Fermentation 101Updated 4 days ago

Fermentation is where the magic happens in brewing, where sweet wort becomes beer. Your Smart Keg, fermentation is automatically controlled and monitored to give you consistent, high-quality results with less guesswork.

What Is Fermentation?

Fermentation is the process where yeast consumes sugars in the wort and produces alcohol, carbon dioxide, and flavor compounds. This step defines your beer’s alcohol content, body, and aroma.

Exobrew simplifies fermentation by utilizing sensors and intelligent temperature control to manage this crucial phase for you.

Key Stages of Fermentation

1. Primary Phase (First 12–24 hours)
   Yeast adapts to its environment. You won’t see much activity yet.

2. Secondary Fermentation (Days 2–5)
   Yeast consumes sugars rapidly. Expect bubbling, pressure build-up, and heat generation.

3. Conditioning (Days 6–10+)
   Yeast slows down and begins to clean up byproducts, such as diacetyl and acetaldehyde.

4. Cold Crash (Optional, 2–3 days)
   The beer is cooled to a temperature of near 35–40°Fut, thereby (2–4°C) to help solids settle and improve clarity.

Key Factors That Influence Fermentation

Temperature

• Ale yeasts prefer 64–72°F (18–22°C)

• Lager yeasts perform better at 45–55°F (7–13°C)
  Exobrew maintains the ideal temperature automatically, based on the recipe and yeast type.

Yeast Health

Pitching a fresh, viable yeast strain is essential. Exobrew guides you when to pitch yeast for optimal timing—never pitch into hot wort.

Cleanliness

Sanitation is critical. Please make sure your Smart Keg, lid, and connectors are clean before fermentation begins to prevent contamination.

Dryhopping

Dry-hopping refers to the addition of hops after the wort has been cooled and fermentation has begun. Dry-hop additions typically happen during the primary or secondary fermentation. The dry hops can be added directly into the keg or added by filling a dry-hop bag or basket with the hops and connecting it to the keg lid.  

For every 0.3 oz (10g) of hops, a trub removal step needs to be integrated into the recipe to ensure all of it is removed before tapping a beer. A maximum amount of 2.1 oz (60g) is allowed for dry hopping.

Pressure

The Smart Keg is a closed, pressurized system. This not only helps with carbonation but also reduces the risk of oxidation and contamination.

What Makes Fermentation with Exobrew Unique?

• Automatic Temp Control: No need for a fermentation chamber or fridge.

• Smart Notifications: You’ll receive alerts for key steps, such as yeast pitching or trub removal.

• Built-In Pressure Management: Maintains pressure to aid in flavor preservation and natural carbonation.

• Precise Progress Tracking: Monitor fermentation in the app with graphs and estimated completion time.