Post primary dilemma

As a homebrewer and not somebody that makes a living off of it, everything sits for 14-15 days at temperature. I look at it, make sure the krausen first rises and then settles. After 14-15 days, it gets bottled. If you like it, and she who must be obeyed likes it, life is very good.
 
Sandy Feet said:
As a homebrewer and not somebody that makes a living off of it, everything sits for 14-15 days at temperature. I look at it, make sure the krausen first rises and then settles. After 14-15 days, it gets bottled. If you like it, and she who must be obeyed likes it, life is very good.
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I assume you have a fermentor that you can see into?

some yeasts do not have a very (if any) pronounced krausen. I would urge you to use some kind of measurement before bottling.
 
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Minbari said:
I assume you have a fermentor that you can see into?

some yeasts do not have a very (if any) pronounced krausen. I would urge you to use some kind of measurement before bottling.
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Funny thing Minbari some things you expect is standard practice in hombrewing for some isn't. (No disrespect intended)

Take the humble Hydrometer for instance. My bro HBed for a few years (before I got into it) and when talking to him about it mentioned the Hydrometer he was like what's that for. Measuring gravity mate I say ! Bro replied Oh yeah I just wait two weeks then bottle it.

I suppose if i think about it not many brews I've done take longer than two weeks.
And without temp control in summer that fermentation can be done overnight :p.

Which makes me think about winter without temp control being new to the hobby and yeasts temp tolerances maybe there is some bottle bombs waiting to happen :)...
 
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I didn't mean any disrespect either. I can see into the fermenter, have temperature control, have brewing software, and take hydrometer readings going into the fermenter and before bottling.
Some of my Safale US-05 recipes did not have a whole lot of krausen, but they all had some. I had one circumstance where I knew the yeast was bad because I had nothing after 24 hours. I went to the store and pitched another pack after finding some alcohol to sanitize with (I had dumped the Star San), and life was good.
When I started, I drove myself nuts overthinking things until I had a brewer tell me, "Hey, you are homebrewing. It is supposed to be fun.". After that, I still drove myself crazy trying to make recipes, but I am comfortable with my process. If something changes, and I screw up, I try to learn from it.
If you use healthy yeast, aerate, and have a good environment, you should see some, maybe not a lot, but some krausen within 18 hours or so. I haven't had bottle bombs, knock on wood, waiting 14 days, using the proper amount of priming sugar, and filling only to a certain point on long neck-bottles.
I am also only trying to make a point of "relax, it is homebrew" as well. I am hoping not to come across as arguing with anyone or being disrespectful.
 
This particular batch is in my stainless steel fermenter. It has four clamps that must be undone to see into it. It's an 8 gallon batch which makes it harder to aerate by my usual shake and bake method so I may just purchase an O2 tank and stone. Today I brewed up a five gallon batch of my double IPA and fermenting in a see through bucket, for the ol' ball & chain. She was the inspiration for the name Blue Jean Kitty Whip. Don't ask why.
 
Wicked Wally's said:
This particular batch is in my stainless steel fermenter. It has four clamps that must be undone to see into it. It's an 8 gallon batch which makes it harder to aerate by my usual shake and bake method so I may just purchase an O2 tank and stone. Today I brewed up a five gallon batch of my double IPA and fermenting in a see through bucket, for the ol' ball & chain. She was the inspiration for the name Blue Jean Kitty Whip. Don't ask why.
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Oxygen comes in plain air, 21%, so an air pump might be enough. Just for 6 minutes instead of one.
 
Donoroto said:
Oxygen comes in plain air, 21%, so an air pump might be enough. Just for 6 minutes instead of one.
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Ok. I know this horse is dead but I'm gonna give it another kick. I was planning on bottling Damn Skippy! tomorrow morning but I wanted to ask you guys what you would do. I opened up my stainless fermenter tonight to take a look and a taste. It's been 14 days and it has only a very light film on top and I pulled some for a hydrometer reading. It actually went up to 1.030 from 1.023. Either I read it wrong initally, or the cocoa nibs, vanilla beans and vodka caused this. I don't ever remember this happening before but I usually rack to secondary at this point for three more weeks for my stouts. If I leave it like this the abv is 4.59%.
So my question is should I mix up a quart of starter with some fresh US 05 and pitch it into my glass carboy and go with secondary fermentation or just bottle it up as is. It's sweet but not cloying. My concern is that their won't be any yeast to eat the corn sugar in the bottles.
 
I agree with Ben (not me, i am ben too :D). This isn't done. Give it a stir, shake, whatever and wait a week. It won't hurt it. Cold crash will drop the crap back out.
The risk is that if you bottle it and it decides to go again. That is gonna be super carbed, maybe even splodey.:eek:
 
Trialben said:
Sounds lime you gotta sit tight for awhile there Wally.
Keep the fermenter warm even rouse it a little 1.030 or 1.023 isn't done in my books unless we're talking Barley wine...
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I agree. This has never happened before. I've stirred it and nothing happened. The temp is a solid 70° F and I've added a second packet of yeast a week ago. It ate that for a day and went to sleep again. I must not have oxygenated it enough, initially. But even if it were eating anaerobically there should be some krausen on top and there's absolutely none. That's why I thought it might help to just mix up a quart of starter and rack it to secondary. I've never added yeast to secondary before and wondered if that was a good idea.
 
Wicked Wally's said:
I agree. This has never happened before. I've stirred it and nothing happened. The temp is a solid 70° F and I've added a second packet of yeast a week ago. It ate that for a day and went to sleep again. I must not have oxygenated it enough, initially. But even if it were eating anaerobically there should be some krausen on top and there's absolutely none. That's why I thought it might help to just mix up a quart of starter and rack it to secondary. I've never added yeast to secondary before and wondered if that was a good idea.
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Well like Minibari said you don't wanna no Splodey bottles.
It's a weird one that's for sure
 
Wicked Wally's said:
I agree. This has never happened before. I've stirred it and nothing happened. The temp is a solid 70° F and I've added a second packet of yeast a week ago. It ate that for a day and went to sleep again. I must not have oxygenated it enough, initially. But even if it were eating anaerobically there should be some krausen on top and there's absolutely none. That's why I thought it might help to just mix up a quart of starter and rack it to secondary. I've never added yeast to secondary before and wondered if that was a good idea.
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I recommend rouse the yeast with a gentle stir and giving it a couple days if not 1 week more. It is strange... can you share the recipe? All grain or extract?
 
Blackmuse said:
I recommend rouse the yeast with a gentle stir and giving it a couple days if not 1 week more. It is strange... can you share the recipe? All grain or extract?
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I've tried all that. The recipe is on the database. It's called Damn Skippy!
 
@Wicked Wally's, in an earlier post you said you measured gravity with a refractometer. Did you put that reading through a calculator to adjust for the presence of alcohol?

Like others have said, let it sit another week. And I wouldn't add more yeast. You already added a second batch of yeast. I don't see how a third would help.
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
@Wicked Wally's, in an earlier post you said you measured gravity with a refractometer. Did you put that reading through a calculator to adjust for the presence of alcohol?

Like others have said, let it sit another week. And I wouldn't add more yeast. You already added a second batch of yeast. I don't see how a third would help.
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Well, it's been in the bottle for ten days. I opened one to see if there was any activity and I'm happy to report it came out surprisingly well. I believe this will be outstanding sometime around my birthday, on 10/4. Thanks for listening to me bitch about this one!
20220731_184252.jpg
 
Wicked Wally's said:
Well, it's been in the bottle for ten days. I opened one to see if there was any activity and I'm happy to report it came out surprisingly well. I believe this will be outstanding sometime around my birthday, on 10/4. Thanks for listening to me bitch about this one!View attachment 21682
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Glad to hear that it turned out Wally!
 
Wicked Wally's said:
Well, it's been in the bottle for ten days. I opened one to see if there was any activity and I'm happy to report it came out surprisingly well. I believe this will be outstanding sometime around my birthday, on 10/4. Thanks for listening to me bitch about this one!View attachment 21682
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Sweet! It'll be well conditioning by then good on you for hanging in there.:)
 
Wicked Wally's said:
Well, it's been in the bottle for ten days. I opened one to see if there was any activity and I'm happy to report it came out surprisingly well. I believe this will be outstanding sometime around my birthday, on 10/4. Thanks for listening to me bitch about this one!View attachment 21682
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Looking good!

Just peeked at the recipe (sorry I missed it before) - type @(my name) next time to flag me.
- You added lactose and the peanut butter powder under other ingredients and it looks like that caused your expected readings to be off. The lactose would bump you up .02 points OG and FG. Then considering that you were 156 F with your mash and using 2.5 lbs of caramel/dextrine malt you may have a good bit of body so FG is probably a bit higher then the recipe is calculating for.

Do you use US05 a lot? If so what is your average attenuation? Recipe was set for 81% - seems a bit high - maybe more like 75-77?

Lastly, I have no idea how the PB powder would affect the recipe but I'm guessing it would add a good bit of protein, and a some sugar.... maybe even unfermentable sugar... and oil (head retention/formation may suffer). So that may account for the 1.023 to 1.030 jump? Did you take gravity reading before and aafter adding the PBP? That may help you determine a few things about it (try it next time you make this) to see what it adds gravity-wise and then later to see how much residual sugar it adds.
 
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