This is my very first homebrew and have been very cautious of every wrong way to do things, ensured the most clean and sterile equipment. Fermentation started with a vengeance as on day 2 I had to quick swap over to a blow off tube cause the top of the bucket looked like it was going to blow off. I started on the 26th and it is now in the 3rd day. I know things tend to slow down naturally but just wanted to see if maybe the yeast had stopped.
[quote=“rgag081499”]This is my very first homebrew and have been very cautious of every wrong way to do things, ensured the most clean and sterile equipment. Fermentation started with a vengeance as on day 2 I had to quick swap over to a blow off tube cause the top of the bucket looked like it was going to blow off. I started on the 26th and it is now in the 3rd day. I know things tend to slow down naturally but just wanted to see if maybe the yeast had stopped.
Caribou Slobber
Danstar Windsor ale yeast
Any feedback will help thanks[/quote]
All is well. The bubbling slows and even stops; but the yeast are still working.
For now, just relax, and start shopping for your next brew day.
Like he said, everything is fine. A very vigorous start to the fermentation usually means it will complete quickly.
As you asked for advice, here is some. A vigorous fermentation could mean that your fermentation temperature is on the high side. That won’t ruin the beer, but it is something you may want to consider for the future. A lower fermentation temperature will slow down the yeast, removing the potential of blowing the lid off, and will also restrain the production of fusel alcohols and phenolic compounds. That means a cleaner tasting beer if you keep the temperature near the low end of the yeast’s optimal range.
Thanks, I really wasn’t too worried just a bit of curiosity was setting in and just wanted a warm and fuzzy on if the temp was right. Its sitting in the corner of my dinning room wrapped in a towel, house temp is 68 during the day and 64 at night. Now on to the next brew and have a few of my last commercial beers in the process.
I had a very similar experience with my first batch of NB Caribou Slobber. It went off on the first day. 12 hours after I pitched, I had to deploy the blow-off rig. Then I left home for several hours. I thought I had my fermentation spot figured out, but it isn’t dark enough. Nor cool enough, apparently. So, when I got home my fermometer was up around 78° F. My krausen was nearly gone and my blow-off apparatus was pretty nasty. I sanitized and used an airlock and got my temp down to 68°- 70°. I’m getting a few burps, but nothing like it was before that temperature spike. I was worried I completely ruined it until I read this. Should I expect it to stay in the first stage any longer since it seems to have slowed so early in the process?
I plan on kegging mine not even going to bottle. So I’m figuring around 9 Jan which will be 3 weeks before I even think about moving it over to force carb in the keg for about a week. I’m getting a few more bubbles out of it today. I had a towel wrapped around it but have since removed it.
I feel I’m in the same boat. 1st time brewer and just brewed Caribou Slobber on the 27th and put it in the Fermentor around 4pm that day. I did my research before receiving my brew kit to gain some knowledge on the whole process. So I knew how important cleaning & sanitizing everything was and followed the recipe to the T. Pitched the yeast at 80deg & it started doing its thing a couple hrs later. It started off great and became really slow. The next day I woke up with a thick layer of krausen, a lot of activity in the beer and constantly bubbling in the airlock throughout the entire day. Around dinner time that day, I noticed the temp was getting around 76deg and I put it in my basement where it is cooler. Today I woke up, the temp is now around 68deg, the thick layer of krausen is gone, can’t see any activity in the beer like there was yesterday and only bubbling about once a minute. Just wondering if this can be normal and if it’s still fermenting since there is still some CO2 being produced. Just a little anxious & nervous being my first brew and hope nothing went wrong and it’s not ruined.
I’m still getting a few bubbles every few minutes, I do t have the luxury or a basement just a garage that is prob around 50 or so, I’m just going to leave where it is till the 9th of Jan and continue on with the process. I also have been reading for prob 6 months before I decided to make the plunge into home brewing, would love to stay with it and begin to create my own recipes.
[quote=“Marty91308”]I followed the recipe to the T. Pitched the yeast at 80deg & it started doing its thing a couple hrs later.
Today I woke up, the temp is now around 68deg,
Just a little anxious & nervous being my first brew and hope nothing went wrong and it’s not ruined.[/quote]
Both yeasts that are default for caribou slobber want to be under 75F, and really are happier closer to 65F.
Yeast produce heat, and can make the beer several degrees higher than room temperature; just like you can be 98.6 in a room that’s 70. Ever been to a party where people are opening windows even though it’s winter outside? By yeast standards, caribou slobber is a kickin’ party, so even 68 may be too warm.
It’s probably not ruined, but temperature control is probably more important than proper sanitization. I mean people have forgotten to sanitize things, and been lucky enough to not contaminate, but if you don’t control temps you will have issues.
Thanks for the advice. Every little bit helps being new to home brewing. I’ve also read from other home brewers that the airlock is to let out CO2 and not a tool that tells you fermentation has stopped, but my main concern is how quickly the very active fermentation slowed down(by the 3rd day). By that I mean, krausen dissipated, only bubbling about every 2min & can no longer see movement in the fermenting beer. Is this somewhat normal?
I wouldn’t quite go that far. Proper temperature control can make the difference between good and great beer. Proper sanitization can be the difference between drinkable and undrinkable beer.
You may or may not ruin a beer that is made without proper sanitation, but why take the risk?
To all the new brewers who have had this problem: relax, it will be OK. Worst case is you’ll get a little more harshness in the beers from the fusel alcohols and phenolic compounds that yeast produce at higher temperatures, and you’ll have something to improve on for the next brew.
Since it’s my first batch, I’m gonna drink it, unless it tastes like iodine, and tell everyone it’s great! Thanks for the words of wisdom, everyone. I appreciate you all sharing your knowledge with we noobs. I moved my primary to a closet in a swamp cooler set-up. So far, about the best I can do is ~70%. It has been unusually warm here in central Florida so fermentation temps will be my nemesis year-round. I’ll need a much better plan in the summer.
You could just move someplace with a more reasonable climate, but that’s not a sure thing either. It’s been unseasonably warm here for the last couple of weeks, with temps hovering in the high 30s.
I wouldn’t quite go that far. Proper temperature control can make the difference between good and great beer. Proper sanitization can be the difference between drinkable and undrinkable beer.
You may or may not ruin a beer that is made without proper sanitation, but why take the risk?
To all the new brewers who have had this problem: relax, it will be OK. Worst case is you’ll get a little more harshness in the beers from the fusel alcohols and phenolic compounds that yeast produce at higher temperatures, and you’ll have something to improve on for the next brew.[/quote]
You’re correct, of course.
My point was not that sanitization can be skipped. My point was that most “new brewer” documentation places too much emphasis on sanitization, and not enough on temperature control. I wouldn’t deliberately skip sanitizing, but If you “forget” to sanitize a fermenter your risk of infection becomes (unacceptably) higher, but it’s still a risk not a certainty. If you ferment too hot, off flavors are a certainty.
Most of NBs extract kits list the attenuation, flocculation, and temperature ranges in the inventory section. Might as well cite passing yards and rushing yards. Looking at my first kit ever, NBs Lefse Blond,It has a step (6), where it points out all the stuff that needs to be sanitized. It eventually does say to pitch below 78F, (still too hot IMO) but then step 13 only says to put the fermenter in a “warm, dark, quiet spot.” I won’t speak for everyone, but I certainty don’t consider mid-60s “warm.”
That’s good advice…I can’t tell you how many batches I’ve had ruined due to excessive noise! [/quote]
Excess noise may stimulate a yeast party?
I agree with fermentation temp being under-stressed to new brewers. Perhaps brew shops don’t want to discourage new blood but IMO off tasting beer is very discouraging. Some instructions are vague; as a new brewer, “ferment at 70 degrees” meant put the carboy in a 70 degree room.
Anyone have any suggestions on a simple fermentation chamber to keep temps stable. I have been looking around a lot online and there a a few great ideas but I’m looking for getting the job done on a small scale for now, since being in the military and moving alot just want something that will be sturdy for a few years till I retire and can go hog wild on brewing…lol
