My First Brew

[Goldcoast Crow]

Hey all, finally got myself a brew kit and cracked in last night, just a few questions,

all the yeast seems to have settled and slowly I am getting floaties around the top, is this ok?

my temp strip is showing 22-26c illuminated... will this still work or is it too high?

will leaving it exposed to air temp under the house (min 18c overnight) change the fermentation process?

im super stoked but as green as a cucumber at this gig 

cheers from the Goldie 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Goldcoast Crow
Misspellings

[UncleStavvy]

Haven't brewed for more than 20 years. Brewed the kit lager with BE2 and put the yeast in at 26c. Had it in a fridge and it was mid to high 20's outside so turned the fridge on until 22c. Been in bottles not even 2 weeks yet and tried one for science tonight. Crystal clear, nice and malty with a slight bitterness....I'm more than pleased with it for a first go.

Take a sample and test with the hydrometer. Smell and taste the sample too, put it in the fridge and cool it too to taste it.

You can let it be for7-8 days till FG settled around 1.011. This should allow for your varying ambient air temp. Seriously....get an old fridge, makes life so much easier

[Malter White]

3 hours ago, Goldcoast Crow said:

Hey all, finally got myself a brew kit and cracked in last night, just a few questions,

all the yeast seems to have settled and slowly I am getting floaties around the top, is this ok?

my temp strip is showing 22-26c illuminated... will this still work or is it too high?

will leaving it exposed to air temp under the house (min 18c overnight) change the fermentation process?

im super stoked but as green as a cucumber at this gig 

cheers from the Goldie 

Sounds like it's going along as it should. If you can keep it steady at 18C that would be ideal but 22-26 is ok. You'll still get a decent beer.

[Marty_G]

7 hours ago, UncleStavvy said:

Haven't brewed for more than 20 years. Brewed the kit lager with BE2 and put the yeast in at 26c. Had it in a fridge and it was mid to high 20's outside so turned the fridge on until 22c. Been in bottles not even 2 weeks yet and tried one for science tonight. Crystal clear, nice and malty with a slight bitterness....I'm more than pleased with it for a first go.

Take a sample and test with the hydrometer. Smell and taste the sample too, put it in the fridge and cool it too to taste it.

You can let it be for7-8 days till FG settled around 1.011. This should allow for your varying ambient air temp. Seriously....get an old fridge, makes life so much easier

@Goldcoast Crow UncleStavvy is right on the money here.  the 1st in a long line of way to improve the beer is try to get the temp as stable as possible. Which is not too hard in SEQ right now. Find a dark cool place under the house and just leave it there until it is ready to bottle. Which will be 10ish days. 

[Thecko]

Hi Guys first time here and first time at brewing really excited and nervous as well don’t want to stuff the first batch of course. Just got the Coopers DIY kit With the Coopers lager but a bit concerned with the temperature here in Melbourne dropping to low teens over the last couple of days. I note some of the comments suggest lager can ferment in cooler temps, I’m planning to do the process in the laundry where this time of year temp inside the house can drop to 15 overnight, during the day it should heat to b/t 18-20 inside. This fluctuation shouldn’t cause any issues should it? I also thought about throwing either a space blanket or sleeping bag around it at night to keep temp moderate is this recommend? Any help or advice would be great thx brewers!

[Goldcoast Crow]

All really promising responses, thanks heaps for the positive vote of confidence, it’s just the bewitched amber ale that comes with the pack as a first up crack, but I’m keen to get a pale ale after this first one and just get the process and set up right.... just one more thing(for now) how do you guys feel about the pet bottles, as generally it’s glass or cans that I’ve consumed from previously 

[Smashed Crabs]

Hey @Goldcoast Crow the PET actually do a pretty good job and don't turn into grenades if you over prime. Take it since your brewing the Bewitched Ale you are using the 10L craft kit ? not a bad little FV lets you experiment a bit as you progress with this hobby. What part of the GC are you from ? ex Palm Beach Currumbin area local.

[Journeyman]

2 minutes ago, Goldcoast Crow said:

just one more thing(for now) how do you guys feel about the pet bottles, as generally it’s glass or cans that I’ve consumed from previously 

I have both. For long term storage, every brew gets 6 glass long necks to keep and try over the months. The rest goes into PET's.

I like PET's because the capping is simple AND, (something I've seen mention is not necessary) you can squeeze the bottle as you cap it, pushing out all the air then sealing it slightly squished. Then as it conditions, the bottles go hard, assuring you the brew is progressing nicely.

But after maybe 4 weeks, you will find a noticeable difference in the beer taste and quality comparing the exact same brew in glass or PET. Not there's anything WRONG with the PET beer, but there's a distinct difference. I think the glass bottled beer keeps conditioning where the PET kinda hits a level and slows or stops.

 

[Goldcoast Crow]

Carrara, been up here for nearly 15yrs now, but still love the coopers pale, hence why I want to have a go brewing some pale for myself

[Malter White]

@Thecko welcome to what a lot of people here call the rabbit hole. It runs deep and you might find yourself creeping down it further as time passes.

The lager that comes with the DIY kit actually has an ale yeast with it, presumably because novice brewers will generally have no temperature control. The ale yeast can handle higher temperatures than lager yeast can. If you can maintain the 18-20C you mentioned you will make a nice beer first up. I'd say yes to a blanket for the nights to maintain that steady temp. The ale yeast will cope with 15C but getting that cool could slow it's activity a little and add to the days you need to wait until you get final specific gravity. 

Happy brewing.

[Marty_G]

@Thecko +1 for Muzzy he is on the money.

[Thecko]

Muzzy thx mate for the advise will give it a wet run first to get that temperature indicator right for a couple of days before my first brew!

[Goldcoast Crow]

Stuck in traffic on the way home but hanging to see what my brew is looking like after about 40Hrs.... the vessel temp was down to about 20-22c at 6 when I left for work so sounds ok.

[Goldcoast Crow]

I think it look ok, I think it’s called the Klausen on top, about 10mm thick and plenty of bubble

[Aussiekraut]

19 minutes ago, Goldcoast Crow said:

I think it look ok, I think it’s called the Klausen on top, about 10mm thick and plenty of bubble

Yeah, she's looking good. The krausen is looking good. The temperature is still ok but try not to let it get warmer if you can. 

Edited April 6, 2020 by Aussiekraut

[Goldcoast Crow]

Over night it drops down to around 20 but I am on the look out for a little cabinet to insulate whilst driving around my worksites

[Brewloo]

13 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

@Goldcoast Crow UncleStavvy is right on the money here.  the 1st in a long line of way to improve the beer is try to get the temp as stable as possible. Which is not too hard in SEQ right now. Find a dark cool place under the house and just leave it there until it is ready to bottle. Which will be 10ish days. 

Hi All im just on my first kit brew  the blonde ale kit. Didn't add anything to it its in my sun room  it seems ready FG 1.011 six days in Wort you mention 10 ish days why? Should it be in the dark and what is the advantage?

[Goldcoast Crow]

Believe it or not I am already thinking of my second batch 40Hrs into my first but I seem to be struggling to find any walk up stockists of me beer concentrates, was wondering if I could use a coopers kit and just use a bit of maths to work out the amount to use for my craft sized vessel? Or does anyone know if there are stockist in Queensland?

[Lab Cat]

15 minutes ago, Brewloo said:

Hi All im just on my first kit brew  the blonde ale kit. Didn't add anything to it its in my sun room  it seems ready FG 1.011 six days in Wort you mention 10 ish days why? Should it be in the dark and what is the advantage?

Warmer temp will finish ferment quicker, light has little to do with it - it's a recommendation to keep the temp down. Brewing without temp control can be done, but results for the same beer and recipe will vary at different times of the year, as ambient temps differ.

[Marty_G]

46 minutes ago, Brewloo said:

Hi All im just on my first kit brew  the blonde ale kit. Didn't add anything to it its in my sun room  it seems ready FG 1.011 six days in Wort you mention 10 ish days why? Should it be in the dark and what is the advantage?

The dark is normally  an area which is has less temp fluctuation therefore a more constant temp. When brewing the 1st way to improve quality is limit temperature fluctuations.  When you say sun room does that mean your not in Australia or are you in a cool part of Australia. Sun rooms are not common where I am from.   Six days in now it is close to finished but it will benefit from sitting there for a couple of days. The yeast will settle out some more and the yeast will also do what is known as a "clean up" where they will break down some of the by-products of fermentation and start conditioning the beer.  

[Naughty Corner Brewing]

1 hour ago, Goldcoast Crow said:

Believe it or not I am already thinking of my second batch 40Hrs into my first but I seem to be struggling to find any walk up stockists of me beer concentrates, was wondering if I could use a coopers kit and just use a bit of maths to work out the amount to use for my craft sized vessel? Or does anyone know if there are stockist in Queensland?

I e never found anywhere that stocks them, apart from the website. I did email them once and I think there were a couple of places in Briscoe that had them, but not really close to me.

You could shoot them an email and ask.

[Brewloo]

1 hour ago, Lab Rat said:

Warmer temp will finish ferment quicker, light has little to do with it - it's a recommendation to keep the temp down. Brewing without temp control can be done, but results for the same beer and recipe will vary at different times of the year, as ambient temps differ.

 

1 hour ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

The dark is normally  an area which is has less temp fluctuation therefore a more constant temp. When brewing the 1st way to improve quality is limit temperature fluctuations.  When you say sun room does that mean your not in Australia or are you in a cool part of Australia. Sun rooms are not common where I am from.   Six days in now it is close to finished but it will benefit from sitting there for a couple of days. The yeast will settle out some more and the yeast will also do what is known as a "clean up" where they will break down some of the by-products of fermentation and start conditioning the beer.  

Thanks guys that was helpful I  live in Ireland which is why i need the sunroom. I will hold off a couple of more days so.Cheers

[Titan]

6 hours ago, Brewloo said:

Hi All im just on my first kit brew  the blonde ale kit. Didn't add anything to it its in my sun room  it seems ready FG 1.011 six days in Wort you mention 10 ish days why? Should it be in the dark and what is the advantage?

You really want to keep it in a dark place, certainly out of the sun. Just cover with an old sheet. You dont want skunked (light struck) beer before it goes into bottles.

[Goldcoast Crow]

So the Krausen has dissipated in thickness but there are still bubbles on the surface to go with the solid layer of floaties and it seems to be still giving off gas as there is condensation on the top of the vessel.... 

what am I looking for visually to know when to start the hydrometer testing?

[Lab Cat]

Depends on what day you're at. I do a starting gravity reading on brew day, then check at day 5 or 6.