Fermentation Question - Is my batch ok?

Yeast & Fermentation
1

Hello homebrewing friends. I am 10 days into fermentation of my NB Carribou Slobber extract kit.This is my first ever 5 gallon batch and my 2nd ever batch, so needless to say, I am green. Brew day went well, I pitched the yeast and brought my carboy down to my basement. Day one temp was fine with the fermometer reading 68 degrees. Fermentation began within 12 hours, aggressively foaming to the point where I needed a blowoff tube on day two. The temp dropped to about 65 degrees. The problem may lie in that day 3 we had, in NY, a cold freeze where temps fell to 10 degrees outside causing my basement temp to drop. Day three morning fermometer read around 63 degrees. By the time I got home from work, the fermometer read around 60 degrees. The blowoff tube was unnecessary at this point so I replaced the airlock and brought the fermenter up to the kitchen pantry where over the next few days the fermometer slowly rose to a steady 65 degrees where it has been since. The two days after bringing the carboy up to the pantry I did still see a lot of movement in the wort, but it seemed to settle down rather quickly after that. I pitched rehydrated Danstar Windsor Ale yeast that came with the kit.

Should my batch be ok? Did fermentation stop prematurely? Is there anything I can do to make sure this batch isn’t ruined? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Please help. Thank you.

2

I don’t really see any signs of problems there. Give it a few more days then take a gravity reading.

3

Thanks Denny. I thought the temperature drop and rise could have stalled or stopped the fermentation process or possibly caused potential off flavors. I’ll check gravity in a few days.

Also, the instructions call for transferring to a secondary fermenter for a week or two. Can’t I just bottle condition for a month rather than two weeks in secondary and two weeks in bottles?

4

For the Caribou Slobber, I would just leave it in primary for at least 2 weeks (longer if gravity readings are not stable). Give the yeast some time to clean up after themselves. Then you can bottle condition. Average to get good carbonation is 2-3 weeks if bottles are warm (70*+). But from my experience, many dark beers, and especially this beer, just get better with age. My first batch of CS was great at about 3 months (when I only had 3 bottles left :frowning: .

Good luck and welcome!

Ron

5

[quote=“Frenchie”]For the Caribou Slobber, I would just leave it in primary for at least 2 weeks (longer if gravity readings are not stable). Give the yeast some time to clean up after themselves. Then you can bottle condition. Average to get good carbonation is 2-3 weeks if bottles are warm (70*+). But from my experience, many dark beers, and especially this beer, just get better with age. My first batch of CS was great at about 3 months (when I only had 3 bottles left :frowning: .

Good luck and welcome!

Ron[/quote]

Thanks Ron! It is hard to wait, but I’ll be patient.

6

Thanks Denny. I thought the temperature drop and rise could have stalled or stopped the fermentation process or possibly caused potential off flavors. I’ll check gravity in a few days.

Also, the instructions call for transferring to a secondary fermenter for a week or two. Can’t I just bottle condition for a month rather than two weeks in secondary and two weeks in bottles?[/quote]

I’d recommend a minimum of 3 weeks primary and even 4 would be fine. Then skip the secondary.

7

Thanks Denny. I thought the temperature drop and rise could have stalled or stopped the fermentation process or possibly caused potential off flavors. I’ll check gravity in a few days.

Also, the instructions call for transferring to a secondary fermenter for a week or two. Can’t I just bottle condition for a month rather than two weeks in secondary and two weeks in bottles?[/quote]

I’d recommend a minimum of 3 weeks primary and even 4 would be fine. Then skip the secondary.[/quote]

Right now the Slobber is fermenting in my only 6.5 gal carboy. I have two other 5 gal carboys. I want to brew my IIPA kit this weekend. Can I use a 5 gal carboy as a primary? Will I lose precious yeast from aggressive fermentation through a blowoff tube? I do have fermcap, but have found info saying silicone should be filtered from finished beer. How do you recommend I best utilize my carboys?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions!

8

[quote=“SYak”]
Right now the Slobber is fermenting in my only 6.5 gal carboy. I have two other 5 gal carboys. I want to brew my IIPA kit this weekend. Can I use a 5 gal carboy as a primary? Will I lose precious yeast from aggressive fermentation through a blowoff tube? I do have fermcap, but have found info saying silicone should be filtered from finished beer. How do you recommend I best utilize my carboys?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions![/quote]

This is one example of when it’s a good idea to move to secondary. If you’ve been in primary for 2 weeks you should be safe moving to secondary and using your 6.5 gallon for your next batch. As always, be sure to observe proper sanitation and siphoning techinques to reduce the risk of contamination and oxydation.

9

[quote=“mattnaik”][quote=“SYak”]
Right now the Slobber is fermenting in my only 6.5 gal carboy. I have two other 5 gal carboys. I want to brew my IIPA kit this weekend. Can I use a 5 gal carboy as a primary? Will I lose precious yeast from aggressive fermentation through a blowoff tube? I do have fermcap, but have found info saying silicone should be filtered from finished beer. How do you recommend I best utilize my carboys?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions![/quote]

This is one example of when it’s a good idea to move to secondary. If you’ve been in primary for 2 weeks you should be safe moving to secondary and using your 6.5 gallon for your next batch. As always, be sure to observe proper sanitation and siphoning techinques to reduce the risk of contamination and oxydation.[/quote]

Thanks mattnaik!