My attenuation problem with WY 1332

I started brewing the Caribou Slobber with WY 1332 about 2008 - 2010. Sometimes I’m diligent about going back to my brewing notes and writing tasting notes. Some of the Slobbers I had noted they were over carbonated. Would use less priming sugar for the next Slobber but also noted it was still over carbonated. These Slobbers were bottled at an SG of 1.010 to 1.012.

My general fermentation procedure was controlling the active fermentation temperature with a swamp cooler. I would take the fermentor out of the swamp cooler after 3 to 4 days when the active fermentation subsided. The fermentation would finish at the ambient room temperature. Ambient during the winter would be 68°F. Summer ambient is 66° to 67°F when the AC is running.

February 7 brewed the Midnight Beatdown Wheaton porter with WY 1332. Bottled after 3.5 weeks in the primary with a SG of 1.019. SG seemed high but I thought my mash temperature must have been much higher than the 154°F measurement at the end of 60 minutes. Tasted the porter 4/1. Noted strong roasted grain flavor and over carbonation. Had two more bottles 5/4. Terribly over carbonated. Carbonation shouldn’t have changed in one month. I only expected the roasted grain flavor to change. Checked the SG of the bottled beer. It was at 1.011. I was able to degas the bottles to get them down to a decent carbonation level.

Brewed the same porter on 6/25 and bottled on 7/16. This batch is still warm conditioning. SG at bottling was 1.007. The highest controlled active fermentation temperature reached was 68.9°F on day 3. With the aquarium heater in the swamp coolers water bath I maintained 70°F for days 4 to 6. Days 7 to 16 I maintained the beer at 72°F until the SG stabilized at 1.007.

It seems the highly flocculant WY 1332 needs warm temperatures to stay in suspension to finish. The beer may finish after the yeast begins dropping but may require months to actually reach FG.

I might make it a standard practice to gradually increase the temperature of the primary until SG stabilizes.

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I’ve been tinkering with my fermentation procedures and have come to what I do now… I do have a freez-mentor, so understand that. I can chill down to 65, from the boil. I will have the freez-mentor set at 67. I will put the inoculated wort in there, and when the fermentation stars to roll, I will turn the freez-mentor down to 63… That will stay that way until the yeast slows way down… A burp every 5 minutes… there abouts. At that time, I will turn the freez-mentor off/ crank up to 70… And take a test/sample after a day or so. I leave it there for a few more, basically to sample and verify the fermentation has stabilized… Then to crashing to 32… I will rack to the keg after it looks very clear. Each yeast reacts differently so these time frames are very dependent on the the way the yeast acts… Its been treating me quite well, and I haven’t been using gelatin much any more. Its not crystal clear, yet clear enough to see through it. Sneezles61

Although a diacetyl rest isn’t always necessary it often does help with attenuation.

I’ve only used that yeast a few times and never had issues. But, note that I exclusively keg so I wouldn’t notice per se.

Brewed the Midnight Beatdown Wheaton Porter again on 9/30 using harvested WY 1332. Fermentation temperature was 67° to 68°F. Fermentation activity was nearly nil on 10/6. Temperature corrected SG was 1.012. Roused the yeast and bumped the temperature of the beer to 70°F. 10/16 and 10/20 the temperature corrected SG was 1.011.

On 10/25 the beer was showing no further fermentation activity. I pitched a one liter starter of WY 1056 at high krausen. Air lock activity on the sealed carboy within 4 hours. Either the WY 1056 was fermenting some of the remaining sugars in the porter or the CO2 release was just from the yeast pitched at high krausen.

Checked the SG this morning after of couple of days with no activity. Corrected SG at 1.009. Total of 31 days in the carboy. I think I’ll bottle this one as is in about a week.

I’ll use the yeast again but the next time I’ll start the fermentation at 70°F since this yeast seems to drop more quickly than other English yeasts I’ve used.

Me same thing. Use swamp cooler for the first 4 days than compleet fermentation at room temp. I find out if i let it stand a week to ten days longer once fermenting should be done. The yeast much happier. Or could it be i use. Yeast nutrient as well