Slow fermentation?

[sbaclimber]

You don't have to blast it with air.

"blast" was a bit of a deliberate overstatement.
I bought a Tetra APS 50, which is just about the smallest possible aerator you can buy:

So, there really wasn't much "blasting" going on.
I think the 3-4" of foam generated in ~20min sounds like about the right amount...at least from what I have read(?).

 

[sbaclimber]

UPDATE:
I had high hopes that the aeration had sped up the fermentation of my latest brew, when after ~6 days the primary airlock got really quiet.
I transferred the brew yesterday evening (9th day in primary) and measured the SG....only to be somewhat dissapointed. SG was again at 3.3° (OG = 13°), just like the previous brews. :|
Will seen how it does in the secondary, but now that I have pulled it off the cake, I am not expecting a quick finish....

 

[Kaiser]

You may want to do a Fast Ferment Test (http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?ti ... rment_Test) to see if your low attenuation comes from mashing for fermentation.

Kai

 

[The Brew Mentor]

SBA,
I don't see anything wrong with 75% attenuation after 9 days with a highly flocculant yeast. The range of attenuation for the wlp007 is 70-80%.
I still don't recommend transferring, but it shouldn't affect attenuation. Are you warming up the fermentor a couple of degrees toward the end of fermentation, say day 4-6?
Brian

 

[sbaclimber]

Are you warming up the fermentor a couple of degrees toward the end of fermentation, say day 4-6?

Hmmm, no, I didn't do that.
75% is definitely the expected attenuation for this yeast, and I would be happy enough with that.
The reason this is bugging me is because I know from previous experience that after another 2 weeks in 2ndary and 3 weeks in the bottle, it will be 80-85% attenuation...

 

[The Brew Mentor]

I like to ferment at the low end of the temperature range for the first 3-5 days and then warm it up to the higher end to help the yeast finish up. So, with the 007, I would pitch at +/- 65° and then when there are signs of slowing, I would raise it up to around 70° and then forget about it for a couple of weeks. I rarely transfer and just let the primary take care of it all.
For the most part, my beers come out very clean and clear.
Hope this helps
Brian

 

[sbaclimber]

I like to ferment at the low end of the temperature range for the first 3-5 days and then warm it up to the higher end to help the yeast finish up. So, with the 007, I would pitch at +/- 65° and then when there are signs of slowing, I would raise it up to around 70° and then forget about it for a couple of weeks.

Sounds like a plan. I will try that with my next batch. Because I dry hop, I would probably still transfer before 2 weeks though.
How do you do dry hopping if you don't transfer? Do you just throw the hops in the primary?

 

[The Brew Mentor]

For Dry Hopping, I will do it differently depending on when I get to my beer or how lazy I am.
1) Add to primary after 2 weeks, swirl fermentor and transfer after 5-7 days.
2) Transfer beer after 2 weeks to Brite Tank, add hops and swirl each day for 4-5 days, then keg or bottle.
3) After 3+/- weeks, add hops directly to keg in a muslin bag with a small piece of stainless steel and just leave it in there.
If pressed, I'd say #2 gives the most aroma, but all methods work well and I usually just add them to the keg.
Also, on smaller (1.055 or less) beers, I keg in 2 weeks.
Brian

 

[sbaclimber]

2) Transfer beer after 2 weeks to Brite Tank, add hops and swirl each day for 4-5 days, then keg or bottle.

Hmmm, sounds like I should go with 2wks Primary and 1wk 2ndary (w/ dry hops), instead of the ~1wk -> 2wks I am doing now.
Should I expect a significant reduction in aroma by dry hopping for only 1 week instead 2 weeks? (i.e. should I use more hops?)

 

[Kaiser]

Should I expect a significant reduction in aroma by dry hopping for only 1 week instead 2 weeks? (i.e. should I use more hops?)

No. dry hopping aroma is extracted within days and not weeks.

For those interested, here is a digest of an interesting paper on this topic: http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2012/12 ... y-hopping/

 

[LarryBrewer]

One time a buddy of mine let his dry hop sit too long and it spoiled the batch. Keep it to 7 days or less and you'll be good.

 

[sbaclimber]

@Kaiser: thanks for that link. Very interesting indeed!

In long term experiments a model solution of 6% ethanol in water buffered to a pH of 4.2 was dry hopped and the linanol and mycrene content was measured on day 1, 4 and 7. The solution was not agitated. The amount of these compounds dissolved did not increase over time. It actually decreased which suggests that the maxium extraction is reached after one day of dry hopping.

:shock: I wish I had known this earlier.

@Larry: This might actually explain some of the odd flavors I've been getting (especially in my Wild Hop Ale). I may well have simply been over-dry-hopping (time-wise) my brews.

I'll definitely be going with a >2 week primary and <1 week secondary for my next brew :!:

 

[LarryBrewer]

For my latest IIPA, I dry hopped in the primary (when it was close to hitting the FG). It went beautifully, and avoided the work of having to rack it. The beer is nice and clear, and tastes delicious.

Some people also make a hop tea with a french press, but I'm not sure it is as potent.