First brew question

[TheWarren]

Hi,

I've got my first brew underway. It's a Coopers Draught can at 21°c. Today is day 6.

I've noticed that the top layer is quite clear and the rest cloudy. Is this normal?

[Classic Brewing Co]

34 minutes ago, TheWarren said:

Hi,

I've got my first brew underway. It's a Coopers Draught can at 21°c. Today is day 6.

I've noticed that the top layer is quite clear and the rest cloudy. Is this normal?

Hi @TheWarren  Your brew should be showing signs of fermentation after 6 days, such as bubbles, foam (known as a krausen) you should also see signs of the yeast settling on the bottom known as a cake.

To me there doesn't seem to be much going on but I don't know the recipe, so if you can provide more detail, we can help you.

There are so many factors to consider such as the amount of fermentables, the yeast used & quantity, brewing temperature etc.

Have you taken a gravity reading?

Provide more info & it would be easier to help out.

Study these instructions & videos.

Cheers

Phil

https://www.beer101.diybeer.com/

Edited June 24, 2023 by Classic Brewing Co

[TheWarren]

17 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Hi @TheWarren  Your brew should be showing signs of fermentation after 6 days, such as bubbles, foam (known as a krausen) you should also see signs of the yeast settling on the bottom known as a cake.

To me there doesn't seem to be much going on but I don't know the recipe, so if you can provide more detail, we can help you.

There are so many factors to consider such as the amount of fermentables, the yeast used & quantity, brewing temperature etc.

Have you taken a gravity reading?

Provide more info & it would be easier to help out.

Study these instructions & videos.

Cheers

Phil

https://www.beer101.diybeer.com/

Thanks Phil.

It's a Coopers Draught can, used the yeast that came on top of the can. Held the temp at 21°c.

Day 2 it did foam up on top and there were bubbles and stuff dropping to the bottom. Foam started to subside from about day 4. It does look like there is a layer of a more whiter substance on the bottom.

I haven't taken a gravity reading yet.

[Classic Brewing Co]

21 minutes ago, TheWarren said:

Thanks Phil.

It's a Coopers Draught can, used the yeast that came on top of the can. Held the temp at 21°c.

Day 2 it did foam up on top and there were bubbles and stuff dropping to the bottom. Foam started to subside from about day 4. It does look like there is a layer of a more whiter substance on the bottom.

I haven't taken a gravity reading yet.

OK, it is important to take a reading before pitching the yeast known as the SG-starting gravity & another around day 6, from there on it is not necessary to take one every day but say on day 12.

Fermentation should be completed & when the reading FG-final gravity is the same for 2 days in a row, it is ready to bottle/keg.

I always leave mine for 14 days minimum as it helps the yeast clear up a bit.

It is a good idea to keep records of your brews.

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by Classic Brewing Co

[TheWarren]

18 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

OK, it is important to take a reading before pitching the yeast known as the SG-starting gravity & another around day 6, from there on it is not necessary to take one every day but say on day 12.

Fermentation should be completed & when the reading FG-final gravity is the same for 2 days in a row, it is ready to bottle/keg.

I always leave mine for 14 days minimum as it helps the yeast clear up a bit.

It is a good idea to keep records of your brews.

Ok. I didn't take a SG reading as the instructions said "it will be 1038 so no need to check this". (I will be taking that reading from now on)

I just took a reading and from what I can see, looks like 1001.

Frothed up like beer in the tube, smells like beer.

[Classic Brewing Co]

11 minutes ago, TheWarren said:

Ok. I didn't take a SG reading as the instructions said "it will be 1038 so no need to check this". (I will be taking that reading from now on)

I just took a reading and from what I can see, looks like 1001.

Frothed up like beer in the tube, smells like beer.

Great, you have made beer, you can taste it but it will be flat of course.

it is not imperative to fill the tube, but I find I get a better reading this way.

[TheWarren]

Just now, Classic Brewing Co said:

Great, you have made beer, you can taste it but it will be flat of course.

it is not imperative to fill the tube, but I find I get a better reading this way.

Awesome. Pffew.

So should a leave it in there for another week to clear it up more? Or bottle when the reading is stable over 2 days?

[Classic Brewing Co]

18 minutes ago, TheWarren said:

Awesome. Pffew.

So should a leave it in there for another week to clear it up more? Or bottle when the reading is stable over 2 days?

Some bottle earlier but as I said I prefer to wait 14 days, as long as you are sure the FG is stable for 2 days in a row, if you are at 1.010 it is unlikely to go any lower.

These are my opinions & I have been brewing for years but others may have different views. It is better to be safe than sorry. Bottle bombs are no fun.

[TheWarren]

2 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Some bottle earlier but as I said I prefer to wait 14 days, as long as you are sure the FG is stable for 2 days in a row, if you are at 1.010 it is unlikely to go any lower.

These are my opinions & I have been brewing for years but others may have different views. It is better to be safe than sorry. Bottle bombs are no fun.

Thanks so much for the info. 

I'll give it a few more days in any case. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

5 minutes ago, TheWarren said:

Thanks so much for the info. 

I'll give it a few more days in any case. 

All the best & don't forget to take notes, they will be helpful to compare/improve future brews. 

I assume you are aware of temperature control.

[TheWarren]

7 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

All the best & don't forget to take notes, they will be helpful to compare/improve future brews. 

I assume you are aware of temperature control.

Thanks, yes will be noting everything with the next one. 

Yes, have an inkbird with a heat belt. Don't have to worry about cooling at the moment but am on the look out for a fridge when it starts to warm up. 

[Kegory]

2 hours ago, TheWarren said:

Hi,

I've got my first brew underway. It's a Coopers Draught can at 21°c. Today is day 6.

I've noticed that the top layer is quite clear and the rest cloudy. Is this normal?

Perfectly normal. I did my first brew in April. Mine started clearing up around the same time. It should continue to clear up, the haze reducing day by day.

I did the Cooper's Pale Ale but yours should track similarly. As Phil said, it is ready to bottle when you have stable gravity readings but I gave mine extra time to clean up and clear up.

Day zero

Day one

Day two

Day three, don't worry, I didn't take pictures everyday.

Day six

Day seven, I didn't think it was done but I thought it was close and I was curious so I took a reading. Also, I didn't like the look of the hydrometer in the kit so I got another one from the homebrew shop. Notice the difference in the readings. The plastic one will still tell you when the gravity is stable I'm just not confident in the accuracy of the measurements. I'll test them both in distilled water sometimes soon.

Day eight

Day nine

Day ten

I bottled on Day thirteen. I'd ordered a spare bottling wand just in case. That was lucky. One of the valves didn't work. Cooper's replaced it (they actually sent two valves on one tube) and I ordered another one with my next order. I don't know which was which but two of those three didn't work either. A bad batch maybe? Only two out of five work well enough to bottle with.

I would recommend testing your bottling wand, water will do, before bottling day.

The good news is it works. I definitely made beer. You will too. I conditioned them for 16 days and this one has been maturing for a few weeks longer. Mine is on the left, the Original is on the right.

Here are my brew notes.

I took a bottle of that and 002 to the home brew club meeting on Friday night. It has flaws, as you'd expect, but they said it was pretty good for a first brew. One guy asked me how I got it so clear, fining agents? Just patience, I think.

[TheWarren]

18 minutes ago, Kegory said:

Perfectly normal. I did my first brew in April. Mine started clearing up around the same time. It should continue to clear up, the haze reducing day by day.

I did the Cooper's Pale Ale but yours should track similarly. As Phil said, it is ready to bottle when you have stable gravity readings but I gave mine extra time to clean up and clear up.

Day zero

Day one

Day two

Day three, don't worry, I didn't take pictures everyday.

Day six

Day seven, I didn't think it was done but I thought it was close and I was curious so I took a reading. Also, I didn't like the look of the hydrometer in the kit so I got another one from the homebrew shop. Notice the difference in the readings. The plastic one will still tell you when the gravity is stable I'm just not confident in the accuracy of the measurements. I'll test them both in distilled water sometimes soon.

Day eight

Day nine

Day ten

I bottled on Day thirteen. I'd ordered a spare bottling wand just in case. That was lucky. One of the valves didn't work. Cooper's replaced it (they actually sent two valves on one tube) and I ordered another one with my next order. I don't know which was which but two of those three didn't work either. A bad batch maybe? Only two out of five work well enough to bottle with.

I would recommend testing your bottling wand, water will do, before bottling day.

.

The good news is it works. I definitely made beer. You will too. I conditioned them for 16 days and this one has been maturing for a few weeks longer. Mine is on the left, the Original is on the right.

Here are my brew notes.

I took a bottle of that and 002 to the home brew club meeting on Friday night. It has flaws, as you'd expect, but they said it was pretty good for a first brew. One guy asked me how I got it so clear, fining agents? Just patience, I think.

Thank you for the very detailed reply. This all helps alot.

I'm not confident in the accuracy of my hydrometer either but is good enough to tell change in gravity.

Same with the bottling wand, spares seem good insurance policies.

[Kegory]

50 minutes ago, TheWarren said:

Thank you for the very detailed reply. This all helps alot.

I'm not confident in the accuracy of my hydrometer either but is good enough to tell change in gravity.

Same with the bottling wand, spares seem good insurance policies.

Yeah, I like to have backup especially since weekends and public holidays are when I'm most likely to be doing brewing stuff.

I watched @Stickers make a few brews before I started. One time he had a faulty tap so I got a spare tap with my first order. And I was reading this forum while I was cleaning out the brew room and planning. Phil spoke about hops clogging the bottling wand one time. I thought there's another point of weakness, what if I break it or something. They're cheap so I got two straight off the bat. I was glad I did.

[DavidM]

I've never had a problem with the bottling wand,

agree having spares makes it easier and safer.

I did take the spring out of my wand, found it better for Me.

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 hours ago, Kegory said:

Yeah, I like to have backup especially since weekends and public holidays are when I'm most likely to be doing brewing stuff.

I watched @Stickers make a few brews before I started. One time he had a faulty tap so I got a spare tap with my first order. And I was reading this forum while I was cleaning out the brew room and planning. Phil spoke about hops clogging the bottling wand one time. I thought there's another point of weakness, what if I break it or something. They're cheap so I got two straight off the bat. I was glad I did.

Good move, it always pays to have spare parts, I have still got FV Taps/Grommets/Airlocks/Wands etc. from my fulltime Extract Brewing days.

You never know when something is going to fail so it is better to have them on hand.