By Chris Jennings
For the Oregon Beer Growler
During our homebrewing adventures, we encounter a vast new vocabulary that can seem like a foreign language to the average person. Being a homebrewer, however, means that we have an entirely new range of terms at our disposal. Often, a process or reaction that would’ve taken 10 words to describe can be summed up much more succinctly once you’re familiar with the jargon. One example of a new term you’ve likely stumbled across is attenuation. This describes the percentage of sugar the yeast will consume. Every yeast strain is different and many factors can affect how well the yeast performs.
Temperature
Temperature is always very important to pay attention to during fermentation. As with each brew, every yeast has an optimal temperature range. Most strains perform best somewhere in the range of 65-72 degrees. There are, of course, exceptions. Belgians typically are at the warmer end of the spectrum whereas lagers need to be kept colder.
Temperature control is probably the most difficult challenge for brewers of every level. You can purchase fancy equipment to help with that, but if you don’t have those kinds of resources simply start by taking the air temperature of the room you plan to use for fermentation. Yeast will produce heat when it ferments, so as long as the room is about 5 degrees cooler than your ideal fermentation temperature, you will be on the right track. Whatever strain you’re using, make sure you’ve researched what temperature will provide an environment allowing it to perform at its best.
It’s in the Strain
All yeast strains have a temperature preference, but they also can be picky about the pH of the brew along with potential alcohol content. Be sure to do your homework on the beer style you plan to make. That will point you in the direction of the yeast strain you’ll want to use. There’s no need to rush out and purchase a pH meter or test strips. Instead, remember that darker beers are more acidic, so you want a strain that fits better with your grain bill.
Another factor to consider is gravity. If your starting gravity is too high, the yeast will have a hard time getting to work. It also may not ferment all of the potential sugars. Once again, research the individual strain to make sure, for example, the imperial wit you’re trying to produce will actually ferment completely. Most every yeast strain will indicate what style of beer it fits with by its name alone. However, some types of yeast can perform outside of the normal style guidelines.
Experimentation can be an exciting way to find these anomalies, but thorough research will help ensure that your finished product turns into the tasty homebrew you were shooting for.
Homebrew Recipes:
Ale Gating [AG]
Ale Gating [Extract]
For the Oregon Beer Growler
During our homebrewing adventures, we encounter a vast new vocabulary that can seem like a foreign language to the average person. Being a homebrewer, however, means that we have an entirely new range of terms at our disposal. Often, a process or reaction that would’ve taken 10 words to describe can be summed up much more succinctly once you’re familiar with the jargon. One example of a new term you’ve likely stumbled across is attenuation. This describes the percentage of sugar the yeast will consume. Every yeast strain is different and many factors can affect how well the yeast performs.
Temperature
Temperature is always very important to pay attention to during fermentation. As with each brew, every yeast has an optimal temperature range. Most strains perform best somewhere in the range of 65-72 degrees. There are, of course, exceptions. Belgians typically are at the warmer end of the spectrum whereas lagers need to be kept colder.
Temperature control is probably the most difficult challenge for brewers of every level. You can purchase fancy equipment to help with that, but if you don’t have those kinds of resources simply start by taking the air temperature of the room you plan to use for fermentation. Yeast will produce heat when it ferments, so as long as the room is about 5 degrees cooler than your ideal fermentation temperature, you will be on the right track. Whatever strain you’re using, make sure you’ve researched what temperature will provide an environment allowing it to perform at its best.
It’s in the Strain
All yeast strains have a temperature preference, but they also can be picky about the pH of the brew along with potential alcohol content. Be sure to do your homework on the beer style you plan to make. That will point you in the direction of the yeast strain you’ll want to use. There’s no need to rush out and purchase a pH meter or test strips. Instead, remember that darker beers are more acidic, so you want a strain that fits better with your grain bill.
Another factor to consider is gravity. If your starting gravity is too high, the yeast will have a hard time getting to work. It also may not ferment all of the potential sugars. Once again, research the individual strain to make sure, for example, the imperial wit you’re trying to produce will actually ferment completely. Most every yeast strain will indicate what style of beer it fits with by its name alone. However, some types of yeast can perform outside of the normal style guidelines.
Experimentation can be an exciting way to find these anomalies, but thorough research will help ensure that your finished product turns into the tasty homebrew you were shooting for.
Homebrew Recipes:
Ale Gating [AG]
Ale Gating [Extract]
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