The anaerobic process by which yeast convert sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
34
votes
3answers
3k views
What's the point of secondary fermentation?
I've always bottled directly after the primary fermentation has finished. What's the point of the secondary fermentation? Can I use a bucket or is it something that really necessitates a glass carboy?
...
7
votes
7answers
667 views
Small Space & Apartment Brewing: Fermentation
Given the limited space of an apartment, what do you do to maintain a steady fermentation?
Do not consider budget to be a factor.
This is the sixth question in a series of discussions about ...
15
votes
7answers
18k views
If/When to move to secondary fermentation
Digression from What's the point of secondary fermentation?
What are the good rules of thumb for determining a. whether to use secondary fermentation at all and b. when to move from primary to ...
17
votes
9answers
8k views
[WIKI] Fermentation Temperature Control Methods
What different methods do people use to maintain or control fermentation temps? This includes maintaining temps for both Ales and Lagers. For most climates, active control is necessary for doing ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
First batch. Tons of bubbling first day and half, little to none now
I can update this later with my specific notes/ingredients, but for now, just the basics...5 gallon brew of an irish stout. The morning after I put it in the fermenting bucket, I woke up to a mess. ...
9
votes
2answers
1k views
Can we estimate the temperature rise in the primary due to fermentation?
OK, this is sort of cheating but I really liked this question so I thought I'd ask the question again in a slightly different way and try and answer it.
I was wondering if we can actually estimate ...
18
votes
7answers
2k views
Temperature Control for Fermentation
I am curious how everyone controls the temperature of their primary, especially those that live in the warmer climates. In Florida, where the temperatures can soar and remain in the 90's and above ...
12
votes
5answers
5k views
What's the difference between primary & secondary fermentation?
Over here PJ asked "How do you differentiate primary to secondary if you keep it in the same bucket?"
11
votes
8answers
16k views
Too long in Primary Fermentation?
What's the maximum amount of time for primary fermentation, assuming the beer is going straight to bottles next?
Will it over ferment and then fail to carbonate, if left too long in a carboy?
8
votes
1answer
613 views
What's a good breakdown of all the sugars in regards to brewing?
I'm a little confused when it comes to sugars. It seems like there are a lot of different kinds and they come in many different forms. What affects to different sugars have on brewing? Do they ...
11
votes
4answers
663 views
How many degrees will my carboy heat up as a result of fermentation activity?
Recipe calls for fermentation at 70 degrees, basement is 65. I know that fermentation produces some heat, so I was wondering if just letting yeast do its thing will be enough.
Otherwise, do I need ...
11
votes
3answers
1k views
Should I ferment a new batch directly on the yeast cake generated by the previous batch?
I'm going to re-use the yeast cake from a low-gravity batch to ferment a high-gravity batch.
Can I just put the wort directly on it? Does it then need to be agitated?
Is it worth the risk of ...
5
votes
1answer
507 views
Cherry vinegar (was supposed to be mead)
Last week I started a cherry mead and discovered yesterday that it had turned to vinegar (and not even nice-tasting cherry-flavoured vinegar - it smelled and tasted awful, though the colour was ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
Can I use wine yeast to ferment beer?
Can I use wine yeast to ferment a beer? What sort of problems might I encounter that are unique to wine yeast trying to ferment malt sugars? What sort of flavor differences might I encounter?
8
votes
1answer
3k views
What is a proper blow-off tube setup?
36 hours ago I brewed a BIG red ale and pitched some kick-ass WLP001. The picture on the left is what I had late last night (24 hr in). Made me a little nervous. And this morning the krausen had ...
1
vote
1answer
296 views
Day 2 of Primary Fermentation of beer
Is this what my primary fermentation should look like after a day???
It looks like my yeast has been sitting on top of foam..
9
votes
1answer
2k views
Why is it bad to pitch too much yeast?
What are the effects of over-pitching? Where is the line for, say, a 1.050 beer?
There is also a question for to under-pitching.
10
votes
8answers
3k views
Sanitizing oak chips
Going to try using dry oak chips in my secondary fermenter. How do you recommend sanitizing the chips before adding them?
7
votes
2answers
1k views
Dry hopping without secondary fermentation
I have so far only done bottom-fermented beers without transferring into a second vessel for secondary fermentation. If I wanted to do some dry hopping with this technique, when is the best time to ...
2
votes
2answers
375 views
Is primary fermentation finished?
I'm making a doppelbock with an ale yeast, so I'm fermenting in the mid- to upper 60s. It's 11 days in and all the krausen is gone. The top is speckled with what appears to be bright white yeast ...
1
vote
1answer
108 views
What are the benefits of fermenting under pressure?
I hear that some brewers ferment under pressure. What is the rationale/benefits of doing this?
8
votes
2answers
466 views
How do I decide if the beer is ready? Is my fermentation complete?
This is my first time brewing and I've followed the instructions from a kit. It says to leave the beer in the key for two weeks and its ready when it stops being cloudy. Its now been a little over ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Is a 5 gallon bucket too big for 3 gallon recipe?
I have a few Mr Beer extract kits left over from when I started this hobby. Can I ferment a 3 gallon recipe in a 5 gallon bucket? Will there be too much head space?
7
votes
7answers
3k views
What's a good small-batch fermentation vessel?
After getting started with a few kits, I'd like to start experimenting a little bit. I'd like to start off with 1-gallon batches on anything I'm not sure about, though. I have a growler that I'm ...
7
votes
3answers
221 views
Priming Sugar Affect on Fermentation
I screwed up took a batch that had only been fermenting for 3 days and started to bottle it before I realized it was the wrong one. [link]
During this screw up I ended up added the priming sugar then ...
5
votes
9answers
741 views
Spigots: What's the consensus
I like to use an ale pail with a spigot for my secondary. It makes it super easy to test the gravity before actually bottling/kegging/etc.
However, that sort of installation in plastic can open the ...
4
votes
1answer
179 views
How much does gravity typically drop after high krausen
I have two fermenters going with about a cup of slurry of S-04. Pitched Sunday morning at 61 degrees ambient, they were showing activity within 5 hours, vigorous activity within 12 hours. Went to ...
4
votes
1answer
165 views
Accidental steam beer, temp control and diacetyl
I brewed a 16-gallon batch of my Lawnmower Lager, popped it into my Brewhemoth and inoculated it with 3 packets of Saflager S-23. My chilling solution isn't working as well as I'd hoped, and it's ...
4
votes
3answers
165 views
Referment after Adding Priming Sugar
So I accidentally grabbed the wrong fermenting carboy today, this one started fermenting 3 days ago, but already has a gravity of 1.010 (it got a little warm up to 78F).
Before we noticed it was the ...
4
votes
4answers
6k views
Ale Fermentation Temp. Too Cold?
Recently, I've had a streak of hot fermentations. My primary vessel nears 80º, and sometimes more.
With my latest batch, I've moved to a much cooler part of the house. I expect it to consistently ...
3
votes
5answers
207 views
How to keep sugar from fermentation and carbonization?
We want to made sweet low ABV cider. How to do that?
I understand that yeasts are dying somewhere between 10 and 15% ABV but we want our cider to be between 2 and 5% ABV. We can interrupt ...
1
vote
2answers
192 views
What are the quickest styles from grain to glass
I know typically, hefeweizens and wits are best drunk while 'young', but what are the styles that are most conducive to a quick turnaround? I also know alcohol content is a factor. Have people had ...
1
vote
4answers
586 views
Secondary Fermentation
I've had my beer (Belgium witbier) in primary fermentation for about a week. I'd like to rack to secondary, then keep it in secondary for 3 weeks. Advisable? I could keep it in primary for another ...
1
vote
3answers
239 views
Sloe wine: going very slowly
Having started enough sloe gin this year to last a decade, I decided to use the rest of the fruit to brew some sloe wine. I'm new to brewing, and this might seem like an odd choice, but I have high ...
