23 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

I am skipping the secondaries for beer #2 and #3 because my carboys will all be in use. I am currently chilling #3 in the cooler. The question:Should I siphon the wort into the carboy or dump it in (with a funnel)?Thanks!Rich

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I am skipping the secondaries for beer #2 and #3 because my carboys will all be in use. I am currently chilling #3 in the cooler. The question:Should I siphon the wort into the carboy or dump it in (with a funnel)?Thanks!Rich

Either should be fine. Siphoning you might avoid some of the break and hop material if you think this is important. I personally dump through a sanitized paint strainer bag. To each his own though...

[RommelMagic]

If I were you I would siphon. By dumping it in you're adding more risk to oxidizing your beer.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

If I were you I would siphon. By dumping it in you're adding more risk to oxidizing your beer.

I'm confused - is this wort or beer right now (aka - did he just brew or did he just finish primary fermentation)....

[SchwanzBrewer]

I'm chilling after the boil so it will be cool while I dump and I would have to shake to oxygenate for the yeast anyway. I was just trying to figure whether I should siphon so I get clearer beer after fermentation. Maybe I am just over thinking it.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I'm chilling after the boil so it will be cool while I dump and I would have to shake to oxygenate for the yeast anyway. I was just trying to figure whether I should siphon so I get clearer beer after fermentation. Maybe I am just over thinking it.

So your beer is done fermenting right now? Still not 100% sure so I don't want to give the wrong answer here...

[ncbeerbrewer]

At the point you are with your wort I think you can go either way. I normally siphon my beers but dumping through a strainer is fine. At this point oxidizing the wort is good, after fermentation is bad. I think siphon would be clearer but thats my choice.

[DubbelEntendre]

Before I installed a ball valve on my kettle which was my last batch, I dumped every batch through a strainer with no ill effects on clarity.

[DaBearSox]

I dump my chilled wort through a stainer and funnel. Yea, some extra gunk gets in there but if you chilled quick enough and used irish moss you should have no problem getting clear beer. (as long as you give it some time and don't rush to get into the bottle/keg) I have been using gelatin as well when putting into a 2ndary which helps with the chill haze as long as your rack it after chilling down the primary. There are some people that say that some of that extra gunk is good for the yeast as well.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I'm confused - is this wort or beer right now (aka - did he just brew or did he just finish primary fermentation)....

It was just post boil after chilling (wort prior to pitching). I said to heck with it, I'm dumping. I made an extract of MLPA so I had the hops and steeping grains in bags, not a lot sputz in the bottom, but some none the less. I made a starter for this beer with WYeast 1056 which seemed to work good so I'm hoping that it ferments a little more completely than it did for my first beer, I dont think there was enough yeast to clean up after themselves so there was a slight buttery taste from diactyl (sp?). This beer took me 5.5 hours. I have to get a turkey fryer because this stove top brewing is taking way too long. It took over an hour to get 6 gallons to boil, and about 40 minutes to get it to steeping temp as well. Ok, off to the parents house to grill some king fish!Cheers,Rich

[Thirsty]

I dont think there was enough yeast to clean up after themselves so there was a slight buttery taste from diactyl (sp?).

Chances are if you got this off flavor it was from a warm fermentation- which is very easy this time of year (for most locations). Consistant cool (68 or under) without fluccuation is key. I like to ferment this yeast at 64 ambient, knowing the actual temp may be 68 during ferment. An ambient temp of 70-71 may ferment at 75 or even higher, giving you the butter.

[SchwanzBrewer]

The room is 70, but I have it in a cooler with water and I put a frozen water bottle in once a day. Plus I put a t shirt over it that wicks the water up and cools is as well, so it ends up around 65 or so on average.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Ok, I checked the primaries this morning and the batch of MLPA is fermenting like a SOB. The carboy is 6.5 gallons and there was 5 gal of wort and the Krausen was shooting thru the air lock. This shouldn't be a sterilization issue because I had starsan in the airlock right?Also, Brew #2 looks like it is done fermenting, but the Krausen never looked very high, and certainly not as high Brew#3. Is there a good way to steal a sample from the primary to check the gravity and make sure its not a stuck fermentation?Thanks!Rich

[DaBearSox]

This shouldn't be a sterilization issue because I had starsan in the airlock right?

No it won't but just hope that your airlock holds and you don't have to mop the ceiling...most of us have had that experience and switched to a blowoff tube.

[CaptRon]

Ok, I checked the primaries this morning and the batch of MLPA is fermenting like a SOB. The carboy is 6.5 gallons and there was 5 gal of wort and the Krausen was shooting thru the air lock. This shouldn't be a sterilization issue because I had starsan in the airlock right?Also, Brew #2 looks like it is done fermenting, but the Krausen never looked very high, and certainly not as high Brew#3. Is there a good way to steal a sample from the primary to check the gravity and make sure its not a stuck fermentation?Thanks!Rich

Heh.. Awesome dude. Keep an eye on the airlock, what can happen is the foam can clog the airlock and blow it off the top of the carboy and you will have beer all over the place. When it happened to me I had to clean beer off of the ceiling, wall, and floor. So you may want to consider using blowoff tubes from now on. You shouldn't have to worry about contamination, there is so much Co2 and other crap coming out of the carboy it is going to be difficult for anything to get IN to it. :)To get your sample, you should be able to get a thief from your LHBS or online place that you can sanitize and then stick it in the beer to steal a sample to test the gravity. Here is one at Norther Brewer: https://pivo.norther...earchTerm=thief

Edited by badogg, 09 June 2009 - 07:43 AM.

[SchwanzBrewer]

On the other end of the spectrum is Brew #2. I took a sample tonight (day 9 in primary) and the gravity was 1.015. The FG should be 1.011 according to the recipe. I have no idea what the OG was, I was drunk and didn't take a reading. After seeing the mountain of fermentation that is Brew #3, I am worried about #2, the Krausen was only about an inch above the wort. I think the beer might be under attenuated and won't be able to clean up after itself. Should I wait another week and recheck? Should I harvest some yeast from Brew #3 and pitch it into #2? What sayeth the Brews Bros?-Rich

[DubbelEntendre]

What yeast for batch #2? Some just don't have as thick of a krausen as others.

[SchwanzBrewer]

#2 was dry US-05#3 was a starter made from a WYeast 1056 activator smack pack. The carboy looked like it was boiling, pretty cool!

[MolBasser]

Siphon with a wort spreader attached to the end in the fermentor. Best of bother worlds! Or siphon it in and use an aerater.....BrewBasser

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Siphon with a wort spreader attached to the end in the fermentor. Best of bother worlds!BrewBasser

What is this? How does it work? Could I still let all of my hops roam free in the boil?Right now I just shake the bejesus out of the fermenter a few times prior to pitching the yeast but I'm not sure if this is working that great or not.