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Double Rye P.A.
Okay, I foolishly left the heating pad on and it heated the wort up to 91 degrees.
Is this batch a lost cause or can I still put more yeast in?
Wow...well with a starting gravity that high and fermentation temps in the 90s you might end up with a product more suitable for Molotov cocktails rather than a drinkable brew (that is if you were able to get the proper attenuation from all that yeast).
I would get it off that heat pad and let it sit for at least a month. Just try to forget about it for a few weeks. After that time, check the gravity with your hydrometer and see if you're were you should be according to your recipe. If so, bottle and let those babies condition for another month or so. Who knows, you might end up with something drinkable. Beer can surprise you some times.
Well luckily I went home right after work, and it was probably only over temp for a few hours. I went to work at 3, when it was at 73 degrees (upper range optimal temp for this yeast), and got home at 7:30, at which point I, cursing, removed the heating pad, looked over the beer, and left. When I got back home at 11:30, it was down to 78 degrees. This morning I looked in on it and it was back down to 68 and seems to be fermenting well with a thick layer of foam. So hopefully I didn't ruin it in that small period. Any opinions? No matter what happens, if this has alcohol in it, I'm drinking it, if only to reinforce the lessons learned.
Trouble Brewing wrote:
No matter what happens, if this has alcohol in it, I'm drinking it, if only to reinforce the lessons learned.
I think a bottle of isopropanol would be cheaper.
brewchez wrote:
Trouble Brewing wrote:
No matter what happens, if this has alcohol in it, I'm drinking it, if only to reinforce the lessons learned.
I think a bottle of isopropanol would be cheaper.
Hah. Anyhow, I've just read quite a few examples of brief overheated fermentations and the off flavors. It seems with time, and patience, everything should be just fine. Off flavors will mellow or disappear over time. Being a barleywine of sorts, it should cellar anyhow. Also, I ordered a brew belt which should show up today, so I'll be better outfitted to control the temp on this. Now I know why I wanted a Temp controlled fridge to ferment in.
What can I say, I'm a fan of Big Beers. I like to drink a few bottles and be good for the night. Not much of a session man unless I'm hunting/fishing/partying.
Anyhow, thanks everyone for your input. I really need to get my skills hammered out before I apply for apprenticeship at the local brewery.
I'll keep you updated on my Maltotov Cocktail's (or isoHOPanol) progress.
Well fermentation is coming along swimmingly, bubbles visibly cascading up the sides. My gravity is now down to 1.08. The beer tastes a little cidery, but not unpleasantly so.
So, it seems by the die back of krausen foam, my primary fermentation is complete. I am currently tasting the hydrometer sample, which strangely looks somewhat akin to cloudy apple cider in color. From my original gravity of 1.12, it has so far reduced to 1.04, yielding a roughly 10.8% brew, and that's just so far. It tastes rather smooth, the cidery taste has largely left it, and it has a crisp mouthfeel, instead of the barleywine syrupiness I was expecting. Right now it is neither strongly malty nor hoppy. It certainly smells and tastes like beer though, so I am pleased. I'm going to leave it in the primary fermenter for another couple weeks, and then transfer it to some sort of secondary fermenter to dry hop it, I'm thinking about trying to transfer it somehow back into my Mr. Beer and use it as the secondary fermenter, for ease of bottling and so forth.
I ended up not dry hopping, and just going ahead and bottling the beer the other day. Its Final Gravity ended up at between 1.03-1.04, approximately 12% alcohol. It tastes a little bitter, which may be due to it staying on the spent yeast a bit too long. Overall, not too bad a result for my experiment. Next time I'll take more care, but at least it attenuated well and now I know I can create a big beer like I wanted. Thanks for your help.
CS:
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