Speidel's Braumeister
Page 19 of 32
Place the Braumeister in the cleaning position
by cranking down the rear support and thus
tilt the Braumeister. Connect the hose to the
waste water system and position the valves as
per the figure on the left. Now you can clean
the Braumeister from the top with a suitable
brush and water and at the same time pump
the waste water (in manual mode) away into
the drain.
12.8 Primary fermentation
After the cooled wort has been decanted into a fermenter, the yeast is added
("pitched") to the wort. Here dry yeast is recommended which is simply added to the
fermenter. This phase is when you decide whether you want to prepare a bottom-
fermented or a top-fermented beer. For the fermentation process, top-fermenting yeast
needs some 15-23°C, whereas bottom-fermenting yeast is active at 4-12°C. So adding
the yeast also depends on the recipe in question and on the type of beer desired. Wheat
beer and Koelsch are top fermenting beer types. Bottom-fermenting types are those
like Maerzen and Pilsener. The alcoholic fermentation of the beer is set in motion by
the activity of the yeast organisms in which the fermentable sugar is converted into
alcohol and carbonic acid. After adding the yeast, the container is immediately closed
with a lid and an airlock. The airlock should be filled with sulphurous acid, so that no
foreign organisms can find their way into the fermenter. Remember here too, that you
should be working in absolutely sterile conditions to avoid contamination of the beer
by foreign organisms. The fermenter should never be entirely closed, so that the CO2
produced during fermentation can escape. Place the fermenter in a dark room which
has the necessary temperature for the yeast. The fermentation of bottom-fermenting
beer can be done in a cooling tank, whilst top-fermenting beer can be allowed to
ferment at room temperature. Maintaining the temperature is particularly important.
Too low a temperature slows down the yeast cells' activity or they are not active at all.
At too high a temperature the yeast cells can die off. The fermentation should be well
under way 12 hours after adding the yeast, which is easy to see by the gas bubbles
escaping from the airlock. The fermentation period takes 7-10 days. During the
fermentation process dark patches of yeast can form on the fermenting froth which can
be scooped off with a sterile ladle. If you remove wort via the outlet valve during the
main fermentation (e.g. for taking measurements with the hydrometer), the valve must
be cleaned immediately and disinfected by applying sulphurous acid with a swab of
cotton wool in order to prevent the wort from drying on and to avoid it becoming
subsequently infected by bacteria clinging to it.
12.9 Maturing
During secondary fermentation or maturing, the sugars remaining from the primary
fermentation or those subsequently added are fermented – the new beer is enriched
with carbonic acid which is important for subsequent formation and maintenance of
the head, and matures to a full-bodied flavour. The beer also clears naturally during
maturing. Once fermentation is coming to an end (no or only limited escape of
fermentation gases), you can prepare for racking. To do this, the following
preparations need to be made: prepare the conditioning vessel or bottles, warm up the
