Troubleshooting / begging for reassurance for a noob...

[reincarnationfish]

Hello, I'm pretty new to this beer brewing lark and I'm looking for some advice/reassurance for a couple of batches I have on the way that I'm concerned about (I'm brewing single Gallon batches, so I can do weekly brew days and experiment a bit more with making up my own recipes).

Firstly, I have two batches that I bottled a bit late, after three and a half weeks instead of two, due to being knocked on my back by the flu in the interim. Is there any danger the yeast will die at the end of fermentation if left too long in the fermenter and you won't be able to carbonate in bottle (The yeast in question is Safale S04 by the way). I admit that these batches have only been in bottle for 4/5 days and they are fairly strong (5.5 and 6.5 percent), as I said, mostly looking for reassurance on this one.

Secondly, rather more worrying, I have a batch that's been in the fermenter for three days and isn't doing very much. There's about half an inch of foam built up but no bubbling and now even that is beginning to die away. Previous batches have all gone crazy for the first 48 hours and have been happily still bubbling once every few seconds a week later. Temperature is about 22C, Yeast is Safale S05.

Now I did screw up on the mashing on this - the temperature went far too high and even boiled, but the grain bill was 500g Maris Otter + 100 grams Crystal Rye malt, followed by 200 grams light spay malt and 100 grams sugar after mashing (remember, this is only a 1 gallon batch), so even if the mash screwed up and didn't get any sugar out of the grain at all, I'm still going to have at least 300 grams+ of sugar in there. Boiling the mash would have released tannins and possibly starches into the wort, but these wouldn't prevent the fermentation of the other 300+ grams of sugars, would it? Also, I pitched the yeast straight in instead of rehydrating first, because, well, that worked fine for S04 yeast last time. I assume the yeast can't be dead, since it did at least start causing a reaction, it just soon died away.

If the batch is ruined, well, at least it's only 1 gallon and I have others on the go, but anything I can learn from the screw up is positive.

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can give...

 

[CreweBrewer]

Firstly - it'll be fine.

Secondly - no really, it'll be fine.

Dave

 

[clibit]

There will be yeast to carbonate your beer, and the longer time in the FV is a good thing.

Boiling the mash is not a good thing, and you shouldnt be heating the mash unless you are doing a stepped temperature mash, which is not really for beginners. How long was the mash at mash temperature, 63-70? And how long was it above this? You will get beer but it might be a bit astringent if it was too hot for a while.

 

[louis macneice]

There will be yeast to carbonate your beer, and the longer time in the FV is a good thing.

Boiling the mash is not a good thing, and you shouldnt be heating the mash unless you are doing a stepped temperature mash, which is not really for beginners. How long was the mash at mash temperature, 63-70? And how long was it above this? You will get beer but it might be a bit astringent if it was too hot for a while.

Hello Clibit - I'm presuming that the comment about astringency is due to a boil producing/releasing tannin. Couldn't there be a couple of other possible effects. Firstly, at temps below a boil but higher than the desired mash temp you might get a wort with lots of nonconvertible sugars producing a very sweet beer. Secondly, all those sugars that the beer yeast can't eat will be available for other things to munch on; so the chances of contamination are increased.

Reincarnationfish - Whatever has actually happened to the wort, just keep the brew going and see how it turns out...it'll be beer (more or less drinkable) and you'll have learnt something.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[MyQul]

Hello Clibit - I'm presuming that the comment about astringency is due to a boil producing/releasing tannin. Couldn't there be a couple of other possible effects. Firstly, at temps below a boil but higher than the desired mash temp you might get a wort with lots of nonconvertible sugars producing a very sweet beer. Secondly, all those sugars that the beer yeast can't eat will be available for other things to munch on; so the chances of contamination are increased.

When you hit 75.5C you are in effect starting a 'mash out' basically the enzymes that convert the statches to sugars stop working (denatured? I think the term is). Then as Clibit says you start to head into tannin producing temps/territory

 

[clibit]

Hello Clibit - I'm presuming that the comment about astringency is due to a boil producing/releasing tannin. Couldn't there be a couple of other possible effects. Firstly, at temps below a boil but higher than the desired mash temp you might get a wort with lots of nonconvertible sugars producing a very sweet beer. Secondly, all those sugars that the beer yeast can't eat will be available for other things to munch on; so the chances of contamination are increased.

Reincarnationfish - Whatever has actually happened to the wort, just keep the brew going and see how it turns out...it'll be beer (more or less drinkable) and you'll have learnt something.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

Yes, I think those things are possible too, but hard to know what will have happened without knowing the mash temperatures and timings.

 

[reincarnationfish]

Thanks everyone.

One thing I didn't mention that is on my side is that I was actually doing only a partial mash, about 50% of the sugar was added afterwards as light spray malt, so there should be plenty of fermentables in there regardless.

The first ever batch I did was a Brooklyn Brewshop kit, which a single gallon batch but all grain, which suggests simply heating the water on the stove to temperature and then keeping it there with a low heat. I figured it would be easier to hit the temperature to start with by boiling in the kettle and then adding cold water, but otherwise followed that plan and managed to keep the temperature very stable for the mash. With hindsight, I realize why this was... I was just plain lucky. As a result I didn't pay nearly enough attention second time round and screwed up badly.

Next time I'll try doing a single infusion - now that I know what that is.