'splitter less bitter, SG still high, resurgent fermention

Northern Brewer General
1

ahhhh, the tonguesplitter saga continues…

here’s the story:
tonguesplitter extract kit, full boil, 1# DME extra, and an additional 30 min hop.

OG about 1.054, good.
fast ferment with S-33 dry yeast (recommended yeast)

SG at 1 week 1.020.
added yeast energizer, roused, aerated, placed warmer to about 65-66*

checked 4 days later, SG still 1.020, and really bitter.

now, more than a week later, 2.5 weeks total in primary, and now warmer, about 67*,
SG STILL 1.020.

and the weird thing: it’s getting a little white layer, yeast? and starting to bubble more!
it does taste better, less bad bitter, now good bitter.
and it’s cloudy, but NOT smelly.

*** what’s happening, a renewed fermentation at warmer temps?

*** will the SG EVER go lower??? (I do have a new hydrometer).

I suppose I should just let it be?

keep in warm spot?

thanks all,

2

My extract beers always ended around 1.020. I never had one go lower.

Probably yeast clumping on the surface. And because you put it in a warmer room, CO2 is coming out of solution.

I say stick a fork in it and call it done, clean/sanitize some bottles.

Hint, bottle one 16oz, 20oz or 1lt soda bottle. Squeeze the air out and cap it. As CO2 is formed the bottle will expand. You will not have to open a bottle to see how the carbonation process is coming along.

3

I’m sure Nighthawk is correct, 1.020 sounds about right for that. According to iBrewMaster, which has all of the NB kit recipes in it, that should start at 1.048 and end at 1.015, so you started a little higher (that extra lb of DME) and you’re finishing a little higher, which should be fine.

The hop bitterness decreases over time, which it sounds like it’s doing.

I think you did great!

4

ok, thanks all for the tips.

my next question is…
would it hurt to let it go to 3 weeks, and secondary for another 2 weeks for a clearer beer?
it’s really cloudy now.

thanks

5

How cold can you get the beer with out it freezing, and warming up to much? Are you in a house with an attached garage? Placing it in the garage next to the house should keep it in a narrower temp swing. Maybe wrap it in an old blanket.

If you can keep it in a small temp swing, like 5-10*, getting it as cold as possible will help drop out the cloudiness. Can you maintain between 30-40*?

Otherwise sure. 3 wks primary, 2 secondary would be fine. If it has a big hop aroma/flavor that will start to diminish along with the harsh bitterness.

6

well, I have an unattached garage, but it’s been so mild here in Minnesota this winter…

33* out there this am, forecast 35* today, 45* tomorrow,
so I just put it out there and wrapped in a few blankets.

thanks for the tip!

7

one more question…

how long to cold crash my beer?
til clear?
1-2 days?

once clear, will it cloud up again when I bring back in house?

can I still secondary?
at what temp?
it’s 60* in my basement.
or 65* upstairs

thanks!

8

You want to cold crash it a couple of days before bottling. Like Nighthawk said, the longer you let it condition, the more hop flavor/aroma/bitterness will dissipate. If the bitterness is to your liking, get it as close to freezing as possible for 1-3 days and then bottle it up. The two week it takes to carbonate will cause more of the hoppiness to dissipate.

9

ok, it’s in there now, in the 35* garage, been in there all day, but only down to 50’s,
must take awhile to cool.

if I don’t have time to bottle, or want to try secondary for a week or 2, ok to put in basement at 60*?

thanks so much!

10

If you’re not sure you can bottle, you may want to leave it in the 60’s until you are sure. Unless your garage keeps a fairly even temperature. Yeast don’t like temperature swings and it could cause issues at bottling.

11

thanks so much.

just checked on it out in the garage, only mid 40’s after 24 hours out there.
not clear yet.

tonight it’s going to get down to high 20’s and stay there tomorrow.

**think it’s ok if I leave it out there?

I can wrap it up really good in blankets.

12

[quote=“newbrewermel”]
just checked on it out in the garage, only mid 40’s after 24 hours out there.
not clear yet.[/quote]
The majority of the yeast will drop in about a day, but it’s probably going to take more than a couple days to drop crystal clear, if that’s what you are looking for. More like a week or two at 30-40°F.

13

ok, thanks everyone!

I’ll watch the temps out there.

and I’ll haul it in and rack to secondary and put in 60* basement for awhile if needed.

I don’t like cloudy beer.