I have a beer question (Todd, I know you read this from time to time…): I made two batches of beer last Friday evening. Both have insane levels of fermentable sugars (1.08 and 1.05 specific gravity). I cooled them each to 80 degrees before filtering and pitching the yeast. The yeasts were highly active when I pitched them (smack packs from Wyeast, nicely swollen). Both are ale yeasts. The two buckets are sitting right next to each other.
The imperial stout bubbled madly through the airlock from about 12 hours after pitching. The barley wine has never been observed to produce a bubble.
When I visually inspect the barley wine, there is foam on the surface, and a smell of alcohol, but no matter how many times I reseal the bucket lid and reseat the airlock, it doesn’t bubble. My thought is that my lid for that bucket is getting old / deformed and it’s time to get a new bucket.
My plan is to sterilize the hydrometer and check whether the yeast have taken any of the sugars out of solution. If fermentation is proceeding, then I’ll get a new bucket and this can be the last batch for the old one. If fermentation is *not* proceeding, then it’s off to the brewing supply store to get another pack of yeast. How’s that for a plan?
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