Woodfordes Wherry - has it finished??

[damon80]

Hi Folks,

Long time watcher, first time poster!

I've been homebrewing beer for quite a while using kits.

Having starting off doing the fermenting bin then pressure barrell route, I now just ferment in my King Keg (top tap) and then leave it in there - it never lasts long enough to get any off-flavours from standing on the old yeast... :shock: : lol

Anyway, I've done a few batches of Wherry before, with no problems.

But with this batch, I'm a bit concerned... It's been fermenting for 10 days now, but there's no "scum line" of yeast formed up on the inside of the keg. I've checked it's SG, and it's 1010, which would suggest it's done, but I've never in my years of brewing had a ferment finish without that "scum line" being visible.

Am I ok to move the keg to a cool place to clear??

Thanks :drink:

 

[Greg]

Hi Damon, I usually ferment in a bin then transfer to a barrel or bottle but I guess you can drink straight from the barrel and obviously works for you.

If the FG is 1010 then I would say its finished fermenting so can't see why you can't move to a colder area to clear. I would check the FG over a day or so and if it's not moved then I would assume its finished fermenting, 1010 is a decent FG.

I don't always get a line of scum around the top of the wort but depends what yeast/kit I have been using as they all act/look different. I have only done the wherry a couple of times but you do get different ferments even with the same kit.

Hope it turns out okay. Let us know.

 

[damon80]

Cheers for the advice Greg - much appreciated! :thumb:

I'll start the clearing process, and let you know how it goes :drink:

 

[commsbiff]

How long after moving to a cool place do you start to drink it? Do you prime the keg at all?

 

[damon80]

Hi Commsbiff,

The keg I use is a King Keg top tap, so the first pints drawn off are usually quite clear after being left in a cool place for a couple of days .

And I don't prime the keg, because I use the keg as the FV vessel also - I just bung the kit in, put the keg on a heater pad, then once the ferment is done I move it to a cold place to clear. Doing it this way I only usually need to add gas for the last 1/3rd of the barrel.

 

[danielenglish87]

have you ever had any problems this way, how do u get ur secondary fermentation in the keg? sorry im a total newby, trying 2 find my feet.

 

[ano]

'Secondary' is used a couple of different ways (I think), here's my theory on what it can mean depending on context.

Some people when fermenting in a fermenting vessel (FV) like to 'rack off' the beer after just a few days to another 'secondary' FV. This has the advantage of removing the beer from a lot of the yeast which won't be needed as the bulk of the fermentation will have happened. The beer can then be left in this secondary for longer than it could be in the primary (as there's less yeast to sit on). This means the beer can clear a little more and even mature a little before being put into your chosen dispense. However it also increases the chances of introducing oxygen (bad at this stage as it can taint the beer) and/or infection.

However, secondary fermentation can occur when the beer is in the vessel from which it is to be dispensed, eg in the above situation you would prime the keg with sugar and add the beer so it ferments a little more and adds fizz. If you perform your primary fermentation in the keg as well, you won't need to add any more sugar to add fizz or alcohol because that's what's just happened.

 

[trunky]

Dave Line allways described secondary fermentation as the fermentation that happened after the quarter gravity stage (e.g. 1.015 for an OG 1.060) for an 'ale' and after the one third gravity stage (e.g. 1.020 for an OG 1.060) for a 'lager'.

Where it happens is irrelevant, I take the view that once I am at that stage and the fermentaion has (almost) stopped then it's put in a closed keg of some sort.

Wherry takes forever to clear

I would love an AG recipe for it.....

 

[rickthebrew]

wherry does take a while to clear - but it is a GREAT pint !!

 

[Wez]

It's a good kit and worth the wait :thumb:

 

[ano]

Dave Line allways described secondary fermentation as the fermentation that happened after the quarter gravity stage (e.g. 1.015 for an OG 1.060) for an 'ale' and after the one third gravity stage (e.g. 1.020 for an OG 1.060) for a 'lager'.

Where it happens is irrelevant, I take the view that once I am at that stage and the fermentaion has (almost) stopped then it's put in a closed keg of some sort.

Dave Line has his definition, which is nice for him. Any idea what it's based on? Why does it become secondary at that point? Something to do with a different process occuring, say more and more anaerobic respiration? Or is just arbitrary?

Either way it doesn't stop some people (eg Wez in this thread) using the term in different ways, which I was trying to clarify.

 

[Wez]

A head brewer friend of mine uses the term Secondary Fermentation to describe fermentation occouring in the dispense vessel, whether thats a bottle or a keg.

I always assumed that secondary meant after the "secondary" fermentables are added to cause carbonation in a sealed vessel (in our case keg/bottle priming sugars).

 

[tubby_shaw]

I think that there is some confusion over the whole "secondary" word.
To my somewhat feeble mind there are two completely different "secondary's"
The first is transferring your beer to a secondary fermentation vessel to get it off of the trub etc to finish fermenting the sugars produced during mashing, which should more correctly be called "dropping"
The second is as Wez's head brewer friend describes, adding secondary fermentables to "condition" the beer in the dispensing vessel.
Just my opinion though :thumb:
I have been wrong before
Rarely

 

[trunky]

Dave Line allways described secondary fermentation as the fermentation that happened after the quarter gravity stage (e.g. 1.015 for an OG 1.060) for an 'ale' and after the one third gravity stage (e.g. 1.020 for an OG 1.060) for a 'lager'.

Where it happens is irrelevant, I take the view that once I am at that stage and the fermentaion has (almost) stopped then it's put in a closed keg of some sort.

Dave Line has his definition, which is nice for him. Any idea what it's based on? Why does it become secondary at that point? Something to do with a different process occuring, say more and more anaerobic respiration? Or is just arbitrary?

Either way it doesn't stop some people (eg Wez in this thread) using the term in different ways, which I was trying to clarify.

I've allways presumed it was called secondary fermentation because at the quarter gravity stage most of the maltose has been fermented and the relatively unfermentable dextrin is left which the yeast chugs away at slowly.

Different to 'secondary fermentation vessel' which happens after 'dropping' and that thing that happens in the dispense vessel is called 'conditioning' I allways thought :)