or something similar


Sorry for the scare

 

[Jovial_Monk]

No cardboard taste from aerating up to (but not after) day three. Just lots of healthy yeast.

Huge starters are OK for lagers, not ales where we want as much flavor as possible. I pitched a 6 month old WYeast pack directly into a beer (impromptu brew day) and aerated as described and achieved full attenuation.

Hmmm you are not thinking 1096 is a big beer, are you? Now, 1135. . .

Jovial Monk

 

[Goat]

1135 - bloody hell JM what are you making?

How much grain do you use to get to that? or are we talking candy sugar for Belgian Ales or something?