Why leave in fermenter longer than final gravity?

[mattdean4130]

Hey all,

So i've always been under the assumption to bottle as soon as final gravity is stable over 24 hours to reduce the risk of infections etc...

I've noticed a lot of people here leave their brews quite a lot longer.

I just wanted to ask why that is? And what is the difference in ageing in the fermenter or ageing in the bottles?

Have a stout at FG on day 6, its now day 8... Sitting at around 18/19degrees stable. Wondering whether i should leave it or bottle tonight?

It's shaping up to be the best home brew i've done, and i don't really want to cock it up! :beerbang:

Cheers!

 

[Adam Howard]

Generally it helps to clear the beer up, both in haze and also in flavour. There are plenty of by-products of fermentation that require a little longer for the yeast to take them back out of solution. You'll find if you leave it 2-3 weeks you'll get a big reduction in the amount of sediment in your bottles which aids in long term shelf stability.

 

[mattdean4130]

Generally it helps to clear the beer up, both in haze and also in flavour. There are plenty of by-products of fermentation that require a little longer for the yeast to take them back out of solution. You'll find if you leave it 2-3 weeks you'll get a big reduction in the amount of sediment in your bottles which aids in long term shelf stability.

Thanks!

Is this a commercial thing as well?
Wondering how Coopers Pales etc are still cloudy, i wonder if they have a completely different process?

Cheers for the quick response!

 

[cremmerson]

The risk of infection should be minimal as the beer should be protected by a layer of CO2 - unless you're opening it all the time.

 

[JDW81]

The risk of infection should be minimal as the beer should be protected by a layer of CO2 - unless you're opening it all the time.

The layer of CO2 doesn't really protect against infection, but leaving the lid on does. The layer of CO2 isn't as protective against O2 entry in the fermenter as you might think either. Although carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen gas, neither of them are static and they are constantly moving around and mixing inside the fermenter headspace. There will be O2 penetration into you fermenter, irrespective of how good your lid is and how much CO2 there is on top of the beer.

However, the more CO2 you have on top, the less room there is for O2 to get it, so while it isn't a perfect barrier, every little bit helps.

JD

 

[tanukibrewer]

mattdean4130 Different yeasts drop out of suspension in the brew more easily than others.This is know a flocculation,on most of the yeast websites you can find out what level of flocculation each yeast has.A low flocculating yeast will hang in suspension and give you a cloudier beer and a high flocculating yeast should give you a clearer beer.
These guides can help you clone the style of beer more closely.
http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain.cfm

 

[Adam Howard]

Not really a commercial thing but it's not unheard of. As homebrewers unless you have your fermentation temperature control dialled to reduce by-products such as diacetyl it's easier to just give the beer more time on the yeast to reabsorb those compounds.

Wondering how Coopers Pales etc are still cloudy, i wonder if they have a completely different process?

Coopers beers are only cloudy if the bottles are rolled by numpty bartenders who think they have to be served that way. If you pour into a glass without disturbing the bottle they pour clear and taste clearer (and better).

 

[mattdean4130]

Thanks everyone for clearing that up for me (pun intended)

Good to know!
Cheers

:chug:

 

[Josho]

Hey Adamski,

Not really a commercial thing but it's not unheard of. As homebrewers unless you have your fermentation temperature control dialled to reduce by-products such as diacetyl it's easier to just give the beer more time on the yeast to reabsorb those compounds.


Coopers beers are only cloudy if the bottles are rolled by numpty bartenders who think they have to be served that way. If you pour into a glass without disturbing the bottle they pour clear and taste clearer (and better).

On the coopers website it says to roll or shake their beers, but I have to agree with you,

Maybe the coopers guys dont drink their own beer

 

[mattdean4130]

Hey Adamski,



On the coopers website it says to roll or shake their beers, but I have to agree with you,

Maybe the coopers guys dont drink their own beer

So i guess i'm the only one here who looks forward to those last Coopers Pale sips of yeasty goodness??

 

[Bribie G]

Thanks!

Is this a commercial thing as well?
Wondering how Coopers Pales etc are still cloudy, i wonder if they have a completely different process?

Cheers for the quick response!

Well they are one of the few domestic breweries that use bottle conditioning, so are similar to home brewers in that regard. If you take a bottle of - for example - sparkling Ale and leave it in the fridge for a week it will actually pour bright - that's what most home brewers do when collecting the bottle yeast for reculturing, to get all the yeast.

 

[mattdean4130]

Well they are one of the few domestic breweries that use bottle conditioning, so are similar to home brewers in that regard. If you take a bottle of - for example - sparkling Ale and leave it in the fridge for a week it will actually pour bright - that's what most home brewers do when collecting the bottle yeast for reculturing, to get all the yeast.

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Ahhh yes. I am slowly getting more observant!

 

[pommiebloke]

Personally I ferment for four weeks before bottling for all my ales. Gives the yeast time to clean up after itself and time for the beer to "drop bright". I don't use any finings and my beers are always crystal clear.

 

[mattdean4130]

I will duplicate a recipe one day soon and leave it for longer to compare the results

 

[JWB]

I have a couple of stouts in the fermenter at the moment that reached final gravity 1 month ago. I have kept them up to two months with out problem.
I keep them in my spare fridge at about 5C. When I finish a keg I fill it with the oldest stout and brew another.
That way I always have fully fermented beer or stout to refill a keg.

Cheers

JWB

 

[mattdean4130]

I have a couple of stouts in the fermenter at the moment that reached final gravity 1 month ago. I have kept them up to two months with out problem.
I keep them in my spare fridge at about 5C. When I finish a keg I fill it with the oldest stout and brew another.
That way I always have fully fermented beer or stout to refill a keg.

Cheers

JWB

Would it be safe to say without temperature control this might be a different story though?

At this stage i don't have any temp control or fridge setups, i just leave my fermenters in a non drafty part of my kitchen covered in a black sheet...

 

[JWB]

Keeping it in the kitchen might be a bit risky because the ambiant temperature would be well above 8C unless your an Eskimo.
My brewery is in my basement and doesnt get much above 10C most of the year. But then again I live in Tassy and we start to sweat when it gets above 16C down here....lol

 

[mattdean4130]

Yeah, i might try leaving one for say, two weeks and compare. I feel a little uncomfortable leaving it too much longer without it being in a fridge or whatever. Might be okay at the moment i'm getting pretty stable 19-20 degrees.... hmmm

 

[chewy]

would chilling the wort after its finished fermenting kill the yeast and make bottle carbonation impossible?

 

[felten]

Nah, the yeast won't die when you chill them, they just go dormant until you warm them back up.