Tips for Improving Fermentation Efficiency in a Brewery

Get The Right Equipment

Equipment is essential to successful and easy home brewing. Fermentation equipment varies , but, you should always choose equipment that is sturdy, easy to use, and easy to clean.

When it comes to carboys and home brew barrels, there are a variety of options to suit your needs and budget. For those looking for something more professional grade, you might want to consider conical fermenters, stainless steel fermenters, or wooden barrels. Along with a high-quality fermentation vessel, a good siphon device will reduce your mess and ensure proper transfer of your wort. This will help limit unwanted particulates in the beer, ensuring clarity and clarity.

To watch the temperature of the wort during fermentation, you may want to consider using a thermostat, heating pad, or even a cooling bag. You might even want to consider a wide temperature range keg that allows you to ferment your beer in the cupboard. All these pieces of equipment are important in enhancing and perfecting the fermentation process.

DEGONG fermentation tanks

Precise Temperature Control

Fermentation is a rather complex chemical process involving living organisms which makes it such a delicate process too! Depending on the yeast strain you’re using, you’ll need different fermentation temperatures. In general, all yeasts are fermented at temperatures between 60 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, with larger yeast fermenting best at temperatures between 48 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, cold ferments are stored at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. To complete this stage, you’ll need a dedicated refrigerated space to store your beer, the kegs in which it ferments. Allows you to brew large batches of beer for any home brewer.

Thoroughly Oxygenate The Wort

Rapid cooling of the wort prevents the growth of spoilage-causing contaminants and bacteria. This important step leads to the next critical step.

Add Yeast Nutrients

Providing yeast with the necessary micronutrients is important for their survival, so they may be doing the important work of fermentation. Most stouts contain the macronutrients needed to keep the yeast alive, but adding micronutrients in small amounts will promote healthy fermentation.

Stir Up Yeast

Towards the end of a difficult fermentation, you may need to wake up the yeast to complete the fermentation. If your fermentation is below your target Final Gravity (FG) but seems to have stalled, you can stir the beer with a sanitized cane to reawaken the yeast to complete the fermentation process. The yeast only wakes up once, and if it doesn’t work, it won’t affect the fermentation if it wakes up twice.

Avoid Exposure To Oxygen

If you choose to age your beer for an extended period of time, oxygen will come into contact with the beer and promote aging. Keep beer off the rack unless necessary, straight from primary to keg or bottling barrel. If you do use a jug, don’t splatter the rack as you transfer the beer. Cut the number of times samples are taken for hydrometer readings. When bottling or barreling, move to cut contact time with air. Also, if keg filling, purge the headspace with CO2 after filling the keg.

Carefully Monitor Your Aging

Aging times for beers vary, some big beers will age well for a long time, but many won’t. If you’ve put in enough yeast and fermented well, your beer may mature sooner than you expect. It’s important to take these factors into account because you don’t want to continue to age your beer or let it go bad. If the fermentation process is done , even the largest beers should be ready within a few months.