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fermentation question
okay I am brewing a red ale........partially from a kit.... added amber extract for fermentables to kit.
Started on Monday night.............tuesday brew was a bubblin great ...actually foam out the top of airlock....which I removed
thursday looks as if fermentation has stopped....air lock is down to less than 1 bubble a minute.
I repitched (thurs) yeast and nothing is happening still as of fri morning
the carboy is sitting at 70 degrees...it has a small layer of foam on top of brew with minimal bubble production. This is a very thin layer.
is it possible the fermentation is done?
I don't have a hydrometer.....so can't do that.....but will be buying one
used an ale yeast.........and all other ingredients are the same as previous succesful batches...water etc. I am very sanitary...........could this just be a really fast acting yeast......
Overall there was 4 lbs liquid extract-hopped.......and 1 lb of dry amber extract..
Just seems like that is a lot of work for the yeast to be finished with already.
can I bottle..........?
I am worried because last time this happened I made a great tasting non-or real low alcohol wheat.........good for some not me.
this one needs to taste good and pack a punch.
let me also say that the initial reaction of this fermentation was amazing....thus my question......Could it be done?
Should i add corn sugar?
thanks in advance for help.
only way to know 100% is checking the spec. gravity with a hydrometer.
that being said, i have had some fermentations finish out in a few days, especially ones as vigorous as yours sounds.
if you don't want to invest in the hydrometer, i would give it at least a week or two in primary to make sure (or one week in primary and one in secondary).
4 lb LME and 1 lb DME. were these the only fermentables that you had?
Based on that, the ol' computer program spits out your OG to be in the neighborhood of 1.037ish. Depending on what kind of yeast that you used that isnt really too much sugar for the yeast to chew through in 48-72 hours. To be completely honest, you probably didnt even need to re-pitch with an OG that low.
What kind of yeast did you use? Dry, activator smack pack? The viability of the yeast and OG are the primary drivers behind a very quick fermentation, so i wouldnt be too concerned if it finished that quick, but let it sit for a bit anyway...at least a week to condition before you bottle, especially since you repitched.
If you are looking for something with a bang, i am afraid that this won't be your hucklberry, unless there are some fermentables that you didn't list. I would suggest gaining some gravity points and flavor/color from some specialty grains, and up your LME/DME by at least 2-3 lbs to get you in the range you are looking for on your next brew. it looks like this beer will land in the 3.7% abv range, but you do need to invest in a hydrometer just to make sure. It will also help once you start to get your gravities up to know where your ferm. really is. Don't add any other sugar at this point besides priming sugar as it wouldn't really give you what you are looking for.
But hey, in the long run, if it tastes good...there is nothing wrong with a solid sesion beer.
I'm willing to bet that it's done fermenting. But as previoulsy stated you don't want to bottle it just yet. If you're not using a secondary then you should leave it in the primary for two weeks total to give the yeast a chance to clean things up a bit.
Great,
I will see what is going on when I get home tonight..........I won't bottle it yet.......also what should I be adding a these other fermentables......im a bit lost here. I used a 4lb kit and added 1lb amber extract........and the dry yeast that came with the kit. PS how do I use the gelatin findings to clear the beer? and when
thanks
I actually made all of my previous comments based on the assumption that you had a 5 gal batch.. hope I was right. But outside of that, the easiest way to get more fermentables is to add more LME/DME.
If you are working from a kit, The LME was probably a 3.3 lb can and then a pound of DME in a zip bag or something...just find out what kind of extracts they are using, and then just add more. say, 2 cans of LME instead of just one, or 3-4 lbs of DME instead of one lb...its really your choice, the possibilities are endless, thus the joy of homebrewing. Honey, Candi sugar, dextrose (corn sugar), etc... are all other fermentables that can be added in as well when the style fits.
Gelatin...personally i have never used, but you can either Boil water and disolve the finings in that and pour into the primary after fermentation is complete, or i believe that you can even just sprinkle them in....but don't take my word on that one. i'm sure that topic has been covered somewhere in here, just search for it.
okay.........the list of fermantables to add to the kit was just malt extract....I only added a pound. In the future should I add more?
thanks
if you want to brew something with a bang yes...you would want to add more...at least another can of LME or 3 lbs of DME. if you get a kit from the same place, look to see how many lbs of extracts are in there, you will want to go with about 6lb of LME or 5lb DME to get you in the 5%+ ABV range.
For example, I have a belgian Triple that i brewed with 2lb of specialty grain, 7 lb DME and 1lb Candi sugar, my ABV ended up about 9.1%.
Are you getting your kits from a homebrew store?
There was no need to repitch yeast. With the 5 pds fermentables it's likely that fermentation is close to being done. At 70 degrees it would take about 3 days for the majority of the fermentation to happen. Is your beer in a plastic bucket or glass carboy? After a week you can either transfer to a secondary for an additional week or leave it in primary a few more days and bottle. additional yeast won't hurt it but wasn't neccessary.
I use only glass carboys so I can see what is happening. Fermentation slows down fast and at 3 days is minimal and then you will slowly see the beer ger clearer from top to bottom as the yeast settles. At that point there should be little to no airlock activity. You should be safe to bottle after the beer has cleared and sat for a few more days. Hydrometers run about 10 to 12 bucks and are worth the money. I just broke mine recently and bought a new one that is a combination hydrometer and thermometer and it was 11 bucks.
Let us know how the irish red ale tastes. I like red ales. Made a few mysekf and they are simple and tasty.
DC
jreinders wrote:
okay.........the list of fermantables to add to the kit was just malt extract....I only added a pound. In the future should I add more?
thanks
Depends on what your goal is. If you just want to more alcohol out of it then table sugar will work to a point. More extract does the same thing. If you want a different flavor than the origional kit you might want to add specialty grains. To get a fuller beer specialty grains fit the bill. Try brewing a few different styles from kits and see which ones you like better and make note of the ingredients and then you'll probably see what the different ingredients add to the beer and you can start adding the specific grain or adjunct that gave you what you liked in the kit.
Some specialty grains I like to use.
honey malt: adds a little sweetness to a beer without having to use sugar.
Debittered black patent: adds color without adding strong roasted grain flavor the normal black patent malt does.
Chocolate malt: adds a chocolate and mild roasty flavor.
You can use Beer Tools to make your own recipes or look at their recipe library according to different styles. When you make a recipe you can view the specifics of each ingredient and what it adds to a beer. It's a great learning tool and a way to learn about different styles. Just google beer tools, they have a free basic level which is what I use.
DC
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