[SteveWGB]

Good Afternoon all!
This is my first time using Wyeast 1469, and I seem to have experienced a very fast fermentation. I pitched at 68 and let it rise to 71. I am fermenting in a long and shallow rectangular pan that is uncovered inside my chest freezer that I use as a fermentation chamber. My original gravity was 1.051 on both my TILT and my refractometer. In 36 hours, the TILT read 1.015. 24 hours after that, it read 1.011. My refractometer reads 1.026, though I understand that might not be the actual gravity reading. My questions are these:

Does this yeast normally work this quick?
Does the shape of the pan have anything to do with the speed? What about the temperature?
Is there a trusted calculator I should use to determine final gravity withy refractometer?

Thanks in advance for any and all help you might offer.

Cheers!
Steve

[dmtaylor]

Many (most?) English yeasts complete the fermentation within 48 hours.  No surprise there.

Temperature helped.

Your refractometer is reading exactly as expected.  Enter your Brix numbers into the following calculator (I assume about 12.6 and 6.3?), and you'll get almost the same answer as your Tilt.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/

That being said... the Tilt is not known for being as accurate at the end of fermentation when a lot of protein, yeast, and hop debris are stuck to it.  Your actual FG might in fact range anywhere from 1.009 to 1.011, or maybe even another point outside of that range.  Only way to know for sure is using a traditional hydrometer.

I don't know much about the effects from the shape of the fermenter, but I doubt it made much difference in the numerical values.  Might change the taste a bit though, maybe.

Cheers.

[beerphilmcd]

WY1469 is quite quick, no surprise with your results if you pitched healthy at a good rate. Fermenter shape absolutely affects yeast performance but and it’s a big but…. That is seen pretty exclusively in commercial breweries. In our relatively small vessels we don’t have the pressures etc seen in a commercial setting.

I think what’s most interesting about your post is the open fermentation and chamber used! Pretty unique and I’d argue open fermentation in homebrewed beer would have a bigger impact than vessel shape.


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[SteveWGB]

Thanks for the replies! And thank you for the reassurance as far as the yeast being a fast mover. Good to know, as I plan on using English yeast more often. The numbers are still falling, down to 1.008 today. I'm wondering if this yeast will eventually just stop, as I don't want this to be very dry. I don't want to lower the temperature or stop the process as I want the yeast to have some time to clean up after itself. I originally thought the yeast would end around 1.016. Any thoughts on this matter?

As for the open fermentation, I wanted to mimic the traditional Yorkshire squares at Samuel Smith's, and a steam table pan, or hotel pan as they are sometimes called, seemed to be a good fit. This is my first time using this pan, but I've done open fermentations in the chamber before and they have turned out great.

[dmtaylor]

I would have expected FG to be closer to about 1.012, so I'm a little surprised it's still falling.  I figure it's got to be finished over the next day or two.  I hate to say, and hope this is not true, but is it possible it became contaminated?  Or did you by chance mash for a very long time?  I'd be curious to see the recipe, including mash schedule.

[SteveWGB]

I would have expected FG to be closer to about 1.012, so I'm a little surprised it's still falling.  I figure it's got to be finished over the next day or two.  I hate to say, and hope this is not true, but is it possible it became contaminated?  Or did you by chance mash for a very long time?  I'd be curious to see the recipe, including mash schedule.

I don't think it is contaminated. My cleaning and sanitation procedures border paranoia, but I suppose anything is possible.

10# Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter
.5# Bairds Crystal 50/60
.5# Bairds Carastan
1 oz East Kent Goldings at 60 min
1 oz East Kent Goldings at 30 min
1 oz Bramling Cross at 10 min
1 oz Bramling Cross in whirlpool at 165 degrees for 15 min
1/2 teaspoon Wyeast nutrient at 10 minutes
1 pack Wyeast 1469, no starter, smacked the pack at the start of the process and left at room temperature until pitching

I mashed with 5 gallons of water for 60 minutes at 152, but it dropped to 147 by the end. I batch sparged with 4 gallons at 170 for 20 minutes. I collected about 6.5 gallons of wort pre-boil. Boiled for 60 minutes. I was left with 4.5 gallons post boil. Before pitching, I hit the wort with O2 with an aeration stone for about 30 seconds.

[denny]

I would have expected FG to be closer to about 1.012, so I'm a little surprised it's still falling.  I figure it's got to be finished over the next day or two.  I hate to say, and hope this is not true, but is it possible it became contaminated?  Or did you by chance mash for a very long time?  I'd be curious to see the recipe, including mash schedule.

Or is it because yeast attenuation ratings are only one factor, and not necessarily the determining one?  I can get a range of attenuation with a yeast depending on recipe and process.

[dmtaylor]

I would have expected FG to be closer to about 1.012, so I'm a little surprised it's still falling.  I figure it's got to be finished over the next day or two.  I hate to say, and hope this is not true, but is it possible it became contaminated?  Or did you by chance mash for a very long time?  I'd be curious to see the recipe, including mash schedule.

Or is it because yeast attenuation ratings are only one factor, and not necessarily the determining one?  I can get a range of attenuation with a yeast depending on recipe and process.

True, it is a living organism and results will vary.  This is why I asked for the recipe.  For which, now that I see it.... the only thing I can see is that the mash + sparge time together being 80 minutes is perhaps longer than some, but not by much.  So... this is a puzzling one.  The yeast is just excited to be alive today I guess!!