WY3787 Attenuation

Ingredients
1

Been fermenting a modified “Parting Glass Dubbel” since Saturday afternoon.

I was pretty diligent about checking temp (water bath). I pitched a bit cold (around 62°F), by Sunday morning I was at 65°F.

Between Monday morning and Monday night I experienced some vigorous krausen activity and when I returned home from work I notice my airlock filled with krausen and a bit of blow off through the top of the airlock. At that point I was at ~69°F. By Tuesday my temp had stabilized at 72°F where it has stayed since.

I took a gravity reading tonight and I am at 1.011, down from 1.075. That’s 85% AA.

I haven’t experienced this vigorous or fast a fermentation with 3787 the few other times I’ve used it. Something seems suspect to me.

2

How’s it taste?

3

Not bad. A little heat but not solvent. No bad off flavors jumping out from the sample.

4

I have had 3787 ferment quickly and I have also had it drag out fermentation for 2-3 weeks. Beers turned out well either way.

5

Ferments like freaking gangbusters every time I use it. 85% AA is pretty normal for me too, depending on grist.

6

What do you guys typically ferment at? I was trying to keep it mid 60s for 3-4 days but didn’t get the chance!

7

Pitched at 65F and slowly raised to 70F after a few days.

8

It could happen I suppose.  But my experience has been closer to 76%.  Did you use a lot of simple sugars in the recipe??  That could do it.

9

About 10% Turbinado.

10

Yep, that’ll make a difference.

11

I usually hold it @ 64F for 2-3 days, then ramp up slowly to 75ish. There’s normally some sugar of some sort in the grist, so I usually get similar high attenuation to yours.

12

I was at 62 for about 24 hours. (Saturday afternoon to Sunday night)

Naturally rose to about 65 by about Sunday night.

Around Monday night it had rose to about 69 and there were signs of vigorous fermentation during the day while at work (a bit of blow off through airlock, airlock filled with Krausen).

Tuesday it was up to about 72, where it stayed until last night when I took a gravity reading.

So 1.075 to 1.010 (~85% AA) in 4.5 days.

13

It could be worse - had you been at 69-72F for all of the first 2 days it could’ve been a mess. It may need to age a little longer but I bet it’ll be fine. Does it seem overly phenolic ?

14

I would say it ranged from 60-65 for the first 48-54 hours.

It’s hard to tell with the beer at 72 ish and flat but it doesn’t seem to be overly phenolic. There is definitely some there and a bit of alcohol heat but nothing that makes me say, “There is something very wrong here.”

I confirmed 1.010 again this morning and was going to start chilling it down to around the mid 30s for 3-4 days before I bottle it.

Adding bottling yeast and Turbinado for priming.

15

I think it’ll be good.

16

I think so too.

It just caught me off guard.

I remember the first time I used 3787 (this is the 3rd) I had disastrous results: first AG batch, terrible ferm temp management, etc. You know the deal.

2nd time was lights years ahead of the first. Better ferm temp management but long lag and almost 2 weeks to reach FG. I believe I used 0.75 as a pitch rate  target.

This time I aerated better, pitch a bit more (1 whole smack pack aiming for 1 M/mL/P), and tried to keep the temps under control.

17

Pitch at 63.  After maybe 5-7 days, raise temp to 70 or so.  When it hits FG, I crash at 33.

18

That is what I aimed for Denny but I seemed to have spiked from 65-69 °F over about 24 hrs between Sunday afternoon and Monday night (~28 hours).

No obvious or offensive flavors right now and I’m going to crash tonight.

19

Personally, I would let it hang out at the current temperature for another few days (I would probably go a week) before crashing it.

It may have reached FG, but that doesn’t mean the yeast are finished cleaning up.

20

That’s a good point. I may hold at 72 for a few more days before crashing.