Part Two: Gross Residue

Beer Fermenting with Fermentation Hose (Photo by Alex Rich)

by: Alex Rich

When the fermentation process begins, there will be a gross, sickly looking residue of the hops, or, to use the not-so-technical term: "blow off."

There are three ways to deal with this (although it's not really a huge problem, it could lead to more residue in your bottles and a chalky taste at the end of your swig).

The first option is the one pictured above, using a fermentation hose. Although this will not get rid of all the blow-off, it is a better way to get rid of those hops particles that will eventually turn into sediment in the bottom of your bottle.

The second option is to do a two-stage fermentation. The above picture is of a single-stage fermentation in a glass carboy, and all of those particles in the top will settle at the bottom of your carboy when as fermentation completes. Two-stage fermentation means you would ferment the beer in a bucket for the initial few days, when "blow off" is at it's height, and then transfer the beer to a carboy for the final stage of fermentation, filtering out most of the nasty bits.

The third and final option is to simply do both. When the beer is in the initial stage of fermentation, attach the fermentation hose to get rid of some of the nasty bits, and then transfer into the carboy and remove the hose. Very simple and will lead to a better tasting finished product.