I'm looking for some feedback on fermenting a NEIPA.
Given that I'm trying to preserve my bottled CO2 (using SodaStreams as I don't have good access to anything better at the moment), I want to utilize as much fermentation off gas as I can. I'm already purging starsan from my serving keg during the initial fermentation stage and I'm happy with that process. Where I need more help is exactly when to apply pressure to the fermenter.
Example schedule:
0hrs - pitch yeast
12-24hrs - first activity, add keg to fermenter outpost and purge starsan to ready the keg for filling
48hrs - remove fermenter lid and add the only dry hop (eventually I'll invest in a hop bong or other oxygen free hop dropping device, but for now I'm doing open drops during high krausen)
From 48hrs to day 7, I leave the beer in primary and then o2-free transfer to the serving keg. From here, I let the fermentation finish for another week or so, then cold crash and serve a few days later. If I spund the fermenter at some point after the dryhop, I can limit the need for force carbing, and the more CO2 I can save the better but I also don't want to take away from the end product/expressiveness of the yeast.
I've used Verdant and London Ale III but I'm open to other NEIPA yeast strains as well. Does anyone have any suggestions around when to start spunding and how high I can go with each particular yeast?
Thank you!
Given that I'm trying to preserve my bottled CO2 (using SodaStreams as I don't have good access to anything better at the moment), I want to utilize as much fermentation off gas as I can. I'm already purging starsan from my serving keg during the initial fermentation stage and I'm happy with that process. Where I need more help is exactly when to apply pressure to the fermenter.
Example schedule:
0hrs - pitch yeast
12-24hrs - first activity, add keg to fermenter outpost and purge starsan to ready the keg for filling
48hrs - remove fermenter lid and add the only dry hop (eventually I'll invest in a hop bong or other oxygen free hop dropping device, but for now I'm doing open drops during high krausen)
From 48hrs to day 7, I leave the beer in primary and then o2-free transfer to the serving keg. From here, I let the fermentation finish for another week or so, then cold crash and serve a few days later. If I spund the fermenter at some point after the dryhop, I can limit the need for force carbing, and the more CO2 I can save the better but I also don't want to take away from the end product/expressiveness of the yeast.
I've used Verdant and London Ale III but I'm open to other NEIPA yeast strains as well. Does anyone have any suggestions around when to start spunding and how high I can go with each particular yeast?
Thank you!