I've had a disaster!

[Pennine]

A couple of interesting things I have read, losses from dry pitching are only 3-5% not a big deal for homebrewers.
But you also seem to be able to pretty easily screw up the rehydration process, temperature and incomplete rehydration seem to affect it as well.
I wonder if rehydrating it in 100ml of wort when the temps drop to 35c would be better than pitching it in when completely cooled.

 

[Craftman]

Interestingly lallemand's technical information for they're dried yeast is a bit contradictory and says:
"REHYDRATION
Rehydration of dry brewing yeast in sterile water is generally recommended prior to pitching into wort in order to reduce stress on the cell as it transitions from dry to liquid form. However, our research suggests that pitching LalBrew® Voss directly into wort without prior rehydration will often result in better performance including shorter lag-phase and greater
attenuation."

 

[AXW123]

Anyway the good news is is that your brew is proceeding normally. In my brews it’s quite normal that the airlock stops bubbling because I don’t think my bucket is particular well sealed and as soon as the initial vigorous fermentation ceases I don’t get any air bubbles at all through the airlock. As somebody else said never throw it away until you’re absolutely sure it’s undrinkable and it always pays to leave it a full two weeks to see what is going to do before you start messing about with it too much. As we all know Patience is a virtue in brewing.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Can I have a little go, please? If that is the only disaster then I'd say well done that chap! My brew days are controlled disasters from start to finish.

Me too - I count it a success if I don't do anything really stupid, but equally I don't think I've yet managed a brew day without messing something up

 

[Michael Burnley]

I take it you are brewing the Graham Wheeler recipe? I have never tried the real thing but have brewed Wheelers recipe several times, one of my favorites.

Yes the Graham wheeler recipe, however the yeast isn't mentioned, so a good old Google around t'internet led me to get London ESB

 

[Michael Burnley]

Can I have a little go, please? If that is the only disaster then I'd say well done that chap! My brew days are controlled disasters from start to finish.

Hehe, yes it was actually a very good brew day with not much going wrong, I was slightly under desired mash temp by around a half degree but no big deal.

But then I had the fermentation disaster!

 

[Michael Burnley]

Have you thought about asking Moorhouses for some yeast? All the breweries I have approached have been helpful and live brewers yeast is the dogs danglies.

I really like this idea thanks, the brewery is less than a mile from where I live.

 

[Clint]

Theses yeast experts...have they done many brews I wonder or is all their work based on lab analysis and conditions?
I'm not doubting their work as I haven't read it and know bugger all about it but if we're talking about tiny % well it won't bother us lot! Also as said loads of yeast packets state...sprinkle into wort..

 

[strange-steve]

Theses yeast experts...have they done many brews I wonder or is all their work based on lab analysis and conditions?
I'm not doubting their work as I haven't read it and know bugger all about it but if we're talking about tiny % well it won't bother us lot! Also as said loads of yeast packets state...sprinkle into wort..

One of the experts mentioned was Jamil Zainasheff who co-authored the Yeast book. He's the owner of Heretic Brewing, wrote the book Brewing Classic Styles, and as a homebrewer won competition medals in every single BJCP category (well the pre 2015 categories at least), so he's done a bit of brewing.

 

[trummy]

Every step you can miss out is less chance for contamination. I only only kits and for years I rehydrated the yeast but recently just sprinkle. Had no problems. Maybe a few hours more before activity is noticeable - but that I am not certain of.

 

[trueblue]

One of the experts mentioned was Jamil Zainasheff who co-authored the Yeast book. He's the owner of Heretic Brewing, wrote the book Brewing Classic Styles, and as a homebrewer won competition medals in every single BJCP category (well the pre 2015 categories at least), so he's done a bit of brewing.

Fairly sure he was also the author most plagiarized by Greg Hughes for his books.

 

[strange-steve]

Fairly sure he was also the author most plagiarized by Greg Hughes for his books.

Oh really? I don't have any of GH's books, what was he plagiarising, recipes?

 

[trueblue]

When the book first came out it was highlighted on several forums that most of the text and recipes were lifted from several books IIRC Zainasheff, Graham Wheeler and Gordon Strong were mentioned amongst others. I recall it all hit the fan on his own forum and anyone who mentioned it was banned.

 

[strange-steve]

Every step you can miss out is less chance for contamination.

That's true, but the benefits of certain steps might outweigh the potential risks. Creating a starter for liquid yeast for example, introduces a not inconsiderable risk of contamination, but personally I'd say the benefit of a proper pitch rate makes it well worth it. Of course whether or not the same is true of rehydration is for each brewer to decide for themselves.

When the book first came out it was highlighted on several forums that most of the text and recipes were lifted from several books IIRC Zainasheff, Graham Wheeler and Gordon Strong were mentioned amongst others. I recall it all hit the fan on his own forum and anyone who mentioned it was banned.

Huh, I wasn't aware of any of that. Interesting.

 

[An Ankoù]

Every step you can miss out is less chance for contamination. I only only kits and for years I rehydrated the yeast but recently just sprinkle. Had no problems. Maybe a few hours more before activity is noticeable - but that I am not certain of.

Well following that logic, we should all be brewing up pre-hopped kits with no pimping or adjustments and certainly no dry hop additions and then drink it straight from the fermenter. Brings back memories of student days when a batch of beer rarely made it to the pressure barrel. Dry hops floated on top of the beer, which was dispensed by dipping your mug into the fermenter and straining any residual hops between your teeth. It never lasted long enough to go off. Can't remember what happened when we got close to the bottom. While my beer is undoubtedly "better" today, I can't say I enjoyed the former any less!

 

[Mavroz]

Puts the willies up me to be frank. Never got more than a couple of minutes into a video without losing the will to live. But each to his own, I'm not a great TV watcher, either.

Have to agree with you there. Never trusted the guy since he produced a how to video on brewing and was advising potential users to use plumbers mate. I asked why he was using something that shouldn't be used with potable water devices as it contained potentially toxic chemicals... Well the reply was just flannel and waffle basically.

Moving on, just to say I have rehydrated all the yeasts I have used now for around 18 months and I will say that fermentation activity certainly appears to start a lot sooner than the sprinkle over top of the wort method for me, using a temp controlled fridge.
Also as @terrym said, I am also a huge sanitisation buff. Anything I use after boil is always sanitised from temp probes to teaspoons.

 

[Drunkula]

a batch of beer rarely made it to the pressure barrel. Dry hops floated on top of the beer, which was dispensed by dipping your mug into the fermenter and straining any residual hops between your teeth. It never lasted long enough to go off.

 

[DavidHatton]

I did a pendle witch clone on Sunday, I used Wyeast London Esb yeast and set the STC to 22.5 C. Monday before work it was bubbling nicely. I came home Monday evening and I noticed it was rather warmer than usual in the fermentation fridge, the STC still displayed 22.5, however upon checking the temp with my brew day thermometer it read 30 C! And also airlock activity seemed to have stopped. I borrowed the inkbird I had on the kegerator, rigged it up on the fermentation fridge and left it overnight to drop the temp, but this morning still no airlock activity, gravity last night was at 1.032 so it hasn't finished, what do I do? More yeast? I have a CML kveik Voss I can use, or is it to go down the drain?

not on point, but would you share the recipe, love a pendle!!

 

[Michael Burnley]

not on point, but would you share the recipe, love a pendle!!

Here you are David

ABV 5.3% IBU 29 27 EBC 22 litres into fermenter
60 min Mash @ 69C
Batch Sparge with 75 C water for 2 x 20 mins
70 min boil
BH Efficiency 68%

Maris Otter 87.5%
Crystal (120L) 7.7%
Torrefied Wheat 4.8%

65g Fuggles for 70 mins
12g Fuggles at flame out

Wyeast 1968 London ESB; 1.6L starter made on stir plate, ferment @ 22.5C

Water - I use the Murphy (Bitters & Pales) profile

This is mainly taken from GW book

 

[trummy]

Well following that logic, we should all be brewing up pre-hopped kits with no pimping or adjustments and certainly no dry hop additions and then drink it straight from the fermenter. Brings back memories of student days when a batch of beer rarely made it to the pressure barrel. Dry hops floated on top of the beer, which was dispensed by dipping your mug into the fermenter and straining any residual hops between your teeth. It never lasted long enough to go off. Can't remember what happened when we got close to the bottom. While my beer is undoubtedly "better" today, I can't say I enjoyed the former any less!

Well I do use my King Keg as the FV so that cuts out one bucket and one liquid transfer. It works really well - much smaller hole to let air in.
I disagree re the hops - its obtaining the same result with minimum disturbance and effort that I am in pursuit of. I used to add the priming sugar straight into the same barrel and change the top from one with a fermentation lock to the normal screw down pressure top but nowadays I cannot/do not want to drink 40 pts in a short space of time so I bottle in 2ltr PET bottles. In normal times at least half are then transferred into the motor home . This year has been different.
I could be construed as being idle I guess