Caribou Slobber Bubbling Stopped

Just because your airlock doesn’t show continuous activity doesn’t mean fermentation has stopped. There are different phases of fermentation but it’s likely going on for as long as 10-14 days. Plus, there’s ‘cleanup’ time.
A great majority of my beers show little activity after a few days and much also depends on temperature and of course, the type of yeast used.
No worries.

Chances are that for your first batch, you did not control your fermentation temps to keep the beer temp in the low to mid 60’s?

If not, the warmer it is , the faster it will ferment out. Tons of info on how to control those temps to make better beer going forward.

[quote=“560sdl”]Chances are that for your first batch, you did not control your fermentation temps to keep the beer temp in the low to mid 60’s?

If not, the warmer it is , the faster it will ferment out. Tons of info on how to control those temps to make better beer going forward.[/quote]

True, I did not control the temp. In fact, because the slobber recipe said to put it in a warm, dark, quiet place, i intentionally placed it near a vent where it would stay warm (probably in the mid 70s).

Why would the recipe tell me to keep it somewhere warm if it needed to be in the low to mid 60s?

The focus of temperature control should be where the yeast strain likes to be at. That info is with the yeast(look at kit information, check website page with description, etc.). That is foremost to how the yeast fermentation is going to develop your beer.

We get these questions a lot and the best answer I can give you is that they rarely seem to update their directions to match modern knowledge. Most recipes also call for a secondary fermentation stage and that is completely optional and brewer preference.

For future reference, for most ales, take a look at the yeast you are using and try to keep the beer (not ambient) temperature at the low end of the recommended temp ranges. You will generally get a longer, slower fermentation that will produce a lot cleaner flavor.

You guys are awesome. This is really helpful information. :cheers:

I may be back when it’s time to keg for some schooling on force carbonation.

Speaking of secondary fermentation / conditioning. Again - I know the instructions call for 2 to 4 weeks conditioning in a secondary fermenter. But much of what I have read states that the risk may not be worth the benefits. I plan on going straight to keg. Would you guys recommend a secondary fermentation for the Caribous Slobber recipe?

Thanks again

Most beers benefit from some form of aging, in one form or another, but for aesthetics’ sake, I prefer to cold crash all beers for about 1-2 weeks in secondary. This drop in temp. allows for leftover yeast/and or trub particles to fall out of suspension. Look into some cheap and easy methods of temp control, and it will improve both primary, secondary conditioning.

[quote=“Chris-P”]Speaking of secondary fermentation / conditioning. Again - I know the instructions call for 2 to 4 weeks conditioning in a secondary fermenter. But much of what I have read states that the risk may not be worth the benefits. I plan on going straight to keg. Would you guys recommend a secondary fermentation for the Caribous Slobber recipe?

Thanks again[/quote]
Never done the kit but I’ve heard that the slobber reaches it’s peak flavor after a 2-3 months. Being your first batch, I doubt you can wait that long. My buddy brewed this recently and I tried it at the 6week mark (2 week ferm, 2 week second, 2 week bottle) and it was drinkable. Let it roll at least 4 weeks before you keg it. If the sample is good going into the keg, quick carb it and drink it the next day :wink:

The risk of transferring beer is directly related to your ability to use a siphon and sanitize your equipment. You are no more susceptible to infection or oxidation than when you are cooling down wort post boil or transferring to a bucket/keg.

If you haven’t done so, take a hydrometer reading. This is the only way to know if fermentation is complete.

A few points:

Your beer will finish fermentation more quickly as fermentation temperature increases. Fermentation temperature is the actual temperature inside your fermentor.

Active yeast will increase the temperature inside your fermentor several degrees above the ambient room temperature, (this can range anywhere from 2-10 degrees depending on yeast vigor, etc).

The recommended fermentation temperature on a kit or on a yeast packet reflects the fermentation temperature (inside the fermentor) NOT ambient. Thus, to hit a fermentation temperature target you need to pitch your yeast into wort below the desired fermentation temperature.

Temperature has the greatest effect on the flavor your yeast will produce within the first 48 hours of pitching. After this point you have a little wiggle room.

If you’re new to brewing how the heck are you supposed to know how a new yeast will impact your temps? Don’t worry about it. Just pitch a little bit below the recommended temp and try to find a spot that keeps a consistent temp, like a basement. If a yeast says 64-72, for example, pitch at 62 and you’ll have plenty of room for error.

As far as secondaries and kegs go, well, personal taste applies. I like to secondary prior to kegging because it makes for clearer beer. Gas puts back in to suspension all the crud that would have been left behind in a secondary. Ultimately though this is almost entirely cosmetic and I do not secondary for wheat heavy styles. There’s always a risk of infection when transferring and skipping secondary does mitigate this.

I’ve gone from always doing a secondary, to skipping it and am now back to doing it now that I keg exclusively.

“The risk of transferring beer is directly related to your ability to use a siphon and sanitize your equipment. You are no more susceptible to infection or oxidation than when you are cooling down wort post boil or transferring to a bucket/keg”

  Agreed. I transfer stuff all the time. Hell, I have meads that are in their fourth container. Of course, the higher alcohol % helps ward of microbial contamination, but theory stands. Treat your equipment right. 
 I have about a 5% contamination rate, on an annual average. I can live with that. I also share my "brewery" with a wife, 4 kids, a dog, and 5 cats.

I’m sure others can attest…

[quote=“Chris-P”]Speaking of secondary fermentation / conditioning. Again - I know the instructions call for 2 to 4 weeks conditioning in a secondary fermenter. But much of what I have read states that the risk may not be worth the benefits. I plan on going straight to keg. Would you guys recommend a secondary fermentation for the Caribous Slobber recipe?

Thanks again[/quote]

No to secondary. 3 weeks in primary - then into bottle.

I used to secondary everything and I do believe that it gives me clearer beer sooner. I did a 10 gallon batch of a Cream Ale and went straight to keg with 5 gallons and put the rest into secondary for about 3 weeks. Once cooled and carbed, the latter was clearer much faster, but people would argue that it is the time, not the vessel.

I have successfully transferred probably 75 batches without any sight of infection, most have gone to secondary. So with proper sanitation, there should be no issue.

[quote=“Chris-P”]I plan on going straight to keg. Would you guys recommend a secondary fermentation for the Caribous Slobber recipe? [/quote]A secondary isn’t really necessary if you’re kegging. I usually leave my beer in the primary for 3 week then keg it and let it condition for a couple weeks. The first pint or so tends to have a lot of sediment so I dump it.

[quote=“Chris-P”]I may be back when it’s time to keg for some schooling on force carbonation.[/quote]Here’s some good information
http://www.angelfire.com/ks2/beer/homekeg.html
on setting up a keg system.
NB also has a comprehensive file on kegging

.
And here’s

a nice force carbonating chart.

Not to beat a dead horse but I wanted to add to what Toccatta said:

Yeast will increase your fermentation temps by 5* degrees on average. So, with an AMBIENT temp of 72*, plus the avg. of 5* fermentation temp, you actually fermented your beer at 77* (and probably closer to 80*). This is MUCH too high and is the reason your beer fermented in 3 days. With this high of temps you will get fusel alcohol. Fusels will NOT age out. The best advice I can give new brewers is to figure out ways to monitor their fermentation temps.

Now, no matter what happens, give it another shot. Don’t just give up. You will make better beer the more you brew.