Air locks and fining questions

[Will333]

Hi

I'm fairly new to brewing so would really appreciate some advice:

Do you fit an air lock on for the primary fermentation?
Do you scrape off the foam formed by the yeast at regular intervals during the primary fermentation?
Also what is the best finings to use?

Thank you!

 

[Duxuk]

I like to hear the airlock plop, it's like the heartbeat of a brew. One of my FVs refuses to seal sufficiently, so I just bung the hole and don't worry. An airlock doesn't really tell you if fermentation has finished, only a gravity reading will tell you that, so an airlock is a bit of fun but not necessary.
Scraping the yeast off is not a good idea. You could introduce infection. The yeast will drop out when fermentation has finished anyway, so what's the point?
I fine by adding a teaspoon of Irish moss for the last 10 to 20 minutes of the boil. It seems to work well. With extract or kits time alone tends to be enough. Leave your brew in the FV for at least a fortnight 'til it looks as clear as you wish it to be when you drink it.:drink:This applies to almost all brewing methods. I have only used finings for AG brewing.

 

[Will333]

Thanks Andrew. So do you not add gelatine or something similar after the primary fermentation and then leave it in the FV for another week or so?

Also, should you aerate the wort before pitching the yeast? (I've read that you should always try to avoid adding to much air to the beer, but surely the yeast needs oxygen...)

 

[proost]

Hi

I'm fairly new to brewing so would really appreciate some advice:

Do you fit an air lock on for the primary fermentation?
Do you scrape off the foam formed by the yeast at regular intervals during the primary fermentation?
Also what is the best finings to use?

Thank you!

My method:
I only brew from kits.
I don't fit an airlock, I just leave the smallest of gaps between the FV lid and bucket.
Don't scrape the yeast off, it's still working and will drop to the bottom of the FV when its finished (well most of it).
Iv'e never used finings, when the fermentation has finished (use a Hydrometer) I remove the FV from the heat and place it on my garage floor (or somewhere cold) for about 4 or 5 days. It clears on its own.
Before I pitch the yeast I give the wort a jolly good stir with a silicone whisk (Wilkos) for at least three/four minutes to really aerate it.

Hope this helps.

:drink:

 

[marksa222]

Thanks Andrew. So do you not add gelatine or something similar after the primary fermentation and then leave it in the FV for another week or so?

Also, should you aerate the wort before pitching the yeast? (I've read that you should always try to avoid adding to much air to the beer, but surely the yeast needs oxygen...)

Yes... keep oxygen out of the beer in general, except from at the start of fermentation. I run my wort from the boiler to the fv from height, through a sieve, and i've always had my fermentations start quickly.

 

[Rivvo]

You can scrape the foam of the top of the brew if you want to, however it is not worth doing this unless you are going to harvest the foam that reappears after you have scraped the first lot off in order to grow a yeast starter from it, some people do this but I don't.
I don't add finings to kits (but don't brew them anymore either) there shouldn't be a need to, as others have said put it somewhere cool and it will drop clear, hopefully within a few days.