Right course of action?

[Bizier]

Hi all,

This last weekend I put in a partial mash bought at Dave's HB in Nsyd - was the stovetop amber kit. Firstly - WOW - what a difference once you have smelled grain and hops! I mini-mashed the grain at about 64 deg C (whether this works or not is another thing) and did the boil. But I have a few questions as to some slight hitches:

1. Unexpectedly, a friend needs counselling at a local, after I have started boil.
I leave the house and wort on stove just after addition of first bittering hops (describes as just that) and run to pub. Later resume boil - perhaps an hour later.

2. Boil takes aaaages grappling with a monster sized pot and a tiny portable BBQ - actually needed lid to achieve proper boil. I had to go to a party and quickly. I sent a hydrated packet of Fermentis US Ale 05 to an untimely death at 32 deg C and ran out the door. After returning the next day and seeing no action, I rectified the situation by pitching a hydrated yeast from a nearby coopers RA kit the next day - and took off no probs.

3. Tried to swap airlocks between a 'senior' on a brew in secondary, producing near no co2, and the extremely annoying adn noisy 'junior' on the brew getting all of the action. The grommet fell straight in. I have left in in a trubby grave, figuring the less tampering the better - was well sanitized 3 days ago - I even sprayed the top of the fermenter with iodophor after everything was sealed.

Any thoughts on courses of action?
I am optimistic that this will be good beer, except if infected.

[Kevnlis]

Chances of infection in a beer that is fermenting at it's peak are very low.

[rwh]

1. Unexpectedly, a friend needs counselling at a local, after I have started boil.
I leave the house and wort on stove just after addition of first bittering hops (describes as just that) and run to pub. Later resume boil - perhaps an hour later.

Gap in the middle of the boil eh. If the temp didn't drop too low then I can't think of any reason this'd be a problem.

2. Boil takes aaaages grappling with a monster sized pot and a tiny portable BBQ - actually needed lid to achieve proper boil. I had to go to a party and quickly.

Yeah, leaving a lid on is not the best, it can trap DMS blah blah. I do it all the time and haven't had too many problems. I also use a crappy portable BBQ.

I sent a hydrated packet of Fermentis US Ale 05 to an untimely death at 32 deg C and ran out the door. After returning the next day and seeing no action, I rectified the situation by pitching a hydrated yeast from a nearby coopers RA kit the next day - and took off no probs.

32°C won't kill yeast. But pitching a second sachet should be fine too; you'll most likely get the flavour profile from one or the other yeast though; whichever gets the upper hand.

3. Tried to swap airlocks between a 'senior' on a brew in secondary, producing near no co2, and the extremely annoying adn noisy 'junior' on the brew getting all of the action. The grommet fell straight in. I have left in in a trubby grave, figuring the less tampering the better - was well sanitized 3 days ago - I even sprayed the top of the fermenter with iodophor after everything was sealed.

Quite a few of us have done the same thing. Should be OK, despite possible bacterial contamination (like kevnlis said, the brew should well and truly be in the grips of the yeast by now).

Any thoughts on courses of action?

Relax and have a homebrew.

I am optimistic that this will be good beer, except if infected.

It's certainly been interesting so far!

[Bizier]

Cheers, I am more relaxed - if 32 wont kill yeast - it probably explains why it has finished fermenting already - and why it fermented so furiously with additional yeast. I couldn't deal with the constant noise of the 'junior': 'bloopbloopbloopbloopbloopbloop' When the grommet fell in - it was definitely at peak fermentation. I need to buy more 'senior' airlocks, they are an investment in tranquility.

The temp did fall a bit to maybe 60 or 70, but I think that even if there are minor off flavours, I will forgive them, as it was my first boil.

I cant believe how amazed I am with the difference in aroma between a kit and using fresh grains and hops - there is some serious magnitude there!

I have some ingredients to play with - hopefully here by the weekend: Cascade, Chinook, Cluster, Galaxy, Fuggle, Smoked Malt (Weyermann), Crystal Malt Dark (Bairds), Crystal Malt Medium (Bairds), Crystal Malt Pale (Bairds), Maris Otter Malt (Bairds)

I am excited - I have the bug already!!!

[KEG]

haha... my first brew was done with a coopers HB kit, and the fermenter was on top of a fridge in the kitchen.. i loved the noise, it was my baby

[aurelius121ad]

Ok, I have to ask... what is DMS? This post is the second I have seen this week that mentions it and I didn't see it listen in the acronym sticky post.

[James L]

from Palmers "How to Brew"....

Dimethyl Sulfides (DMS)/ Cooked Vegetable Flavors
Like diacetyl in ales, DMS is common in many light lagers and is considered to be part of the character. DMS is produced in the wort during the boil by the reduction of another compound, S-methyl-methionine (SMM), which is itself produced during malting. When a malt is roasted or toasted, the SMM is reduced beforehand and does not manifest as DMS in the wort, which explains why it is more prevalent in pale lagers. In other styles, DMS is a common off-flavor, and can be caused by poor brewing practices or bacterial infections.

DMS is continuously produced in the wort while it is hot and is usually removed by vaporization during the boil. If the wort is cooled slowly these compounds will not be removed from the wort and will dissolve back in. Thus it is important to not completely cover the brewpot during the boil or allow condensate to drip back into the pot from the lid. The wort should also be cooled quickly after the boil, either by immersing in an ice bath or using a wort chiller.

When caused by bacterial infection, DMS has a more rancid character, more liked cooked cabbage than corn. It is usually the result of poor sanitation. Repitching the yeast from an infected batch of beer will perpetuate the problem.