Fermentation wouldn't start, now it won't stop.

brandonlovesbeer

I brewed an all-grain IPA about 3 weeks ago.

I had some trouble right from the start. I couldn't get the temperature in the mash above 140F.

Then I couldn't get the fermentation going. It sat in my bathtub from Friday night to Monday night. The Wyeast American Ale 1056 didn't have any viable yeast I guess. On Monday morning, I stopped by Thomas Creek to get a fresh batch then brought it home and made a starter. That night I pitched the yeast.

At that point, the wort temperature was around 55 F. So I had to slowly warm it up to 60 F.

When I finally got the temperature up, Tuesday night, the fermentation finally began.

After a week, the primary was mostly finished. I transfered to 2ndary (5 gal carboy). After a day, fermentation began again. The carboy completely filled the head space with krausen.

Now 2 weeks later (3 weeks after brewday) the airlock is still bubbling every 10 seconds. The wort began churning again a few hours after the transfer.

OG = 1.072
Transfer to 2ndary = 1.023

Now 3 weeks later, I finally had to put the carboy out in the garage to cool down so the yeast would settle.

Any thoughts?
_________________
Haven't brewed anything lately but I taught a new homebrewer the basics a few weeks back and brewed an IPA.

bobbyc · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:39 am Post subject:

Doesn't sound to me like there's anything to worry about.

--Your first yeast didn't take, then you were fermenting to cold. You lost 4 days or so there...
--Then, maybe due to the cold temperatures, the yeast settled prematurely?
--Once you moved to secondary, the yeast got stirred up and began munching on the sugars again.

I'd just ride out the longer fermentation. Better to wait another week and let it hit final gravity than try to hurry it up and wind up with too-sweet beer, IMO.

brandonlovesbeer · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:59 am Post subject:

Good point.
_________________
Haven't brewed anything lately but I taught a new homebrewer the basics a few weeks back and brewed an IPA.

TwoFools · Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:37 pm Post subject:

Regarding your mash temp- I usually lose about 17 degrees when I dough in. So if I want to hit a mash temp of 152, I start with 169 degree water or so.

But every system is a little different- what temp water did you start with?

brandonlovesbeer · Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:20 pm Post subject:

I know. It's weird. Because I was mashing outside, first I pre-heated my mash tun (coleman cooler) for about 30 minutes of hot 130F water.

Then, when I began mashing, my mash water was 190F. I started so hot because I figured that between the air and the grain it would cool it down. I did this beer on that day that is snow a few weeks back. So it was about 30 F outside.

I didn't think I'd loose that much in the way of Temperature points. Then during the mash, I periodically added a 1.5 gallons of boiling water over 90 minutes mash in attempt to warm it back up.

How much of a problem will this (low temp) cause?

Thanks
_________________
Haven't brewed anything lately but I taught a new homebrewer the basics a few weeks back and brewed an IPA.

bobbyc · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:39 am Post subject:

The temperature of the mash changes the fermentability of the wort. Lower temps (148F-ish) make the wort more fermentable, giving you a drier beer. Higher temps (152F+) give you less fermentable -- and therefore a sweeter finished beer.

Like TwoFools, I find I lose around 15-17 degrees when I mash in. I don't preheat the mash tun or anything and usually aim for 165-170F strike water (based on the type of beer I'm making.)

I find that in my mash tun (also a cooler), I don't lose more than 1-2 degrees over a 60 min mash. I also haven't noticed a huge difference in temperature loss in the mash based on outside air temps.

Questions: does your cooler have a lid? Did you empty the 130F water before adding grain? After you added the 190F water, what was the temperature of the grain bed?

TwoFools · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:19 am Post subject:

As BobbyC sez, the low mash temp of 140 probably gave you a highly fermentable wort- this may help to explain why your brew is fermenting longer than you are used to!

Still baffled by the 140 mash temp though- is the water line transferring the hot water to your mash tun really long and uninsulated? Did you take a really long time to dough in? What type of thermometer are you using? Mine is digital, and I've found I have to leave it in the mash for a few minutes before it creeps up to the right temp. If digital, it's also possible the metal-to-cord connection got wet and it isn't working right. Test it out by seeing if water boils on the stove at the right temp...!

brandonlovesbeer · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:47 pm Post subject:

My mash stayed at a constant temperature. It stayed constant at 140F. I tried to raise it up but it just stayed.

When I mashed in, I fibbed before. I looked back at my notes and saw that I had 180F water. When all of the grain was finally in, it lowered to 140F.

I will say, that a temperature drop this extreme has never happened.

Regarding the water line:
I heated the water on the stove to the right temp, then took the pot and dumped the water into the mash tun. Then slowly added the grain.

Thermometer:
I used three different thermometers.
1. Was the long metal one with the dial (came with my turkey fryer).
2. Then I used my digital probe thermometer.
3. Then I put a probe from an Indoor/Outdoor digital thermometer in and left it there. They all gave the same temp within 1 to 2 points.

They all work fine.

Does my cooler have a lid?:
Yes it has a lid. I keep it closed unless I'm testing. But the temp didn't fall during mash. It only fell when at the start when I added the grain. But then I couldn't bring it back up.

And yes, I emptied the pre-heat water before I began the mashing. Smile

I calculate in the 17 or so temp points typically lost at the beginning. It's just weird.
_________________
Haven't brewed anything lately but I taught a new homebrewer the basics a few weeks back and brewed an IPA.

WillyMac · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:34 pm Post subject:

I usually give my carboy a few swishes around when I'm brewing both wine and beer and it helps a bit. Next time you might wanna try that.

brandonlovesbeer · Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:04 pm Post subject:

I bottled my Homegrown IPA on Tuesday.

The final Gravity was 1.012. Which dropped from 1.023 at the transfer to secondary.

The smaller jug that I used for my experiment got down to 1.010.

So my final ABV (if I calculated it right) is 7.86%

and 8.122% for the small test jug.

My starting Gravity was 1.072.
_________________
Haven't brewed anything lately but I taught a new homebrewer the basics a few weeks back and brewed an IPA.

brandonlovesbeer · Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:21 pm Post subject:

I tested one of my 8 oz Coke bottle samples on Saturday night.
It has been bottle conditioning since Tuesday.

It was fully Carbonated and tasted like a craft beer called, "Hopslam."

That was some good stuff. I can't wait until I get my new crop of hops so I can brew another IPA.
_________________
Haven't brewed anything lately but I taught a new homebrewer the basics a few weeks back and brewed an IPA.

TwoFools · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:56 am Post subject:

Awesome- bring it to the next meeting if you can- can't wait to try it!

WillyMac · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:17 am Post subject:

When is the next meeting? I'm really interested in getting more involved and learning a great deal more about brewing.