Milestone Crusader by accident

[fivetide]

It looks like I accidentally created Milestone Crusaderlast night after I came home from the pub!





Good signs that I've noticed so far...
- Everything is magically washed up and soaking in Iodophor solution
- It's all carefully positioned in a warm room and fermenting well already!

Blimey. Subconcious brewing!

[booldawg]

Its like a brewing version of 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'

[fivetide]

Latest on this.

My procedure was okay, as far as I can tell, with the small exceptions that I didn't use Campden or Yeast-Vit.

Anyone else fermented Crusader in a clear bucket? It was sulphury and very cloudy and yellow until today when the smell dissipated and it began clearing from the top, but it looks very different to other beers I've made up and I just wanted to confirm that was purely down to style (Belgian Blonde).

Anyway, it's early days and it is 1018. Didn't get an OG unsurprisingly! It's still bubbling a little so I won't rouse or anything just yet.

[fivetide]

Cheers DaaB. As you know I normally like to document these kits well for reference and just waking up with a big bucket of cloudy fermenting beer is less satisfying (but quite convenient in the long run maybe!)

[fivetide]

Mysteriously still at 1017 today, so I have given it a good rousing, added half a teaspoon of Yeast-Vit and upped the central heating a little.

Shame really because it had taken ages to drop clearer and is now the colour of a sandy river once more!



No idea what the OG of this Crusader is supposed to be though.

[fivetide]

At 1015 now so I think this can go into secondary for a week when I get a chance, maybe Tuesday. I'm thinking of leaving this without any dry hops - Belgian pales aren't particularly hoppy so I thought it might be best not to mess with it. Smells and tastes good from the few drips I've tried anyway.

DaaB - I understand you wrote the instructions for this kit, so do you have any idea what the OG should have been by any chance? Thanks.

[JohnJeye]

Both my Milestones I've done so far have dropped down to around 1010. Lions pride went down to around 1010~1009 and the Black Pearl went down to 1012. The latter spent alot longer in the fermenter but with it being a stout I'm told 1012 is a nice spot for them to end at.

[fivetide]

Thanks for the info. Roused for the last time and given it another 1/2 tsp Yeast-Vit. Gone yellow again - it's a mad colour brew.

[JohnJeye]

Umm as a point to raise as well I'm definatly certain I took my Black Pearl out to early. It stuck at around 1020 but after adding another starter it happly started chugging away again. It was at 1012 for 24 hours but obviously hadn't stopped fermenting.

I had only added half the amount of primers as I suspected it would be a problem. Basicly I was getting worried that it had been in the fermentor to long and would spoil. Anyway, I noticed a leak out of the lower seal and suspected high pressure so had been releasing the cap abit to let some pressure out before resealing. Anyway I got home today and it had blown the cap to pieces ! Fortunatly its not a quality piece of equipment and spillage was about 1/4 pint from foam overflowing. Could have been alot worse. Just something to think about though !


2 questions though for the experienced among us:


How long can a beer be in a fermentor without spoiling ? Mine needed a couple more days it seems but my inexperience kicked in and I barreled it to early.

How will the lid coming off effect my beer ? As the void in the top of the barrel was filled with froth and I had only been out of the house for 4 hours I just put another cap on from my 2nd barrel. I'm thinking (make that hoping) it will have had little or no effect

[fivetide]

Do you have bottled gas or sparklets so that you can fill, vent and purge the void with CO2? If so I'd do that personally, but more advice will be along soon I'm sure.

[JohnJeye]

Ahh good idea, I have bottled CO2 I could insert but the beer should be producing its own for a wee while yet. Only put it in the cellar yesterday evening. Guess I could unscrew the cap slightly maybe once a day to let some gas out and thin the oxygen in there. The beer is carbonated well and when it comes to pouring I can always add Co2 into the barrel

[fivetide]

What I meant really was to blast in CO2, wait a short while and vent, then repeat a couple of times to purge the oxygen in the top fully. Once you're done you can vent the excess gas with the pressure release and allow the natural build up once more knowing the oxygen has been squeezed out. I would leave the cap on after that as if nothing happened and allow conditioning to continue as normal.

[JohnJeye]

Will put that plan into action tonight. As a side note I took the remains of the cap back to my HBS. She tested the valve and it was faulty. Wasn't letting gas in or venting pressure out. Replaced for a more sturdy working version.

I'm going to try and test my second valve cap tonight then. Abit worried though as it seems the only way to test it is to over fill a barrel with gas and if it vents the pressure it works and if it doesn't then its broken. Think I might take it into the shop for her to test !

[PMH0810]

How long can a beer be in a fermentor without spoiling ? Mine needed a couple more days it seems but my inexperience kicked in and I barreled it to early.

I have raised this question a couple of times too with no real answer. I am now working on the assumption that if it tastes fine and smells okay, it's still beer not vinegar. Would still be nice to have a rough "panic point" though.

[fivetide]

Some people argue that taste can be affected if you leave a brew on the yeast cake in primary for more than four weeks. Something to do with autolysis I believe. Others have left in primary even longer and experienced no problems. But up to three weeks is a regular occurence with no ill effects at all. Generally patience (although not downright neglect) seems to be rewarded not punished.