Newbie Needs Help !!!

[Depthangel]

Hi guys 

firstly let me say I am totally new to the brewing community, I was feed up with standard beers and decided to rise to the challenge of the Home brewer.

now I have just started my first brew which was the Coopers Mexican Cerveca with enhancer 2 it’s now been theee days and still no airlock activity, there is condensation on the lid but no yeast cake ?? On the top or any bubbles it’s around 25 degrees temp any ideas ???

thanks in advance 

[Norris!]

Do you have a hydrometer? If so check the gravity. The airlock doesn't tell whether it is fermenting the only way to know is to check it to see if the original gravity, OG, has dropped.

The temp I brew these kits at are 18c up to 22c, anything above that will leave some off flavours, especially with all the dextrose in the BE2. I would recommend BE3 over the other brew enhancers due to the 50% malt 25% dextrose and 25% maltodextrin mix. The more malt the better body while dextrose thins out the beer but adds alcohol.

You should still get a fair beer, just remember to take notes of this beer and what you added and the temperature you fermented and then build off of it. When I made this same kit the 1st time I thought I was king of the world, with BE2 at 25ish degrees, so dont worry it will be fine.

Let us know if the gravity has dropped.

One more thing, when I make this kit and brew it at 18ish I raise the temp, usually just let it rise to ambient, after the beer is about 75% complete. So if it started at 1.040 and the hydrometer reads 1.020 I let the temp rise to let the yeast clean up. It makes for a cleaner tasting beer.

Norris

 

[Depthangel]

@Norris!

you where spot on mate, went and checked, started at 1038 it’s down to 1020 now so I am giving it until Sunday before I bottle it up. Current brewing temp is now at about 16 degrees 

 

thanks Norris your a beer saver !! 

[Beer Baron]

Don’t be in a rush to bottle. If you bottle too early and fermentation isn’t finished you run the risk of getting bottle bombs. 

I leave my brews for at least 14 days before packaging. 

Others may be able to help with estimated final gravity but remember to use your hydrometer to check gravity is stable and unchanged for consecutive days before bottling. 

Beer Baron

[Depthangel]

1 hour ago, Beer Baron said:

Don’t be in a rush to bottle. If you bottle too early and fermentation isn’t finished you run the risk of getting bottle bombs. 

I leave my brews for at least 14 days before packaging. 

Others may be able to help with estimated final gravity but remember to use your hydrometer to check gravity is stable and unchanged for consecutive days before bottling. 

Beer Baron

Thanks Baron might give it a few more days then, also I have 500ml glass bottles to bottle in how many carbonation drops would you suggest ? 

 

Thanks 

[Norris!]

500ml is a funny size for the carb drops, right in between 1 and 2 drops. 1 should work fine for this beer. Look at bulk priming. You can dial in the carbonation level better or cut the drops in half for 1 1/2...if you cannot be fussed with it 1 will do the job.

I like the cerveza highly carbonated, myself, but adding 2 drops to 500ml glass could lead to bottle bombs, IF you haven't made sure the brew has finished fermenting. Bulk priming is the way try that on your next one if you feel adventurous(it is easy)

Norris

[Scottie]

9 hours ago, Depthangel said:

Thanks Baron might give it a few more days then, also I have 500ml glass bottles to bottle in how many carbonation drops would you suggest ? 

 

Thanks 

Welcome to the forum DA

It is quite unfair for BA to tell a newbie to wait 14 days before bottling, you know to allow fermentation to finish and the yeast to clean up the byproducts of fermentation. Next up he'll be telling you that beer in the bottle hits its peak after 3 months of conditioning so you should wait till then. You're probably going to die of anticipation if you listen .

You are going to have to build up some stocks before you are able to bottle and store to these ideal/optimum targets.

The Coopers yeast smashes through the sugars in the kits and i bottled my first brew after 10 days. I sampled my first home brew after 14 days in the bottle and for a number of reasons, mostly psychological, it was the best beer I had ever tasted. 

I brewed flat out for 12 months, bought a second Coopers DIY Fermenter, and was able to hit optimum bottling targets after 2 months of brewing. 

 

The Beers are Great

Scottie

Valley Brew

[Depthangel]

14 hours ago, Norris! said:

Do you have a hydrometer? If so check the gravity. The airlock doesn't tell whether it is fermenting the only way to know is to check it to see if the original gravity, OG, has dropped.

The temp I brew these kits at are 18c up to 22c, anything above that will leave some off flavours, especially with all the dextrose in the BE2. I would recommend BE3 over the other brew enhancers due to the 50% malt 25% dextrose and 25% maltodextrin mix. The more malt the better body while dextrose thins out the beer but adds alcohol.

You should still get a fair beer, just remember to take notes of this beer and what you added and the temperature you fermented and then build off of it. When I made this same kit the 1st time I thought I was king of the world, with BE2 at 25ish degrees, so dont worry it will be fine.

Let us know if the gravity has dropped.

One more thing, when I make this kit and brew it at 18ish I raise the temp, usually just let it rise to ambient, after the beer is about 75% complete. So if it started at 1.040 and the hydrometer reads 1.020 I let the temp rise to let the yeast clean up. It makes for a cleaner tasting beer.

Norris

 

@Norris!

@Scottie

@Beer Baron

thanks for all the help gentlemen but here’s one for you, what OG am I looking at then over two to three consecutive days for the final brew then ? Before I bottle it,

i am going to air on the side of caution and use either one tablet or make a solution that fits to the bottle size and do that 

 

thanks again 

[Gullys Brewing]

I'll pop in and say, yes you are looking for a stable reading over 2-3 days. 

not much more I can add

[Otto Von Blotto]

FG would probably be around 1.010-1.012 with that recipe. It is better to leave it a few days after it stabilises, especially with the high fermentation temp, but I can also understand being the first brew you want to get it bottled as soon as possible. A compromise here might be to get your stable readings over 3 days (don't take 3 samples, just take a sample then another one 2 days later), then leave it another 1-2 days then bottle it. 

[Depthangel]

@Otto Von Blotto

@Norris!

@Beerbaron

well it’s hit the 1010 mark for 3 days in a row so tommorrow night will be the bottoming night and I am aiming for 1 tablet in to a 500ml bottle ! Fingers crossed !

[Beer Baron]

Good luck!!

[Hoppy81]

22 minutes ago, Depthangel said:

tommorrow night will be the bottoming night and I am aiming for 1 tablet in to a 500ml bottle ! Fingers crossed !

Sounds kinky 

[Graculus]

48 minutes ago, Depthangel said:

@Otto Von Blotto

@Norris!

@Beerbaron

well it’s hit the 1010 mark for 3 days in a row so tommorrow night will be the bottoming night and I am aiming for 1 tablet in to a 500ml bottle ! Fingers crossed !

One tablet is really OK for a 330-350 ml bottle.

I personally don't think that one will give you a good result. Especially as it's  your first brew and you'll be wanting to try one.
And it's a lager. I really think you'll be disappointed with the carbonation with one drop.
Ideally you need 1.5 tablets, but if that were me I'd be adding two. Then learning about bulk priming for the next brew.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Good luck. I probably wouldn't add two drops, one is about 3 grams so you'd be priming at 12g/L which is pretty high. 6g/L isn't really that low, so while they won't be as fizzy as they would if you were using 1 drop in stubbies or two drops in a tallie, at least you won't be risking bottle bombs. 

[Beer Baron]

Just cut the drops in half. I tried it once before and it went surprisingly well

[Malter White]

On 7/27/2018 at 8:37 PM, Beer Baron said:

Don’t be in a rush to bottle. If you bottle too early and fermentation isn’t finished you run the risk of getting bottle bombs. 

I leave my brews for at least 14 days before packaging. 

Others may be able to help with estimated final gravity but remember to use your hydrometer to check gravity is stable and unchanged for consecutive days before bottling. 

Beer Baron

Hi BB,
I've only been brewing since Christmas with Coopers kits. I've been achieving FG within 7 days except on one occasion when it took 8 days.
Are you saying it's not imperative to bottle immediately once FG is reached? It's actually safe to leave the wort sitting idle for a few days even though fermentation has finished?

 

[Beer Baron]

8 minutes ago, Muzz1525230212 said:

Hi BB,
I've only been brewing since Christmas with Coopers kits. I've been achieving FG within 7 days except on one occasion when it took 8 days.
Are you saying it's not imperative to bottle immediately once FG is reached? It's actually safe to leave the wort sitting idle for a few days even though fermentation has finished?

 

In my opinion I think it’s a better idea to leave it longer and it is safe. I leave all of my beers in the fermenter for a minimum of 14 days. Leaving the beer longer will give the yeast extra time to clean up after itself. 

BB

[Malter White]

Thanks BB.
I've been bottling all my brews as soon as they reached FG, which has sometimes been inconvenient because I've been busy with other things. I'd get myself in a slight fluster thinking I have to get up early and bottle before going to work etc. This is a relief to know I can bottle at my leisure and not the wort's.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yep, it is better to leave it a few days after FG. You don't get any benefit from leaving it longer than that though, unless a cold crash is done after that few days. In the event of it reaching FG in 7 days or less, you can either bottle it cold crash it after 10-11 days. 

Mine usually reach FG in 5-6 days so I start dropping the temp down after 8-9 days and keg it a week later. 

Cheers

Kelsey

[Malter White]

Cold crash is too technical for this L plater at this stage but I'm watching and reading far too much info on home brewing that's it's probably only a matter of time before I succumb completely.

[Depthangel]

Well I found carbonation drops that work on 500ml bottles are attached piccies 

[Otto Von Blotto]

12 hours ago, Muzz1525230212 said:

Cold crash is too technical for this L plater at this stage but I'm watching and reading far too much info on home brewing that's it's probably only a matter of time before I succumb completely.

Mate if putting a fermenter in a fridge is too technical, you have no hope just kidding, it's a nice thing to be able to do but it's not absolutely necessary. 

Nice find on the carb drops. Two per bottle should do the trick nicely.

[Malter White]

10 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Mate if putting a fermenter in a fridge is too technical, you have no hope just kidding, it's a nice thing to be able to do but it's not absolutely necessary. 

Did I say too technical? What I meant is "I'm too lazy". 

[Depthangel]

It’s done all bottled and packed away now 41 500ml bottles I got in the end very happy