Day 1
Here we see the now
actively brewing beer about 24 hours later.
Note the frothy head that
comes with vigorous activity by the yeast. You can watch the yeast being borne
up from the bottom by the carbon dioxide they make. This leads to an active
stirring of the brewing wort that requires no input from you.
Also note the icky brown
stuff on the wall of the carboy. This is trubb. Most will blow off through the
tubing you put on the cap, but some will stick to the carboy. Don’t worry about
it
The rapidly active yeast
and the large amount of froth is why you don’t fill the carboy all the way. If
you do, you can cause a siphon to occur and a lot of your beer will go down the
drain, and nobody wants that.
Note also the moisture in
the airlock.
The end result of
fermentation is carbon dioxide, ethyl alcohol, and water.
Note that the wort has
taken on a soupy appearance. This is because the yeast are replicating and
there is now about a double handful of yeast that has grown from that tiny bit
you pitched in just yesterday.
The yeast will eventually
settle out when the food runs out or the alcohol levels get to high. The beer
will become quite clear if it has not become infected due to poor hygiene when
you made the wort.
If your beer doesn’t start
to brew within 72 hours of pitching the yeast, you may have a bad batch of
yeast. Try pitching a second time. It is always a good idea to have backup
packets of yeast just for that purpose. Try to get a strain of yeast bred
specifically for beer. Distiller’s yeast may give you a higher end alcohol
content, but it may not taste as good.
Main Menu
©
2004 BOB-Oracle.com