Title says it all but here is more information.
I brewed my first all grain yesterday and made a stout and I used Nottingham ale yeast. There is activity so I know it is fermenting but it is incredibly low compared to the other times I used this yeast.
The yeast was opened about two weeks ago and half the packet was used (I brew one gallon batches). I doubt it was due to low yeast amount since when I hydrated the yeast there was still plenty in the packet. I kept the yeast wrapped up, sealed in air tight container, and in the fridge.
Since this was my first attempt at all grain I used the BIAB method and achieved 44% efficiency with OG of 1.055.
So. What could the situation be with the low activity and should I consider this beer scratched?
half a packet of dry yeast is a lot for a 1 gallon batch of that gravity. I assume it fermented very quickly and you only saw the tail end of it
take a gravity reading. that’s the only way to know for sure.
I brewed caribou slobber and White House honey porter that were both around 1.050 OG and had crazy activity at this time with the Nottingham yeast. Being not even 36 hours into fermentation I would find it hard to believe it is at the tail end but being new to brewing I don’t doubt the wisdom of the experienced brewers.
what temperature did you rehydrate at?
also, depending on fermentation temperature, it could easily ferment out in under 36 hours. nottingham is a fast worker in my experience. what temp did you ferment at? Taking a gravity reading is the only way to know for sure. judging by appearance isn’t very accurate
I hydrated the yeast at 86 F and fermenting at around 70 F.
I’m just intrigued since it is the exact opposite of my experience with the yeast. The last two batches with nottingham had foam filling the airlock on one and pushing out the blow off tube on the other and this one is quiet.
I just checked it this morning and it was still fermenting so I am not worried about it really.
yeast can be unpredictable in different worts and conditions. 70 is pretty warm, and will cause a fast fermentation. for future batches fermenting in the low 60s will get better results
hope it works out :cheers:
There is not much I can do at the moment to decrease the temperature. Ambient is 66-68 so I am guessing 71-73 is where it is fermenting. My fermenter thermometer got lost before I got to put it on and I never got around to getting another one. Anyway. All the other batches have been turning out so things are well. Also, I remember this batch getting a little sloshed around after pitching the yeast. I wonder since sloshing didn’t happen when I pitched the yeast on the other batches that it fermented hard on top of the beer while this batch looks like it is fermenting harder at the bottom.
Anyway, thanks for the input Scoggin. Appreciate it.
[quote=“TheNerdyGnome”]There is not much I can do at the moment to decrease the temperature. Ambient is 66-68 so I am guessing 71-73 is where it is fermenting. My fermenter thermometer got lost before I got to put it on and I never got around to getting another one. Anyway. All the other batches have been turning out so things are well. Also, I remember this batch getting a little sloshed around after pitching the yeast. I wonder since sloshing didn’t happen when I pitched the yeast on the other batches that it fermented hard on top of the beer while this batch looks like it is fermenting harder at the bottom.
Anyway, thanks for the input Scoggin. Appreciate it.[/quote]
sloshing it is encouraged before fermentation. it will aerate the batch, and yeast need oxygen. so if anything, that would make the yeast work faster. (avoid sloshing after fermentation)
for keeping temperature down, search forums for the term “swamp cooler”. It’s basically a bucket that you place your fermenter into, and add water to the bucket. a fermenter ‘bath’, kept at 60-65 degrees. this will keep the beer from experiencing big temperature changes from the ambient temperature. you can regulate the water temperature (around your fermenter) with ice or frozen water bottles. It’s a cheap and easy way to control fermentation temperature
happy brewing :cheers:
