Time on Yeast

[raturay]

I need some advice please. I have just brewed a Robinsons Old Tom recipe. Starting Gravity was 1.073 (target 1.068) and target final gravity is 1.016. It's been fermenting with two packets of Lallemand English Ale yeast. It took off a few hours after being in the fermenter on Tuesday night (1/9) and I have now had two days sitting at 1.018 so indications are that it has finished the first part of the process. I have to go away for a few weeks and have someone lined up to pop in and crank the temp up for a diacetyl rest followed by a cold crash. I've never had a fermentation go so quickly so my questions are:

1. how long would you recommend I leave it before the D rest and
2. how long do you think it would be safe to leave cold crashed. I'll probably be away a month so it may have to sit at cold crashed temp. for a couple of weeks

Thanks guys

Ray

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I believe John Palmer recommends 3 weeks, though I am sure there will be many left it longer.

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Are you bottling it? It will be in the bottle for a year or two to reach it's peak so I wouldn't worry about a few weeks in the fridge at crash temps. that said I didn't crash my last one, bottled as soon as fermentation was done, I figure it can do a diacetyl rest in the bottle.

 

[raturay]

Thanks WEAL. I reckon you would be right.
Thanks SHB. I'm kegging it. The last one I did was in bottles and you may well be right about a year or two but damn it was hard to get it to last past six months. It's a very nice beer.

 

[kadmium]

Yeast won't undergo autolysis for a while. Generally.

I have a mead sitting at room temps been on a yeast cake 6 weeks. I wouldn't worry bro.

 

[raturay]

Thanks Kadmium. My mind is at ease as I head to Thargomindah area to help out our friends who have a cattle property and also have station stays with great camping spots. The property is a picture at the moment after plenty of rain. Well plenty for that area at least. Lots of Queensland tourists visiting the outback.

 

[kadmium]

I try get up central aus a couple times a year with mates but that's been squashed this year obviously. Pretty jealous. Enjoy the trip, don't worry about the brew it will be awesome.

 

[butisitart]

Thanks Kadmium. My mind is at ease as I head to Thargomindah area to help out our friends who have a cattle property and also have station stays with great camping spots. The property is a picture at the moment after plenty of rain. Well plenty for that area at least. Lots of Queensland tourists visiting the outback.

i mustered cattle for 2 years on nockatunga (about 80km west of thargo) back in the day, all on bikes and cessna. trying to get the missus out to noccundra for a 3 day or so - she'd never seen a shooting star until 3 years ago near jindabyne, so the stars out there will blow her head off. right time of year too, before the heat kicks in. half yer luck

 

[raturay]

Nockatunga and Noccundra aren't far away. The western boundary of part of our friends holding borders Bulloo Downs.

 

[butisitart]

Nockatunga and Noccundra aren't far away. The western boundary of part of our friends holding borders Bulloo Downs.

i know bulloo downs, was the biggest property in qld, maybe still is. which station are you going to?? you might consider a trip to noccundra if you haven't done before. it's a pub in a ghost town., not that there's anything much of the town left. they used to average 1 or 2 drinkers per week, but apparently gone up with better roads (there weren't really any roads when i was there).
my neighbour went through there last year towing a caravan. that was simply not possible earlier

 

[Cloud Surfer]

I need some advice please. I have just brewed a Robinsons Old Tom recipe. Starting Gravity was 1.073 (target 1.068) and target final gravity is 1.016. It's been fermenting with two packets of Lallemand English Ale yeast. It took off a few hours after being in the fermenter on Tuesday night (1/9) and I have now had two days sitting at 1.018 so indications are that it has finished the first part of the process. I have to go away for a few weeks and have someone lined up to pop in and crank the temp up for a diacetyl rest followed by a cold crash. I've never had a fermentation go so quickly so my questions are:

1. how long would you recommend I leave it before the D rest and
2. how long do you think it would be safe to leave cold crashed. I'll probably be away a month so it may have to sit at cold crashed temp. for a couple of weeks

Thanks guys

Ray

Can I ask what temperature you sat it on for fermentation and what temp you're planning for the D rest? So far, I've been waiting until fermentation is mostly complete, then increasing the temp 2 or 3 degrees and leaving it there for a couple of weeks. I just want to see how this compares to what you're doing. Cheers

 

[kadmium]

I wouldn't worry about diacetyl rests for Ales unless you're fermenting them low. You might want to finish up fermentation and ensure complete attenuation by raising to around 21c for 3-4 days. Similar to a D rest but more to help the yeast finish strong. It's also dependent on a variety of factors.

O.G of beer, pitch rates, aeration, overall fermentation health, apparent FG, yeast strain, etc.

Rule of thumb, I would ferment 7 days, raise to 21c and rest for 3 days, crash and transfer at 2 week mark. That's a rough guide, if you're not super concerned about testing gravity etc etc.

It's essentially the same process but for a slightly different reason. A healthy, well pitched and controlled ale yeast shouldn't really produce diacetyl, but you can help drive down a couple points on the FG and clean up other by-products by raising to 21c for a couple days.

 

[kadmium]

By transfer I meant package by the way. Either keg or bottle. There's no need in my opinion to ferment longer than 2 weeks unless you're doing a big beer or a lager, but even then you should lager it off the yeast IMO.

Forgot to mention point 1. The temp you ferment at should be the middle of the ideal range for that strain. Can't really go wrong with around 16-17c for Ale and 12c for Lagers.

Under pressure run the max or even higher. But the GF aren't pressure fermenters are they?

 

[raturay]

Okay. Cloud Surfer & Kadmium. Fermentation is at 18c. I usually increase to 21c for 3 or 4 days when it looks finished (Cover off a d rest and give it a chance get those last couple of points if there). Then crash it to at least 2c. Lower if I can. I leave it cold crashed for a few days but have left it for a week. It will have to stay longer this time.

Butisitart -Zenonie/Kilcowera. Just near Yakra. I’ve been to the Noccundra pub on the way to Cameron Corner a few years back. Knew one of the Maxwell brothers who had the pub for many years.

 

[kadmium]

Okay. Cloud Surfer & Kadmium. Fermentation is at 18c. I usually increase to 21c for 3 or 4 days when it looks finished (Cover off a d rest and give it a chance get those last couple of points if there). Then crash it to at least 2c. Lower if I can. I leave it cold crashed for a few days but have left it for a week. It will have to stay longer this time.

Butisitart -Zenonie/Kilcowera. Just near Yakra. I’ve been to the Noccundra pub on the way to Cameron Corner a few years back. Knew one of the Maxwell brothers who had the pub for many years.

Sounds good to me! Gonna be a good beer!

 

[butisitart]

Okay. Cloud Surfer & Kadmium. Fermentation is at 18c. I usually increase to 21c for 3 or 4 days when it looks finished (Cover off a d rest and give it a chance get those last couple of points if there). Then crash it to at least 2c. Lower if I can. I leave it cold crashed for a few days but have left it for a week. It will have to stay longer this time.

Butisitart -Zenonie/Kilcowera. Just near Yakra. I’ve been to the Noccundra pub on the way to Cameron Corner a few years back. Knew one of the Maxwell brothers who had the pub for many years.

okie, sweet!! i assume it's the same brothers, i don't remember the names, i was there 78-79, but 2 brothers, so i assume it's them. used to get our flying doctor check ups in the public bar and the dentals in the 'lounge'. they had a 1 legged abusive magpie called jack who was partial to an ale. all good until he got pissed, but he really wasn't good on one pin after a few.