Well, we waited for 10 days which is about average for the bubbles to stop or slow in the airlock. It is time to check the specific gravity on the beer. It was where it needed to be! We moved from 1.054 to 1.012 exactly what it was supposed to do. Now there is a big nasty formula that will let you calculate the alcohol content but it is around 5% or so. Now we just need to move it over to the secondary fermenter to sit for another week or so. What it does in the secondary ferment is to clear. All of the particles that have been swirling around in the beer during its initial ferment will now settle to the bottom of the carboy. Leaving behind the beautiful amber liquid that we all know and love... Next stop will be the keg where we have to at least pretend to be patient enough to let it carbonate for two to three weeks.
Here is what the process looks like my handsome hubby was kind enough to take care of the syphon hose while I took pictures. Here we are draining it directly from the primary to the secondary. It starts off in a 6 gallon carboy allowing for air and movement for the fermentation process. Then we move it into a 5 gallon carboy where it does not allow for any room for air. It will ferment a little more but not noticeably. Its job here is to simply clarify.
What is left in the bottom of the primary fermenter is called the yeast cake, it is the yeast and other sediments from grains, as well as in this case pumpkin left in the whort during the brewing process.
No comments:
Post a Comment