General homebrew discussion, tips and help on kit and malt extract brewing, and talk about equipment. Queries on sourcing supplies and equipment should go in The Store.
Hi everyone.
I was just wondering if one of you learned people could explain the difference between "top" and "bottom" fermenting.
Am I right in assuming that one is lagers and the other ales?
Cheers
Tommy
Basically Ales use a top fermenting yeast and lager use a bottom fermenting yeast. One ferments from the top of your fermenter the other from the bottom. When the yeasts have finished their fermentation they drop to the bottom of your fermenter.
its also to do with the oxygen requirements as well (i think) - ales are top fermenting cause they need more oxygen to live than their lager counterparts
Does this mean if you rack your brew before fermentation finishes, that you'll be racking away from a lot of good lager yeast fermenting on the bottom just above/in the dregs?
Thanks for the quick replies.
Now another question:
When pitching the yeast would you tend to stir it in for lagers but sprinkle or pour it on the top for ales?
Thanks
Tommy
sanka32 wrote:Does this mean if you rack your brew before fermentation finishes, that you'll be racking away from a lot of good lager yeast fermenting on the bottom just above/in the dregs?
Sanka,
I think the yeast would also still be in suspension throughout the whole fermenter. Of course most of it will be at the bottom if it's lager yeast, but it would be near impossible to rack your beer and not get ANY yeast into the secondary. As long as you've got some live yeast and something for them to eat, the yeast will take care of the rest.
If you're way too paranoid, a solution might be to just dip the racking cane below the yeast slurry for a moment to ensure some yeast gets sucked up, but I wouldn't worry about it.
