tough fermenting in florida

[augieb]

Hi...I look forward to learning from this group. Thx for being here. I used to brew 20 years ago. I lived in Maryland and found it easier..I should say that I moved to Florida and found some challenges when fermenting my brew....Nonetheless,,,,I have the bug and starting brewing after so long..................I use to mix corn sugar in my wort while slow boiling and just a single stage fermenter. I never had problems. I recently purchased a kit from a company w/ grains and hops and follow their directions. I am concerned due to the lack of activity in the second stage fermenter. I worry because I used malt extract, grains and hops, no sugar. I will wait to use the priming sugar when bottling....Do ya'll use this method..? Was I simply using a simplistic approach to brewing years ago...? Will my Deep Dark Wheat I am currently fermenting be a success...?

[Bugeater]

Welcome! I too took a multi-decade break in brewing before coming back 10-11 years ago. Things have changed a lot over the years. Hanging out here, listening to the shows, reading and asking questions on the forum will help fill in the gap in a hurry. A bit of reading you should definitely do is John Palmer's "How To Brew". It is probably the best entry level brewing book ever published. I think it may be available in the BN store, but you can pick it up at any homebrew shop. If you are being frugal, you can read the first edition for free at www.howtobrew.com.

Your beer should be fine. You seldom see any action in a "secondary" fermenter. The primary function of the secondary in homebrewing is simply to let yeast and other sediment drop out so you can get a clearer beer. Fermentation is generally complete in primary. You will find that a lot of homebrewers don't use a secondary any more. The old standard advice of a week in primary and two weeks in secondary actually creates problems in many cases. Even if there are no signs of active fermentation, fermentation continues. The yeast produces a lot of esters during that initial activity. Once that dies down, the yeast starts metabolizing those esters giving you a cleaner tasting beer. If you rack the beer too soon, you may get off flavors from those esters. The rationale behind racking after a week was the overblown fear of autolysis. This is the breakdown of dead yeast in the fermenter and may contribute a burnt rubber taste to the beer. In reality, it would take 6-8 weeks or more to get that to happen. Poor yeast health is generally the culprit that leads to this problem, not just the length of time in the fermenter.

Anyway, have a homebrew and enjoy the forum. If you have any questions feel free to ask. There is always someone to help you out.

[BeaverBarber]

Hi...I look forward to learning from this group. Thx for being here. I used to brew 20 years ago. I lived in Maryland and found it easier..I should say that I moved to Florida and found some challenges when fermenting my brew....Nonetheless,,,,I have the bug and starting brewing after so long..................I use to mix corn sugar in my wort while slow boiling and just a single stage fermenter. I never had problems. I recently purchased a kit from a company w/ grains and hops and follow their directions. I am concerned due to the lack of activity in the second stage fermenter. I worry because I used malt extract, grains and hops, no sugar. I will wait to use the priming sugar when bottling....Do ya'll use this method..? Was I simply using a simplistic approach to brewing years ago...? Will my Deep Dark Wheat I am currently fermenting be a success...?

I think you're fine. A secondary fermenter isn't necessary. When you last brewed, a secondary fermenter was something people did, but that has all changed now due to better yeast. If you do decide to use a secondary fermenter, there won't be much activity, but doing so isn't advised because you'll be removing your beer from the yeast that might still be hard at work cleaning up the flavor of your beer. Don't use a slow boil, we're now using a vigorous rolling boil to get rid of off-flavors. If you're using pilsner malt, vigorously boil for 90 minutes. Also, corn sugar isn't necessary to make beer. Malt extract is much better now than it was 20 years ago...everything is better. It's not a bad idea to use corn sugar because it'll help dry out your beer, but it definitely isn't necessary. However, you do need sugar to bottle, and corn sugar works great. Don't make this mistake; everyone does it once. Don't add more sugar to your bottle because you want more alcohol. Doing that will just make your bottles explode in your face when you open them...if not sooner. Use a minimal amount. Welcome back to brewing. It's much better now.

[snowcapt]

WYNRTFP?!
Cheers and welcome back to the sport.
Sanitation is working, yes?

[TheDarkSide]

Welcome back. +1 to the secondary not being needed for most styles (I'll do it if I plan to dry hop a beer and want to reuse the yeast. If I'm not reusing, I'll just dry hop in the primary).

Being in Florida, how are you controlling your fermentation temperature? The 3 best things you can do for you beer is pitch enough healthy yeast, control your fermentation temps and be a Jedi when it comes to sanitation.