ChrisMack Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hi guys, a very green newbie here with a few questions.... I have had my first brew down for just on a week now (fermentation seems to have stopped using the much hated air-lock look) I drew a sample this morning to test the gravity and got a reading of 1.012 (I used a coppertun dextrose enhancer) instructions say that this gravity is fine...Im aware I need to take a second reading tomorrow to finalise gravity for bottling... However, I've seen a few vids that show peoples samples as being rather clearish...my drawn sample seems to be rather cloudy - it smells like beer and dear I say it, even at this early it tastes "kinda" like beer from a boutique brewery...all good!?! It even had a very slight hint of carbonation.... So Questions.... 1: If I get a second reading of 1.012 is it all good to bottle? 2: Is the "cloudyness" anything to worry about or is it just surplus particles that will settle after bottling? 3: Is the very slight carbonation an issue? Sorry if these are stupid questions....[pinched] Thanks for any help. Cheers, Chris P.S. cloudyness probably isnt helped by the continual aftershocks from our 7.1 earthquake back in September (Christchurch, New Zealand) - had a 5.1 shake this morning...if watching my fishtank contents swirl around is anything to go by....I would hate to think what happens inside the fermenter....[crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hi Chris - I'm not sure what dextrose enhancer is. The name implies that it is dextrose mixed with something else? I wouldn't worry to much about cloudiness - I tend to leave my beers in the fermentor for about 2 weeks which loosely translates to 1 week fermentation a plus one week for the beer to clear a bit. Your beer will also clear up with bottle conditioning with sediment settling and compacting on the bottom of the bottle with age. Your beer sounds like it is almost done fermenting but a few extra days can't hurt. I know it is hard to be patient on your first brew but patient you must be. Slight carbonation is perfectly normal - when you take your sample try to degas it to get a true reading. You can just leave the sample on the bench to degas naturally or you can speed the process up by tossing the sample back and forth between 2 coffee cups. I tend to just agitate my sample by briskly moving the hydrometer up and down in the tube and just leave it to sit for an hour or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisMack Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hey thanks for that...the dextrose enhancer is simply a beer enhancer...a mix of dextrose, hops, and malts in powder form... Be patient....[lol] [biggrin] [lol] I just want to try my beer and get on with the next brew..... I dunno if I can restrain myself without ending up like this - [pinched] Cheers again for the help, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trusty1 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 the simplest and best advice you'll get on this forum is to be patient with your brews (especially if you have them at a suitable temp, have proper sanitisation, have ignored, or even better removed the airlock, are usign quality products, etcetc), so the thing to do to make sure you are not just sitting around waiting , waiting, and going stir crazy is to get another (one at least) fermentor. then you can have one brew in and another ready to bottle, while you are being patient you are still 'doing' something with a batch of beer![biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Although I agree with Trusty where the best advice is to be patient you are able to bottle once your convinced fermentation has finished. It will just have to clear in the bottle which would result in more sedement. I like Trusty's idea with the second fermenter, now to pitch it to the misses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaleB Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I rushed my first every brew a and bottled after 8 days and it took 4 weeks in the bottle to even clear. I always leave it in the primary for 2-3 weeks now, it gets clear, and alot more of the yeast drops out of suspension, so your beer wont taste as much like yeast. Or you could cold crash it so all the particles and cloudiness drop out of the beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 [rightful] I'm always wary of cold crashing as I still want enough yeast for bottle carbonation. For force carbed kegging, sure, but for bottling, hesitant [unsure] (Not saying I haven't done it but hesitant nonetheless [innocent] ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I am not a fan of cold crashing either, although I like to leave my beer in the bottles as long as possible. I have some that I am trying to leave for 6 months +, so the few weeks where it is cloudy doesnt bother me [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brew Master Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 ......... be patient Grasshopper, then you will reap the benefits of your labour! [whistling Listen to the Grand Masters of Home Brewing. [rightful] Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnV3 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 if the gravity reading is the same then bottle it..unless you used some sort of adjunct to remove the cloudiness, you should more or less expect it.....and enjoy it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisMack Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi Guys, Well ive taken the advice of you guys and decided to leave the brew for about another week...heres the thing though....in the last day or so the bubbler (yes I know alot of you say take no notice - or even throw it away) has begun to "blurp" again at quite a constant pace...anyone got any ideas why this is? I thought the initial fermentation process was over as the bubbler had stopped all action a few days back when i first posted. Temperature has been a constant 22-24deg range over the course of the fermentation process.... cheers, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Bubblers are ok...It's those blasted airlocks I don't like [innocent] You can get airlock activity from changes in temperature, residual Co2 escaping from the wort etc etc. More importantly what is your hydrometer telling you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisMack Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 The hydrometer reading is sitting at around 1.010 a change from the first recording of 1.012 a few days back! as stated earlier the fermentation preceedure seems to have kicked into action again after a couple of dormant days! The last sample I took a reading off didnt smell quite as "sweet" as the first and seemed to be a tad more on the pungient side (hope its not spoiling?) Any comments? Cheers for the help so far, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Have another test with the Hydrometer tomorrow and if it is the same reading bottle it. Taste it before you bottle it and you will know if it is infected. My understanding of an infection is a sour taste in the beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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