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Author Topic: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?  (Read 8371 times)

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2014, 09:41:08 pm »
That shouldnt be the problem unless you accidentally rehydrated in bleach

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #16 on: July 23, 2014, 09:52:09 pm »
By the way, I am so proud of my forum buddies for not barking at the OP that he can't make a Kolsch with us05! Good job folks.


Offline Keith G

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #17 on: July 24, 2014, 05:17:32 am »
Is US 05 not traditionally used in a Kolsch?  The guy on the phone recommended it because he said it was the only dry yeast he had, and that would be the easiest to use for a first timer.


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Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #18 on: July 24, 2014, 05:58:03 am »
US-05 is the Chico yeast, AKA Sierra Nevada's ale yeast. Liquid equivalents are Wyeast 1056 and WLP 001. It is a clean yeast that attenuated well.

Koelsch yeasts are in liquid form, such as WLP 029  and Wyeast 2565. Koelsch yeast is fairly clean and crisp, but can have an ester that is like white wine. There are no dry Koelsch yeasts that I know of.

The shop gave you advice that should have made your first beer easy, but it looks like you are having some worries. Just "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew" as Charlie Papazians says. Since you don't have a homebrew, have a craft beer of your choice. Getting a second pack of yeast my be the next step.
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Offline mattybrass

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #19 on: July 24, 2014, 08:40:51 am »
Yeah i cant really add much that hasnt already been mentioned. Your process looks good and the date on the yeast seems fine. If nothing is going on run out and grab a second yeast pack. I tend to always have a pack or two of US-05 in my fridge for that very reason.

+1 to trying to ferment cooler. For a kolsch some people will say ferment cool (very low 60's) and then ive read that some brewers in Cologne ferment at 70. After fermentation you will want to store as cool as possible for a few weeks then bottle or maybe you will say eff that i cant wait for that and bottle anyways.

Offline happywanderer

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #20 on: July 24, 2014, 12:23:50 pm »
Ok - curious if fermentation has started for you yet.  Sometimes dry yeast takes a bit of time. 

That said, take a gravity reading if you don't see any activity after 3 days. 

ALSO - Your fermentation temperature.  One thing IMPORTANT to note.  The temperature for fermenting is NOT the air temperature in the room.  It is the temperature of the beer in the bucket.  Get a "Fermometer" if you don't have one already and stick it on your bucket.  This will give you a ballpark of the temp inside the bucket. 

Fermentation creates heat.  So the air temperature can be 70-74 but the beer can be 80+. 

Solution:  A cooler, water, and plastic 16oz coke bottles w/ frozen water.  This is the cooler I use and it is perfect for 1 fermenting bucket.  http://tinyurl.com/kwtrdyg

I keep it filled to about 1/2 way up the bucket because I was silly and placed the thermometer too low on the bucket...  The higher the waterline on the bucket - the better it will serve to regulate temps. 

Ok - so - get back to us when you see activity or take a gravity reading. 

Offline Keith G

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #21 on: July 24, 2014, 08:00:27 pm »
I do have a fermometer on the bucket and all temperatures I listed above are read from that, not ambient temperature.

Good news though! This morning there was a little Krausen on top, and when I came home from work the air lock is bubbling like crazy.

I didn't open it to check since I saw the airlock bubbling.


As expected all of you were right.  Just a little time was all the yeast needed.

One more question.  Would you recommend trying to cool the fermentation at the current stage I'm in?


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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #22 on: July 24, 2014, 08:17:59 pm »
No. Generally, drops in temp decrease or stop active fermentation. Increases in temp increase it, generally. So try to start at or below your target temp and work up.

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #23 on: July 26, 2014, 05:21:34 pm »
US-05 is the Chico yeast Siebel Bry 96, AKA Sierra Nevada's the Ballantine yeast strain. Liquid equivalents are Wyeast 1056 and WLP 001. It is a clean yeast that attenuated well.

I fixed it for you!  ;D

Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #24 on: July 27, 2014, 09:42:54 am »
US-05 is the Chico yeast Siebel Bry 96, AKA Sierra Nevada's the Ballantine yeast strain. Liquid equivalents are Wyeast 1056 and WLP 001. It is a clean yeast that attenuated well.

I fixed it for you!  ;D

Some of us know that, was keeping it more current. I have wondered where the old US brewers got their yeast from, probably English brewers. Any idea?
Jeff Rankert
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Offline Keith G

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #25 on: July 31, 2014, 06:22:07 am »
So its been 9 days of fermentation, and about 5 of those days their were signs of active fermentation via airlock bubbling.  The weather in western pa has dropped to around 75F for the high and around 55F at night for the low.   The temperature of my fermenter has dropped below 70F now, after pitching the yeast at around 72F.  Will this stall my yeast with the decreasing temperature, or am I still ok?  The forecast doesn't show it consistently warming up anytime soon that is why I ask.

Thanks.

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #26 on: July 31, 2014, 08:28:53 am »
It still be fine. Us-05 is a trouper.
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Offline mattybrass

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #27 on: July 31, 2014, 12:58:15 pm »
It still be fine. Us-05 is a trouper.

Agreed, maybe wrap the fermenter with a blanket or sweatshirt to retain some of the heat and prevent too much fluctuating at night.

Offline Keith G

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #28 on: July 31, 2014, 07:43:51 pm »
I'll give the sweatshirt idea a try.  Thanks.

Offline Keith G

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Re: Finished my first brew day .... Am I in trouble?
« Reply #29 on: August 17, 2014, 07:38:52 pm »
Took my first hydrometer reading as its almost been 4 weeks since it's gone in the fermenter.  I pulled out the tube w/ my hydrometer in it, and racked beer until it was almost full.  My reading said 1.011 and my OG was 1.048.  Does this sound about right?  I assume I should take another reading in a few days and if the reading is the same, I should be ready to bottle, correct?

Thanks,

Keith