Question about yeast and fermentation

What went wrong? Was this supposed to happen? Should I throw it out? What do I do now?

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brvheart
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 5:06 pm

Question about yeast and fermentation

Post by brvheart »

Hello all,

I have a Beer Machine. (Please don't give me a hard time for making beer with a beer machine. It suits my needs at the moment) I just started a new mix, and I realized after 5 days of fermentation that I left out the yeast. Very dumb.

Basically with the Beer Machine, you mix water with the beer mix and then add yeast. This ferments at room temperature for 5-6 days. Then it goes in the fridge for about 4 days.

I added the yeast yesterday after 5 days of fermentation with NO yeast. So basically, it's like I'm starting fresh right now since I just added the yeast.

My question is, will it be okay? Is there a problem having the beer mix and water mixed together for 5 days? I am planning to start the fermentation now that I have added the yeast and then go the normal 6 days.

When I opened the container to add the yeast, it was very carbonated. It took a minute or 2 to release the carbonation. Is this mix ruined?

Thanks for your help guys. I know I am rather ignorant to the whole process.
Freon12
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 404
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2001 8:27 pm
Location: WHITELAND, IN, US

Welcome to the club

Post by Freon12 »

I have never owned "mr.beer" but many of the usual suspects here have so no one here will laugh.
Keep asking and bear with us and we'll have you making beer so good you won't believe it!

O.K. Now, If I understand this, You mix water with the beer mix and put it in a sealed container. If this is so, the pressure you released may be from wild yeast or worse. You can add the yeast and see what it tastes like, but don't be dissapointed and it won't hurt you(much).

I use a plastic food grade bucket with an air lock, and it works just fine for first timers.
I suggest going to the website "How to Brew" by John Palmer, he put's it in plain words so even I could read it(or print it out).

The first beer I made was extract that I boiled with hops and cooled it with ice, put it in my bucket, and pitched the yeast. The tempreture was too warm(above 90f) and I killed all the yeast. After a week I was concerned my beer was not going, so I added more yeast and it turned out drinkable. I think because it was my first batch in a new bucket, it was free from any wild beasties and I was lucky.

Good luck
Steve
brvheart
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 5:06 pm

Thanks...

Post by brvheart »

What I have is not "Mr. Beer", it's the "Beer Machine". It's a little different from Mr. Beer, but same concept I suppose.

Yes the water and beer mix are in a sealed container.

What I am wondering now, is whether there will be anything harmful about the beer. I'm not sure where the yeast came from in the container to make it carbonate. The container was sanitized, and I used a new defoamer disk.

As long as there is nothing that will be physically harmful about the beer, I will carry on and see how it turns out. That was my main concern.

Just thought I would mention, the beer I made on my own has been the best beer I've tasted IMO. And I'm not just saying that because I made it myself! In my apartment, I simply don't have a bit of extra space for any other stuff, and the beer machine is pretty easily maintained. Works for me!
jayhawk
Strong Ale
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Posts: 472
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2001 12:05 am
Location: Vancouver, BC, CA

Good brewing to you

Post by jayhawk »

Right on buddy. IMO, screw the breweries and make your beer to your own tastes whichever way you want. I too was sick and tired of paying too much for bad beer and a lot for the good stuff. Now I just make it myself (the good stuff I mean). As long you are making something you can be proud of and you don't have to hide it everytime you have people over, keep on trucking.
Chris
fitz
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2002 8:36 am

Add the yeast

Post by fitz »

Add the yeast and see how it turns out.
For centuries people didn't know yeast was the four ingredient in beer. Whatever yeast that was floating in the air fermented their beer, and they thought it was divine intervention or something. There are some bad wild yeasts out there that may ruin your beer, or bacteria that could surely ruin it. Anyway, just try it and see. The most that can happen would be that it doesn't taste very good, but then you have drank cheap commercial beer before, so you have tried beer that doesn't taste very good.
Good Luck
brvheart
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 5:06 pm

As long as it doesn't make me sick...

Post by brvheart »

Thanks again guys.

I'm finishing out the process. As long as I don't get sick from drinking it, then I'll be happy.

Will the taste be an indication of problems? If it tasted funny, or bad, basically not like it should, then I suppose that would be a good sign not to drink it. But is there a possibility of getting sick from it, and never tasting anything odd?

I'm not a worry wart or anything, I'm sure there are a lot of things we eat that we don't even know we're eating that are not too cool. It's just that a couple of people have mentioned that there might be bad things in there that are making it carbonate, and that it might be "bad". So I am just wanting to find out a little more about potential dangers.

Thanks
fitz
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 442
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2002 8:36 am

Bad to the taste

Post by fitz »

The bads we talk about refer to something that will affect the taste. Like I said before it took centuries for people to figure out that yeast is the fourth ingredient in beer. Wild yeast will make the beer taste yeasty, like bread yeast. It won't hurt you, but you may not like the flavor. If it was bacteria, you probably would get mold growing on it. You said you made sure everything was clean, so its probably airborne yeast.
BillyBock
Imperial Stout
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Location: Ohio

Probably Wild (Airborne) Yeast

Post by BillyBock »

In a homebrewing environment, it's pretty difficult to keep everything sterile. Sanitized is your best chance which kills most of the bugs but there are still some hanging around. Your pitched yeast needs a fighting chance to take hold and outcompete the other microbes for resources. So chances are, if you were good about sanitation it's probably wild yeast that fermented and carbonated your vessel. These exist everywhere just like bacteria.

Chew on this. For centuries people didn't know that it was yeast actually making their beer--and I imagine a good bit of it was wild yeast until natural selection took hold creating the modern brewers' yeast strains. Before modern times, water supplies were breeding grounds for pathogenic organisms, like cholera, etc. It didn't take long for folks to realize...Susie drank the water and is dead, but Johnny drank the beer and lives. Beer was one of the safest things to drink. This is because beer is an inhospitable environment to microbes due to low pH, alcoholic content, and antiseptic qualities from hops. Pathogens can't survive in it. Spoiling organisms (bacteria & wild yeast) can survive if they can outcompete the yeast. That's not gonna kill ya, at most you'll get a stomach ache or gas (probably won't make you the life of the party though). Besides, the Belgians innoculate their wort with bacteria and wild yeast on purpose! And these are some of those most coveted beers on the planet. Oh yea, and then there's the many things we eat that are made from bacteria....yogurt, cheese, etc.

Let your nose be your guide. If it smells horrendous and rank to you, don't drink it.

v/r
Bill
brvheart
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 5:06 pm

you guys are great

Post by brvheart »

I appreciate all of the good info. And also the warm welcome.

It's nice that I've found a place for good information!

Cheers
brvheart
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 5:06 pm

By the way...

Post by brvheart »

The beer's good!
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