96 hours and no bubbling

[40oz]

Should I be worried?

I'm doing a 10 gal batch of Pale Ale

16 lbs of 2 row
4 lbs of Munich
1 lbs Carastan
1 lb of Carapalis

1 oz Northern Brewer hops at 60 minutes
1 oz of Cascade at 30
2 oz tettnanger at 10 minutes before end
2 oz of armarillo at 5 min

My strike water temp was 165F, and mashed for 60 minutes. I fly sparged at 170F. When transferring from kettle to conical the temp was 89F, I brought it down to 68F using my temp control.

I pitched in two viles of White labs CA Ale Yeast and used a drill attachment aerator

In my first batch from a 5 gal bucket my OG was 1.048, this time around it was 1.058

Should I be pitching at a warmer temp? I just looked at my notes and my first 5 gal batch the temp at pitching was 75F. I didn't have my temp control at that time and it was a warm summer.

I just opened up the top and it's foamy on top.

Usually bubbling start about 24 hours but maybe I have it too cool? It smells like yummy beer, just no activity or party bubbles coming from under the hood

Hope I didn't screw something up

 

[jmcquesten]

Should I be worried?

I'm doing a 10 gal batch of Pale Ale

16 lbs of 2 row
4 lbs of Munich
1 lbs Carastan
1 lb of Carapalis

1 oz Northern Brewer hops at 60 minutes
1 oz of Cascade at 30
2 oz tettnanger at 10 minutes before end
2 oz of armarillo at 5 min

My strike water temp was 165F, and mashed for 60 minutes. I fly sparged at 170F. When transferring from kettle to conical the temp was 89F, I brought it down to 68F using my temp control.

I pitched in two viles of White labs CA Ale Yeast and used a drill attachment aerator

In my first batch from a 5 gal bucket my OG was 1.048, this time around it was 1.058

Should I be pitching at a warmer temp? I just looked at my notes and my first 5 gal batch the temp at pitching was 75F. I didn't have my temp control at that time and it was a warm summer.

I just opened up the top and it's foamy on top.

Usually bubbling start about 24 hours but maybe I have it too cool? It smells like yummy beer, just no activity or party bubbles coming from under the hood

Hope I didn't screw something up

Don't be worried, the thick foam or "krausen" on top is a great indicator that you have active fermentation. The fact that you don't have bubbles just means maybe there's a leak somewhere. This is not a problem. Try not to take the lid off so you reduce oxygen exposure, and wait 3 weeks. You're good.

 

[jmcquesten]

Oh, and if possible, try making yeast starters in the future. They will cut back on the amount of yeast packets needed as well as cut down on "lag time".

 

[40oz]

Thanks jmcquesten! I was hoping that's what the foam meant.

 

[wilserbrewer]

While it's a little hard to tell from the pics, it almost looks like a yeast ring on the vessel above the kruesen, so we could WAG that the fermentation has been very active for some time and is beginning to subside.

Airlock activity is not a good indication of fermentation as a leaky seal on the fermenter will cause the airlock not to move.

My guess is that fermentation proceeded at a normal pace and "worrying spoils beer faster than anything"
Credit CP

 

[40oz]

Getting back to this.

Today is the 25th day since I made this batch.

I started out with an OG of 1.058

A week week ago it was 1.020, A week later today it's 1.015

The clarity is pretty cloudy.

Since this is slow moving I ahven't dumped the trub, should I do that, should it have been done a while back or should I still keep it?

I've been maintaining a temp of 66˙F

Or is this batch possibly DOA? (it smells like beer)

This is my first batch experience having to deal with this

 

[jrgtr42]

Don't dump trub, until it's completely fininshed and you've transferred off. Things are likely still happening.
There is nothing wrong with your beer - this is exactly what is supposed to happen. Your gravity is going down.
Give it another week or so, test gravity again. If it's still at 1.015, it's finished and you can go ahead and package (bottle, keg, whatever.) If it's moved, it's still working. Give it another few days and test again.
Personally I like to pitch a bit low, around 62 F, and let things warm up naturally from there. I ferment in a closet that;s roughly mid-60s, so I don't worry about it getting too warm. You can pitch warmer, but it's not really recommended - you could get off flavors and fusel alcohols before things cool down.
Really, the big things I can say is Relax, Don't Worry, Have a (Home)brew.

 

[Morrey]

My experiences with SSBrewtech is that the lid gasket or the various other o rings you have with the FTSs system are notorious "leakers". You may have off gasses escaping all over the place and not thru the airlock. But no doubt you had what appeared to be a normal, healthy fermentation.

Besides the lid gasket, you may wish to look over your orings and improve on them. If the stock oring is 1mm thick, go to HD and buy the same size but 2mm thick.

 

[40oz]

Don't dump trub, until it's completely fininshed and you've transferred off. Things are likely still happening.
There is nothing wrong with your beer - this is exactly what is supposed to happen. Your gravity is going down.
Give it another week or so, test gravity again. If it's still at 1.015, it's finished and you can go ahead and package (bottle, keg, whatever.) If it's moved, it's still working. Give it another few days and test again.
Personally I like to pitch a bit low, around 62 F, and let things warm up naturally from there. I ferment in a closet that;s roughly mid-60s, so I don't worry about it getting too warm. You can pitch warmer, but it's not really recommended - you could get off flavors and fusel alcohols before things cool down.
Really, the big things I can say is Relax, Don't Worry, Have a (Home)brew.

Thanks man!

My experiences with SSBrewtech is that the lid gasket or the various other o rings you have with the FTSs system are notorious "leakers". You may have off gasses escaping all over the place and not thru the airlock. But no doubt you had what appeared to be a normal, healthy fermentation.

Besides the lid gasket, you may wish to look over your orings and improve on them. If the stock oring is 1mm thick, go to HD and buy the same size but 2mm thick.

I thought about the top O Ring and good to know you've heard their leakers.

The FTS Kit came with a seal. My first 10 gal batch had no problem with leaks, but after this batch I'll have to note to use the other seal and see if that is the one I used the first time where I had no leaks

Thanks!

 

[BrunDog]

25 days and still attenuating? Something doesn't sound right. Even a massive under pitch would have probably caught up. Are you sure of the 66 degree temp? I would warm it up to the low 70's for a couple of weeks and let the yeast finish. My bet is you will have beer but will have some stray flavors (esters etc.).

 

[40oz]

It is at 66˙F, I checked by inserting the lower conical therm slot

So, are you saying I should have let it ferment in the low 70's then bring it down lower after (66˙F) the yeast finishes?

 

[Enemygod]

It is at 66˙F, I checked by inserting the lower conical therm slot

So, are you saying I should have let it ferment in the low 70's then bring it down lower after (66˙F) the yeast finishes?

No, he's saying you want to do the opposite of that. Now that the majority of your primary fermentation has completed (low to mid 60's) you want to bring the temp up to the low 70's so the yeast continue to finish things off before dropping out.

 

[Jtk78]

...
So, are you saying I should have let it ferment in the low 70's then bring it down lower after (66˙F) the yeast finishes?

No, just the opposite. Start low and let the yeast go to the buffet. After they're full, and only the scraps are left, warm them up slowly and they may enjoy the ice cream bar.

Beat by Enemygod

 

[40oz]

Maybe I should have posted this in the beginners forum because now I'm getting more confused.

On a normal day of making a Pale ale or Light (session) IPA, when I transfer from the kettle to bucket or conical, using say a CA Ale yeast, should I pitch at say 70˙F, then and keep bringing it down to a 66F or 62F, or let the yeast work until it's done then lower?

I was under the impression to even lower it later after dry hopping to bring the sentiment down to clear things up. But it seem like my temps are too low and keep at 70F+



Or am I doing this all out of whack?

Thanks and I appreciate all the feedback

 

[jabba11]

My experiences with SSBrewtech is that the lid gasket or the various other o rings you have with the FTSs system are notorious "leakers". You may have off gasses escaping all over the place and not thru the airlock. But no doubt you had what appeared to be a normal, healthy fermentation.

Besides the lid gasket, you may wish to look over your orings and improve on them. If the stock oring is 1mm thick, go to HD and buy the same size but 2mm thick.

I have a SS 14 gallon BME with the ftss system..its never leaked that I could see. Always blows off perfectly through the blow off into a bucket of starsan. That said it does look like he probably had a leak somewhere in the lid of his if he had no bubbling. Im not sure they are "notorious" for that though?

 

[jabba11]

Maybe I should have posted this in the beginners forum because now I'm getting more confused.

On a normal day of making a Pale ale or Light (session) IPA, when I transfer from the kettle to bucket or conical, using say a CA Ale yeast, should I pitch at say 70˙F, then and keep bringing it down to a 66F or 62F, or let the yeast work until it's done then lower?

I was under the impression to even lower it later after dry hopping to bring the sentiment down to clear things up. But it seem like my temps are too low and keep at 70F+



Or am I doing this all out of whack?

Thanks and I appreciate all the feedback

pitch at normal temp. if you feel the ferment is or was sluggish warm it up to the top end of your range and see if the fermentation picks up (drops lower etc).. THEN you cold crash after the ferment is over to settle sediment.

 

[Jtk78]

I try to pitch to a wort temp of 62-64. I will then set my fermentation temps to say 64-65. After about 3-4 days I will start slowly bumping the temp up. I'll usually top it out around 70. Some yeasts will do quite well warmer than this. After about 2 weeks, I will cold crash it as low as i can get it for 1-3 days to clear the beer.

Hope that helps.

 

[BrunDog]

^that

 

[40oz]

So, it's been 2 weeks since I turned off the SS Brew tech FTS System and the yeast seemed to activate pretty fast after that, and it's been about a week solid that the gravity is now 1.10/1.11

I checked again last night and same gravity, the beer tastes good, has a possibly slightly funny smell but tastes good

Since all the advice here is a lot different to what I thought I was supposed to do on this process I think I'll ask if I should do it in this order

1. Time to dump the trub slowly until it's clear, turn the FTS System back on to say 64˙F, then dry hop
2. Dry Hop (2 oz. Amarillo) to 3 - 5 days (Longer better?) then...

- Do I attempt to dump again after Dry Hop?

3. Cold Crash for 2-3 Days to 38˙F/42˙F if possible
4. Add 8 0z of Priming sugar to a bottling bucket and transfer, then bottle?

I want to thank everyone for all the advice/input they've given me so far I'm learning a lot.



****UPDATED PICS

 

[BrunDog]

I would say most importantly... stop messing with it. If you are opening the lid you are doing it not favors in terms of oxidation and potential infection introduction (though infection not likely). If you want, dry hop for 3-5 days, then crash (know this will introduce oxygen because of the air volume contraction), then dump turn and bottle.

 

[kh54s10]

One thought. Prime to the amount that you can fit in your bottling bucket. If you use 8 ounces, which sounds about right for 10 gallons, but can only fit 6.5 in the bucket, those beers will be over carbonated.

 

[40oz]

One thought. Prime to the amount that you can fit in your bottling bucket. If you use 8 ounces, which sounds about right for 10 gallons, but can only fit 6.5 in the bucket, those beers will be over carbonated.

I was going to use my 15 Gal Brew kettle to bottle from since I could fit it all in, or is this not a good idea?

I would say most importantly... stop messing with it. If you are opening the lid you are doing it not favors in terms of oxidation and potential infection introduction (though infection not likely). If you want, dry hop for 3-5 days, then crash (know this will introduce oxygen because of the air volume contraction), then dump turn and bottle.

I know but being a noobie I just had to see what was under the hood to understand this process.

On the cold crashing thing. Is it a waste?

I read that some are for an against cold crashing, and maybe for certain beers types.

Is it just to speed up the process of sediment drop to finish up, or am I achieving the same thing by just simply waiting longer?

My preference has always been to have less sediment in my bottles and try for clearer beer

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would say most importantly... stop messing with it. If you are opening the lid you are doing it not favors in terms of oxidation and potential infection introduction (though infection not likely). If you want, dry hop for 3-5 days, then crash (know this will introduce oxygen because of the air volume contraction), then dump turn and bottle.

Agreed!

If I understand the thread, you brewed this around march 21st and are still mucking about in a rather open fermenter?

Was your temp to cold in the beginning 2 weeks? When did fermentation happen?

Sorry to say but in some ways you would have been better off with a $9 bucket and 2 weeks time in the fermenter?

Not trying to criticize just trying to help.

 

[40oz]

Don't think it was too cold. I guess fermentation started but just took longer due to a leak? Then really picked up when I turned the FTS system off to room temp of 72/73F

This is my first time experiencing a leak and slow fermentation

Agreed!

If I understand the thread, you brewed this around march 21st and are still mucking about in a rather open fermenter?

Was your temp to cold in the beginning 2 weeks? When did fermentation happen?

Sorry to say but in some ways you would have been better off with a $9 bucket and 2 weeks time in the fermenter?

Not trying to criticize just trying to help.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Fermentation taking longer due to a leak?

Sorry I don't understand this at all?

What was leaking? The top of the fermenter leaking co2 would not inhibit fermentation at all ime.

 

[40oz]

Okay, I thought having a small leak...why it wasn't bubbling was also "a" reason why the fermentation was taking a little longer than my normal time.

 

[stonebrewer]

Okay, I thought having a small leak...why it wasn't bubbling was also "a" reason why the fermentation was taking a little longer than my normal time.

Nope. A leak would mean that CO2 is finding a different path to escape than through your air lock, so you would not see any "bubbling", but fermentation is still happening. If I had to guess, I would say that your temperature was lower than the yeast like it and that seems evident by when you turned off the cooling coil that things picked up. Could be a bad temp probe, bad location for the probe in the fermenter, etc. I would simulate a fermentation with water and play around with it to tune it in. Best of luck!

 

[kh54s10]

I was going to use my 15 Gal Brew kettle to bottle from since I could fit it all in, or is this not a good idea?



I know but being a noobie I just had to see what was under the hood to understand this process.

On the cold crashing thing. Is it a waste?

I read that some are for an against cold crashing, and maybe for certain beers types.

Is it just to speed up the process of sediment drop to finish up, or am I achieving the same thing by just simply waiting longer?

My preference has always been to have less sediment in my bottles and try for clearer beer

Depending on your equipment, using a kettle big enough for the whole batch is perfectly acceptable.

Cold crashing is to cause the sediment to drop out of suspension. I don't cold crash, but there is no reason not to. It will probably make your beer a little more clear. Mine are clear enough that I don't bother with the extra step. Waiting longer may or may not have the same results.

If your beer is clear when you bottle, most of the sediment is just yeast. That is normal. It shouldn't change significantly whether you cold crash or not. Lots of sediment is usually due to bad siphoning.

 

[40oz]

Thank you everybody helping me along this learning process, I'll let you know how it all pans out.

Thanks again & Cheers!