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Fermentation Issue

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing
#1

Hello, and thanks for looking.

I brewed an extract recipe on Sunday… the “exit 11 clone” that I found on Brewers Friend using White Labs 007 English Ale yeast. Everything went according to plan. The OG was a little high, but nothing to be worried about.

I had to leave town Sunday night and came home Tuesday night to a gooey mess in the basement. It seems like the air lock became clogged and the top of my fermentation bucket burst off. I use a 6.5 gallon bucket with 3 piece air lock. I have no idea when it blew open. I cleaned the seal and air lock as quickly as possible and put the top back on. There is now activity in the air lock again.

Did I lose this batch?

The recipe calls for 1-2 weeks primary, 1 week secondary, dry hop, 1 more week secondary, and 2 weeks bottle conditioning.

I do not want to waste time with all the other steps in this batch if it is a lost cause.

What do you think? :?:

#2

You may be okay. How are you controlling fermetation temperature?

#3

If you have the $30+ dollars to throw away, go ahead and dump it now.

Most likely the beer will be fine. I never think about tossing a beer until it’s been in the bottle for 2-3 months. Unless it’s turned to vinegar, you will be surprised what some age will do to a beer.

#4

thank you! i will continue as usual and hope for the best.

my basement keeps a steady 68-70 degrees in the summer time, so, i do not have any other method than that. i saw a really cool fermentation chamber build yesterday that is intriguing, but, i do not think the wife would approve of that one.

#5

[quote=“spartybrews”]thank you! i will continue as usual and hope for the best.

my basement keeps a steady 68-70 degrees in the summer time, so, i do not have any other method than that. i saw a really cool fermentation chamber build yesterday that is intriguing, but, i do not think the wife would approve of that one.[/quote]
Fermentation is exothermic so wort temperatures will be 5° to 10° higher than ambient room temperature. A swamp cooler with a fan will get your fermentation temperature down into the low 60°s. Keep your fermometer strip dry and out of the breeze from the fan for an accurate wort temp reading. Bottle age this one a few months. More than likely some off flavors were produced because of the high fermentation temperature.
I have a high OG brew still aging from, I think, 2008. It is getting better.

#6

[quote=“flars”]
Fermentation is exothermic so wort temperatures will be 5° to 10° higher than ambient room temperature. A swamp cooler with a fan will get your fermentation temperature down into the low 60°s. Keep your fermometer strip dry and out of the breeze from the fan for an accurate wort temp reading. Bottle age this one a few months. More than likely some off flavors were produced because of the high fermentation temperature.
I have a high OG brew still aging from, I think, 2008. It is getting better.[/quote]

the wort temp was 66* when i put it in the bucket.
my fermometer strip on the bucket reads 68*. the fermometer strip has not changed more than 2* +/- since the wort went into the bucket.

the yeast strain calls for a 65*-70* fermentation.

where did i go wrong?

#7

I’m not familiar with WL007. 66° may have been warm enough for the yeast to begin fermentation in less than 8 hours. From there the temperature continued to increase, increasing the rate of fermentation, resulting in a very high krausen layer. Your beer probably finished very quickly. Leave it in the primary for at least three weeks. Transfer to secondary and dry hop. (Some people also dry hop in the primary. Could research that idea.)
One way or another the batch is not a lost cause until it has bottle conditioned for four weeks to four months. The taste after full conditioning will determine what to do next.

#8

thank you for all of your input. i will be sure to post an update later on. cheers.

#9

To further my brewing education I really want to know how it does turn out. I’ll remain subscribed to this thread.

#10

Bottled the brew today. Looked good. Tasted good.

The SG was at 1.011 which results in 7.3% ABV. That’s a bit higher than expected,any ideas why that would happen? Just an active fermentation? Could it be caused by using a different yeast than what the recipe called for? (The LHBS didn’t have what was recommended at the time).

I moved it to secondary about 3 weeks ago. The SG at that point was 1.016 which is what the recipe called for at FG.

I’ll give it at least 2 weeks to bottle condition and update again.

Thanks!

#11

[quote=“spartybrews”]Bottled the brew today. Looked good. Tasted good.

The SG was at 1.011 which results in 7.3% ABV. That’s a bit higher than expected,any ideas why that would happen? Just an active fermentation? Could it be caused by using a different yeast than what the recipe called for? (The LHBS didn’t have what was recommended at the time).

I moved it to secondary about 3 weeks ago. The SG at that point was 1.016 which is what the recipe called for at FG.

I’ll give it at least 2 weeks to bottle condition and update again.

Thanks![/quote]
Your OG could have been the same as the recipe if the volumes were spot on with the recipe volumes. Often it is difficult to get the wort and top off water completely mixed in the fermentor. Hydrometer sample could have been drawn from part of the wort with more concentrated sugars. Coupled with a lower FG than the recipe could account for higher calculated ABV.

Next step is how will it taste in two to six weeks. I will bet it is a very fine brew.

#12

I opened my first bottle from the Exit 11 clone that blew the lid of the fermentor last night… VERY good. I am very pleased with the results. Thanks for all the tips!

#13

I pitched WL007 into my Surly Bender Kit wort and it’s been 20 hours and no airlock activity or visible sign of foam. Anyone had a problem with WL007 getting started? Separately, how long do I wait before re-pitching?

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