Cellar — Fermentation Cycle Overview¶
FUERST WIACEK Reference guide | Cellar — all fermentation tanks
This page maps when each cellar SOP is triggered across a typical fermentation cycle. It is not an SOP — refer to the linked documents for the full procedure at each stage.
Fermentation Cycle Timeline¶
Fermentation Cycle Map¶
| Stage | Trigger | SOP |
|---|---|---|
| Wort knockout | Brew is ready for transfer to fermentation tank | Wort Knockout |
| Fermentation recipe | Started in Botec during knockout | Fermentation Management |
| Trub dump | 8–12 hours after knockout | Cone Dumping |
| Daily monitoring | Once daily throughout fermentation — including after fermentation is complete. Continue monitoring pressure, spund, and temperature until packaging. | Fermentation Monitoring |
| VDK check | When gravity appears to be approaching or at terminal — does not require two consecutive identical readings. Perform when you think the beer is done. | VDK Check |
| Crash / soft crash | VDK pass confirmed, FG confirmed, no off flavours. Hoppy beers receive a soft crash. Set the Botec recipe manually to the soft crash step and mark in the fermentation spreadsheet. | — |
| Yeast dump | During or after crash | Cone Dumping |
| Dry hopping | 2 days at 12°C + VDK pass confirmed. Standard timing: Thursday. Set Botec recipe to Dry Hop step and mark in fermentation spreadsheet. | Dry Hopping |
| 1st hop dump | 4 days after dry hop addition (standard). If dry hop on Thursday → dump Monday. | Cone Dumping |
| 2nd hop dump | 2 days after 1st dump — only for additions of 50 kg or more. If 1st dump Monday → 2nd dump Wednesday. Check recipe. | Cone Dumping |
| CO₂ check & adjustment | After blow-off the next day post-dry hop, and before packaging. | Haffmans SOP / Carbonation |
| Carbonation | After CO₂ reading is taken and beer is below target, or as part of conditioning. | Carbonation |
| Set head pressure | Once CO₂ is in spec, reduce head pressure to 0.5–0.6 bar via CIP arm. | — |
| Ready for Filling | Friday or last working day before packaging. Advance Botec fermentation recipe to Ready for Filling. | Fermentation Management |
| Packaging | Beer at target temperature and condition | See Packaging SOPs |
| Tank CIP | After tank is emptied — set recipe to Wait For CIP, then CIP In Process, then finish recipe. | Fermentation Tank CIP / Fermentation Management |
Supporting Procedures¶
These run in parallel with the cycle above and are not stage-specific.
| Procedure | When | SOP |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical baths | Maintained throughout any production day | Chemical Baths |
| Anton Paar cleaning | After every monitoring session | Anton Paar DMA 35 Maintenance |
| Anton Paar calibration | When readings are inconsistent, or after a knock | Anton Paar DMA 35 Maintenance |
| pH meter storage | After every use | Hanna HALO2 Maintenance |
| pH meter calibration | When readings appear off, or after electrode cleaning | Hanna HALO2 Maintenance |
| Yeast harvest | When tank is scheduled for harvest before dry hop or crash | Yeast Brink CIP / Yeast Harvest |
| Cellar Piping CIP | Before tank-to-tank product transfers (clean lines for the transfer); ad-hoc when cellar lines need extra cleaning | Botec recipe CIP Piping Cellar in 003 → CIP — auto, ~90 min, uses CIP Tank 2. SOP TBD — see Botec Navigation. |
Key Decision Points¶
Daily monitoring after fermentation ends Once fermentation appears complete, continue logging pressure, spund, and temperature daily until the beer is packaged.
When to do the VDK check When you think the beer is done — gravity is approaching or appears to be at terminal. You do not need two consecutive identical readings first. If VDK passes but gravity is still moving, do not crash.
VDK fail Do not advance. Check fermentation temperature. Repeat the following day. Both evaluators must agree on a pass before proceeding.