Some Fementation and Conditioning Questions

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Jazz

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Been doing some more brewing in the last few weeks and have a few questions.

Apologies if they have already been answered....

1. Last two brews were a bit slow to ferment with the cold British weather. Just wondering when you pitch the yeast should you have the lid on the bucket quite tight ? Just wondering whether the build-up of CO2 would kill off the yeast if the FV ?

2. When in the FV the beer needs to be kept at a constant temp. Does this matter so much when the beers are in the bottle ?

I mean during the first week or so of conditioning, the bottles are in the warm. Would there be any benefit to, say put them in a temp controlled water bath ?

3. For the last brew I syphoned the beer into a bottling bucket, added finnings then after two days bottled the beer. Is this the correct way to do this ?

What if you batch batch prime ?

4. Does anyone manage to get a FULL 40 pints from a beer kit ? I seem to get less than 40 half litres each time (although a little bottler does help)

5. If I wanted a shorter brewing time. Are there certain yeasts I should use ? are they expensive ? I'm guessing the taste might be different ?

Thanks

Jazz
 
Been doing some more brewing in the last few weeks and have a few questions.

Apologies if they have already been answered....

1. Last two brews were a bit slow to ferment with the cold British weather. Just wondering when you pitch the yeast should you have the lid on the bucket quite tight ? Just wondering whether the build-up of CO2 would kill off the yeast if the FV ?

2. When in the FV the beer needs to be kept at a constant temp. Does this matter so much when the beers are in the bottle ?

I mean during the first week or so of conditioning, the bottles are in the warm. Would there be any benefit to, say put them in a temp controlled water bath ?

3. For the last brew I syphoned the beer into a bottling bucket, added finnings then after two days bottled the beer. Is this the correct way to do this ?

What if you batch batch prime ?

4. Does anyone manage to get a FULL 40 pints from a beer kit ? I seem to get less than 40 half litres each time (although a little bottler does help)

5. If I wanted a shorter brewing time. Are there certain yeasts I should use ? are they expensive ? I'm guessing the taste might be different ?

Thanks

Jazz

Hi Jazz, I can't answer all of them but I'll give some a shot.

i) How do you pitch the yeast with the lid on? You should pitch the yeast at the correct temperature e.g. 20 degrees (depends on the yeast you use), and then seal it. The yeast MUST be under carbon dioxide otherwise you won't get any ethanol being formed. And any oxygen will make it oxidise - not a good thing.

ii) Temps should always be as constant as possible, other than when you transfer from warm to cold, obviously.

iii) I've never used finings but I believe your method is correct. Perhaps to batch prime you should transfer the beer to another vessel, add the sugar, stir well, and then bottle.

iv) I've never got the full pints because I've found bottling a potentially messy business and some usually get spilled. But if you add enough water in the first instance you should be fine.

v) I'm not an expert on yeasts, but certain yeasts work faster than others, and if you brew slightly warmer (not too warm obviously) it will brew quicker. Adding yeast nutrient might help, also.

Thanks,

Nick
 
Some additional points:

1. Last two brews were a bit slow to ferment with the cold British weather. Just wondering when you pitch the yeast should you have the lid on the bucket quite tight ? Just wondering whether the build-up of CO2 would kill off the yeast if the FV ? I keep the lid on, if it bulges just crack it to release the pressure.

2. When in the FV the beer needs to be kept at a constant temp. Does this matter so much when the beers are in the bottle ? It's not so crucial in my experience.

I mean during the first week or so of conditioning, the bottles are in the warm. Would there be any benefit to, say put them in a temp controlled water bath ? I wouldn't bother doing that.

3. For the last brew I syphoned the beer into a bottling bucket, added finnings then after two days bottled the beer. Is this the correct way to do this ? I don't use finings, but I reckon you could add them to the primary bucket, then siphon to a bottling bucket a couple of days later.

What if you batch batch prime ?

4. Does anyone manage to get a FULL 40 pints from a beer kit ? I seem to get less than 40 half litres each time (although a little bottler does help) We all lose some beer to sediment.

5. If I wanted a shorter brewing time. Are there certain yeasts I should use ? are they expensive ? I'm guessing the taste might be different ? Different yeasts produce differently flavoured beers, some more than others. S04 is a dried yeast that works pretty quickly. WLP002 is a liquid yeast that gives a fast turnaround.
 
Hi Jazz, I can't answer all of them but I'll give some a shot.

i) How do you pitch the yeast with the lid on? You should pitch the yeast at the correct temperature e.g. 20 degrees (depends on the yeast you use), and then seal it. The yeast MUST be under carbon dioxide otherwise you won't get any ethanol being formed. And any oxygen will make it oxidise - not a good thing.

I mean the yeast is pitched then the lid closed (no airlock on lid)

ii) Temps should always be as constant as possible, other than when you transfer from warm to cold, obviously.

iii) I've never used finings but I believe your method is correct. Perhaps to batch prime you should transfer the beer to another vessel, add the sugar, stir well, and then bottle.

I'm wondering whether finnings are that necessary. The beer seems to clear quicker with them and you get slightly less sediment. Though this is the first time I've used them.

iv) I've never got the full pints because I've found bottling a potentially messy business and some usually get spilled. But if you add enough water in the first instance you should be fine.

v) I'm not an expert on yeasts, but certain yeasts work faster than others, and if you brew slightly warmer (not too warm obviously) it will brew quicker. Adding yeast nutrient might help, also.

Thanks,

Nick

5. If I wanted a shorter brewing time. Are there certain yeasts I should use ? are they expensive ? I'm guessing the taste might be different ? Different yeasts produce differently flavoured beers, some more than others. S04 is a dried yeast that works pretty quickly. WLP002 is a liquid yeast that gives a fast turnaround.

Worth a shot. Prob a good idea try a familiar kit with the standard yeast then one of the fast acting ones....

:-)
 

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