Fermentation time when using Lallemand Nottingham yeast

True Brew

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I am a little new to brewing and am still learning with every batch I brew.

I am currently working on a one-gallon trial recipe batch that will have a target OG of 1.051 and a target FG of 1.012.

I am using the Lallemand Nottingham yeast and would appreciate some input.

I plan on pitching about half a packet of dry yeast in the batch and would like to know the recommended amount of days to ferment the batch.

I normally ferment my batches for about 3 weeks. I have read that the Nottingham yeast is very aggressive and can complete fermentation is about 4 days.

I have read some brewers fermenting their batch for 9 days with the yeast.

Should I not ferment for 3 weeks as I normally do?

I know I can watch the fermentation bubbling and I can measure the actual gravity with my hydrometer to see how the batch is progressing.

I would appreciate any input!

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Fermentation time depends on many factors including the yeast strain, pitching rate, available oxygen and nutrients, temperature, wort composition and fermentability. Fermentation is done when it's done, regardless of how long you want it to take. Let it go until the Krausen recedes and then allow 3 or 4 more days. Refrigerating after that will speed up the clearing you want before bottling and may cut a few days off of the overall time.
 
If your not using hydrometer or refractometer to guage when fermentation is done I'm sure your three week ferment will suffice. I've once had a fermentation last that long on a kolsch with k-97 @ 15c that thing just plodded along.
 
Your normal 3 weeks isn't all fermentation. Nearly every yeast you're likely to use will be at FG within a week. The Nottingham is fast so I wouldn't be surprised if you see active fermentation cease in 24 hours with such a small batch. As long as everything is clean you could wait but anything beyond 7-10 days is just adding time without adding to the quality of the beer.
 
Not advice I'd give to a new brewer that likely hasn't done much to promote a healthy fermentation ant thus a quick finish. Normally though, I'd agree with you 100%.
 
Probably wasn't really clear...assuming the Nottingham ceases production as quickly as it usually does (24 hours being not out of the question), an extra 2 weeks sitting in the fermenter isn't accomplishing much.
As @Trialben pointed out, everything hinges on hydrometer readings.
 
Without an hydrometer, given the small batch and rather large yeast pitch, I'd agree with JA: It will be done in a week. To be safe and to account for possible temperature variations, give it two. That'll let it clean itself up and be very sure that there's no residual sugar left to cause problems later. But as with piloting in bad weather, your instruments are your friends. You can even use an uncorrected refractometer to ensure complete fermentation, just take the samples and if you see no change over a three day period, it's done.
 
I agree that everything depends on hydrometer readings, but how many do you think will be taken from a 1 gallon batch.
 
I agree that everything depends on hydrometer readings, but how many do you think will be taken from a 1 gallon batch.
Realistically... One, if any, at the point when packaging takes place. :) If bottling, one could take any suspect residual gravity into account and hedge a little when priming.
Nottingham is probably about as dependable as you can get when it comes to attenuation. You could run into a blowout situation where it's too energetic and a lot of yeast is lost through the lock and it stops before it's at FG, but in a batch that small, there's just not a lot of sugar to get through.
 
Had to smile here we are going on about gravity readings and the need to or not but it seems the OP seems to have taken a back seat :D hope we didn't drive you away there @True Brew?:rolleyes:
 
Let it go two weeks and call it good.

Agreed. I always like to err on the safe side when making recommendations to new brewers. We all have considerably more experience, have fine tuned our processes and know what to expect. New brewers don't have this advantage and are more likely to rush things as well.
 
I want to thank everyone for all their comments.
It will be two weeks, this coming February 22nd.
I think I will check the gravity reading that day to see where I am at.
Thanks again!!
 
Being a small batch brewer myself, I have taken the approach of letting time dictate my procedure. With about a gallon and a half of wort split between 2 glass carboys, it does not make sense to pull samples for hydrometer readings. On occasion, I have collected a few drops to check with my refractometer, but I figure doing so poses a risk of exposure to the air. So, for the most part, I just let my beers sit for usually 3 weeks before bottling. In fact, this last weekend I bottled a batch that sat in the fermenters for 6 weeks - my clearest beer yet, and it tasted good! I have not had a bad batch yet.
 
Being a small batch brewer myself, I have taken the approach of letting time dictate my procedure. With about a gallon and a half of wort split between 2 glass carboys, it does not make sense to pull samples for hydrometer readings. On occasion, I have collected a few drops to check with my refractometer, but I figure doing so poses a risk of exposure to the air. So, for the most part, I just let my beers sit for usually 3 weeks before bottling. In fact, this last weekend I bottled a batch that sat in the fermenters for 6 weeks - my clearest beer yet, and it tasted good! I have not had a bad batch yet.
That process works, too.
 
Nottingham Pale Ale Yeast -
This is my first experience with this yeast, I am making an IPA Pale Ale (all grain recipe).
I have read so much on the violent / turbulent actions of this yeast that I decided to nip it in the bud before anything crazy happens.
I am glad that I did, because I pitched this yeast last night, a couple hours before going to bed, and when I got up this morning I found the most robust fermentation going on. Not only was it putting out large blasts of CO2 every half second, but it is also very noisy sitting on that cardboard box in the picture.
I am so glad that I rigged up this blowout apparatus.
It is quite simple, you just take the guts out of a three piece airlock and put some 1/2 inch tubing over the airlock stem.
Next, you run the tubing into a container of solution where the CO2 coming out of the fermentor can bubble.
I will not put the whole airlock back on until things have radically slowed down.
If I had just put the airlock on, it would have been a mess.
I realize that you old brew hands already know this, but for we green horns, this information might be really useful.
If anybody has a better way, please comment...I can always learn something new.
6C13E23F-1C9F-4485-86CE-334DE84A5EA4.jpeg
 
The water level in the jug is dangerously close to the beer level in the fermenter. Be sure to keep a close eye on it. When fermentation slows down, the temperature in the fermenter will drop and that could siphon the water from the jug in. Be aware that Notty can finish active fermentation in as little as 24 to 36 hours.
 
As a small batch guy I don’t even think about checking before 2 weeks. Every drop of beer is sacred. Welcome to a great place!
 
Nottingham Pale Ale Yeast -
This is my first experience with this yeast, I am making an IPA Pale Ale (all grain recipe).
I have read so much on the violent / turbulent actions of this yeast that I decided to nip it in the bud before anything crazy happens.
I am glad that I did, because I pitched this yeast last night, a couple hours before going to bed, and when I got up this morning I found the most robust fermentation going on. Not only was it putting out large blasts of CO2 every half second, but it is also very noisy sitting on that cardboard box in the picture.
I am so glad that I rigged up this blowout apparatus.
It is quite simple, you just take the guts out of a three piece airlock and put some 1/2 inch tubing over the airlock stem.
Next, you run the tubing into a container of solution where the CO2 coming out of the fermentor can bubble.
I will not put the whole airlock back on until things have radically slowed down.
If I had just put the airlock on, it would have been a mess.
I realize that you old brew hands already know this, but for we green horns, this information might be really useful.
If anybody has a better way, please comment...I can always learn something new.View attachment 11981
As mentioned above, I'd make sure and have the liquid level of the blow-off tube below the level of the beer. The notion of putting an airlock back on once things slow down is also a good one. If you keep the liquid level below the beer level, no need to use sanitizer in the receiving jug. You mention a mess - I don't see any beer or discoloration in the jug receiving the blow-off tube, meaning likely nothing came out of the bucket. The blow-off tube may not have been necessary but it was a great safety!
 

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