Fermentation
Forced Fermentation Test
To Determine Correct Final Gravity
To perform the forced fermentation test:
- Pull a sample of your wort, being extra careful with your sanitation (the amount isn’t critical, just get enough to measure) and place it in a sterile container.
- Inoculate your sample with a very high cell count of yeast.
- Place the container on a or rouse the yeast often by shaking.
- Keep the container warm until fermentation has ceased.
- After 36-48 hours, measure the terminal gravity of the wort.
Once the terminal gravity has been measured, you now know the practical limit of your fermentation for this wort with this yeast. ie. you should know where your fermentation should finish. If your main fermentation does not ferment as far as the forced fermentation test, you know the problem is in your fermenter (either pitch rate, temperature, oxygenation, yeast health, etc.) If both your main fermentation and your forced fermentation test finish out of the published range (either too high or too low), you can pinpoint the problem to the brewing procedures (either mash temperature, times, crush, ingredients etc.).
Pressure Fermentation
Pressure fermenting lager, learned in Europe. Add pressure increase temp. CBB 378 - Great Lakes brewing
- 55 degrees no pressure
- 1/2 bar pressure increase 5 degrees
- 0.8 bar go to 65 degrees
- Fermentation takes about 6 days