BeerTools Discussion Forum

I finally bottled my Wee Heavy! If you check my earlier messages in this forum you'll see that I brewed this beer back in October. I started fermenting this beer with a starting gravity of 1.074 @ 65F and bottled it today at 1.016 @ 68%. I gave it a taste: It is very malty, almost to a fault. One mi...

Still haven't hit the gravity that I want for my finished product. Some of these big beers ferment for a long time, I guess I made one. The Laaglander extract I used is notorious for being tough to ferment. I guess that is the reason for the slow ferment. Still smells great bubbling out of the airlo...

If I watch this beer for a few minutes I can see a buble or 2 float to the surface. It is fermenting very slowly, which meets style parameters. I think I'll start brewing next year's winter warmer around May because this one I started in October won't be ready 'til Spring. Maybe I'll just let it sit...

Update

This beer is still fermenting.
Thin layer of largish bubbles remaining on top of beer.

I surfed the web a bit and found this site.

http://realbeer.com/spencer/FAQ/stuck-fermentation.html

If yeast energizer and a gentle rousing of the yeast dosen't get this going I am going to have to pitch more yeast.

See what happens

Checked the gravity on this Wee Heavy today.
1.042
It seems like it hasn't fermented at all since I racked it to secondary.

I am going to add some yeast energizer and give it a gentle stir.

Looks like it won't be ready for Christmas

I think this beer is just about ready.

I can see no signs of fermentation, not even little islands of bubbles on top of the completely still beer in the fermenter.

I am going to add the oak chips and let them sit for a while.

My worst heartbreak over a batch of beer was the Kiwi/Wheat I worked so very hard on.

It was perfect until the day I opened the first bottle. . .


It was all foam, and all over the floor.
My first gusher infection, and my last fruit beer.

I haven't been brave enough to try one since.

So I may have a touch of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I have told myself to ignore this beer for a while, but I looked at it today. It has little "islands" of bubbles scattered about the surface. There is also a fine layer of yeast settling in the ridges of my carboy. I have one of those...

I read an article about high gravity beers in BYO this month that use a second pitch of yeast. I have several posts on Beertools forum about this Scotch ale I am dealing with. I am considering pitching another dose of yeast. If I do this, I am going to make a sizable starter batch (2 or 3 quarts of ...

Changes from warm to cold to warm to cold can't be good for your beer. I am struggling with the same problem with my kegged beer. The first glass is 3/4 foam, then if I pour another glass within the next 5 minutes or so it is fine. The key is having a balenced system. I have found some websites abou...

That's the equipment you need to start. You might be able to find it cheaper if you dug around some, but if you are comfortable with the price, the keg, lines, and tank will get you going. Make sure that you get a regulator for the CO2 tank. All you need to do after that is a drill and some spare ti...

I've got a fair system at my house. I can fit 4 corny kegs in the fridge and dispense from 2 of them. The key is: how much money do you want to spend, how much are you willing to spend, and how much work do you want to do???? There are turnkey systems out there that cost big $$$. I have built mine o...

Well, I racked it into secondary tonight. I smelled and tasted it and it is very yeasty and still very much a green beer. I also tasted malty sweetness and the roasted flavor I was wanting. At this point no hop bitterness is evident. I hope that when the alcohol level goes up the sweetness will go d...

This is my first effort at a "Wee Heavy". The krausen usually falls for my other ales after 4-7 days, then I rack. That's with WYeast 1056. For this "Wee Heavy" I used White Labs Edienburgh yeast. I smelled the airlock this morning and it still smells yeasty. The krausen on top i...