Experimenting with impatience

[AnimatedGIF]

After spending a couple of months trying to sell my house, I haven't had any time to dedicate to brewing recently. Unfortunately, that means I'm down to my last two bottles of the Christmas Stout. I thought I'd take the opportunity to experiment with being impatient with a kit. Normally I am more than happy to wait things out to ensure I end up with a good pint at the end. This time, here's what I did differntly to normal:

• Used tap water with half a campden tablet (normally I use Ashbeck from Tesco, but didn't want to waste time going to get it)
• Kegged as soon as I got 3 days consistent gravity reading. I usually take the readings after at leas two weeks. This time it only took 7 days.
• Burst carbed. Ordinarily, in my albeit limited kegging experience, I use the set and forget method of force carbing.

All this meant that in 10 days I had something coming out of the tap that was drinkable. I was surprised how drinkable it was actually. The kit was Woodforde's Bure Gold. Despite the good result, I'm in no hurry to rush things again, though I will continue to use tap water as it's just easier and right now, I can't tell the difference.
I've put another kit on to ensure stocks don't drop so low again, and while I finish getting my act togther with my transition to AG(I'll still be brewing kits from time to time though).

 

[An Ankoù]

Absolutely spot on @AnimatedGIF .:hat:

 

[jeg3]

Kits take a bit longer than AG for me but for a simple single malt AG beer it can condition in a pressure barrel in a week. Actually sometimes I'm astonished at the clarity and taste of a pale ale after a week and most don't improve. One or two have actually gone the other way as secondary fermentation takes hold!

 

[smcc]

tap water, really depends on your area you could get a report to see how it is.

Yes stable gravity is a sign of finished fermentation but remember there are a lot of by products produced and the yeast once done with sugars will work on mopping them up. 7 days in a lot of cases you could end up with diacetyl in your beer. I personally wouldnt be kegging until at least 2 weeks are over then cold crash and keg. Force carb at 30psi usually after 3 days its probably ok

 

[An Ankoù]

tap water, really depends on your area you could get a report to see how it is.

Yes stable gravity is a sign of finished fermentation but remember there are a lot of by products produced and the yeast once done with sugars will work on mopping them up. 7 days in a lot of cases you could end up with diacetyl in your beer. I personally wouldnt be kegging until at least 2 weeks are over then cold crash and keg. Force carb at 30psi usually after 3 days its probably ok

Hang on a minute. While what you say about diacetyl etc is true, I don't think cask ales go through that regime. I've had a beer ready to drink through a handpump in eight days and it was lovely. Diacetyl normally takes 2 or 3 days to clear up from a cold fermentation.

 

[smcc]

when did you mention anything about Cask in your original post? Cask is different in that it is packaged before terminal gravity but the yeast is still going through the same processes I believe some breweries will reduce temps down into 12-14 range just to take care of Diacetyl prior to filling casks and they will condition for about 3 days in the pub anyway. But you are a homebrewer who doesnt have access to the same equipment, temp control etc so it will most likely take longer for this. Commercial breweries will optimise their entire fermentation processes because beer sitting in tanks costs money

 

[AnimatedGIF]

... but remember there are a lot of by products produced and the yeast once done with sugars will work on mopping them up. 7 days in a lot of cases you could end up with diacetyl in your beer. I personally wouldnt be kegging until at least 2 weeks are over then cold crash and keg. Force carb at 30psi usually after 3 days its probably ok

I'd normally wait too, though as I say, I was experimenting, and the experiment for me is to see what happens if I don't conform to my normal process.
Part of the reason I want to do this is so that when I reply to posts, I can say with experience why, in my opinion, something may or may not work, rather than saying it because I read it somewhere. That's no criticism of anyone who does pass on what they read, but the scientist in me likes to experience it myself

 

[smcc]

nothing wrong with self experimentation its how most people learn, from a fermentation perspective I can say that 7 days in a lot of cases wont cut it I was very impatient initially when I started brewing and paid the price with a lot of beer down the drain. The commercial guys know their kit and their yeast so can reduce the time needed.

I did the 12 week brew master course at Brewlab. I would recommend it for anyone very serious about their homebrewing or looking to get into the industry, you can do a 3 week course if its just homebrewing you want to improve. It is expensive but you will learn a lot, I had hoped it would get me into brewing here in Bayern but unfortunately they have their own path and this doesnt help

 

[RichardM]

... Commercial breweries will optimise their entire fermentation processes because beer sitting in tanks costs money

Many commercial breweries will filter or centrifuge and then pasturise their beer to speed up the conditioning process and to ensure the product has a consistent taste whether it is drunk one week or one month after packaging.