First Batch Advice

I'm a newbie hoping to get some advice from you guys (or ladies!). I have my first batch, a creme stout extract kit, perking in the primary. I was a little worried about my White Labs yeast as it took 8 mailing days to reach me due to the 4th of July holiday. The temperatures are quite hot in Alabama currently. Anyway, I made a starter culture Friday night and boiled up my wort on Saturday night. I was happy to see rapid bubbling on my primary around 24 hours or Sunday night. I was getting a bubble stream every 7 seconds. I was perking nicely on Monday morning and at lunch but has slowed considerably by the time I got home from work. I am now only getting a bubble every several minutes.

My big question, is this normal or did I have a bad yeast. It was White Labs Burton Ale pitchable tube. I do have some Nottingham dry yeast but hated to add two different yeasts if I didn't have to.

I am a wine maker and usually have a strong ferment for at least a week.

Any advice would be appreciated. P.S. I've never had a creme stout. Anybody like them?

Reply to
youdaman10
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Everything sounds fine. Primary fermentation is usally rerally active for a day or two, then it starts to peter out.

Phil

Reply to
Phil

Thanks for all the advice (and by the way, I'm in Opelika). I swirled the primary a couple of times and it started to bubble again. It is now Tuesday night and has a slow but steady bubble. Maybe I didn't get enough oxygen into the wort?

Anyway, my home is kept around 70 in the summer. My main heat concern was due to the shipping conditions and not that inside the home.

Hopefully, it will continue and work things out. Like I said, I really hate to add another yeast strain.

Reply to
youdaman10

Youdaman,

You have much good advice here but let me ask: where in Alabama are you located? I am Gulf Coastie, recently returned from Hawaii. Have extensive brewing experience in hot weather with improvised temp control. Hawaii is neither as hot in summer nor as cold in winter as LA (for those of you who don't know that's Lower Alabama). What I did was make a water bath for the fermenter. Used an EXTREMELY large plastic planter and fashioned a top that would accomodate the air lock. Filled with water until the fermenter would barely float and kept a floating aquarium thermometer in with it. This accomplishes 2 things: the increased volume (due to the water bath) reduces the day/night temp fluctuation on the fermenting wort and you can use frozen containers of water to maintain a fairly stable lower temp. Especially if your wife lets you do it in an air conditioned area in the house (mine won't, I used a metal storage shed). I typically checked the temp in the morning before work, put in a quart frozen container of water, took out the melted one and refroze it. Check at lunch if lucky enough to get home then; if not then when I get home from work. Usually add a couple of containers then. I was able to maintain a +or- 4 degree temp around 66 degrees. Haven't set up my equipment since getting home and have some new ideas I want to try for both summer and winter brewing. Good luck.

Reply to
John

Reply to
BKBooth

I moved this creme stout from the primary to the secondary today at about the one week point. I took the opportunity to taste my creation since it is my first. I was quite surprised to find it quite pleasant already. It was still a little cloudy but had great flavor albeit flat. I assume the priming sugar will remedy the flatness. The flavor was not quite as sweet as I expected, only enough to take the edge off the typical stout bitterness. I think it will be great after a little carbonation.

What do you know, I think it turned into beer.

Reply to
youdaman10

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