ImreG Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hello everyone, I bought my friend's beer kit, and am trying to brew my first batch, and would like some advice. I bought the Draught beer kit, and mixed it as well as i could with some corn sugar. I followed my friend's advice, as i don't have the Cooper's DIY beer kit. I have the mixture in a plastic container, and let it stand overnight, in order to get the mixture to room temperature. After that, I added the yeast. According to my friend, the beer was supposed to rise, and then after a week, i'm supposed to siphon the beer into a glass fermenter, and have it sealed with an airlock. Now, it has been a few days, and the beer itself is still at the same level as it had been when it started, and the beer is a dark brown (as opposed to a light colour). Can anyone tell me what the problem is? and how to make it better? Is it possible that I didn't put in enough sugar? or that it isn't warm enough? should i just restart? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Wow that is differant to how I make my beer. I just leave the beer in the tub that it is fermenting in for a week or so and then I test the beer with my hydrometer. Depending on the reading (if I think it is low enough to bottle) I will then do the same thing the next day and if the reading is the same then I bottle. Here are the instructions that came with my kit http://www.coopers.com.au/media/61021/micro-brewkit_instructions.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hi ImreG, What you need to do is to mix you beer kit and the appropriate fermentables (Sugars/Malts) in a couple of litres of hot or boiling water and mix thoroughly. You then fill your plastic fermentor to the desired volume. It is best to have some clean cold water on hand to help bring the mixture (wort) down to pitching level. The temperature yu want will vary depending on the style of beer (ale or lager) and the yeast used. After roughly 12-24hrs fermentation should be under way. There may be a foam or krausen evident on top of the beer (Sometimes it will be barely evident other times it will be volcanic). Another sign of fermentation is condensation on the lid. Also, if you are inclined to use an airlock it may be bubbling (It is often hard to get a perfect seal so the air sometimes escapes elsewhere which means the airlock may not bubble. You may not have al these signs of fermentation but you should at least have one. If you are still really not sure you can take a gravity reading after a couple of days with your hydrometer to check if it is dropping. What type of plastic container are you using? It shouldn't be necessary to siphon. What recipe are you using? What condition was the kit you used in (was it old or new)? What temperature are you brewing at? Are there any signs of fermentation as decribed above? I wouldn't panic yet, just give us some more info and I'm sure we can help [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I always rack (siphon) my brew from the primary FV to a secondary carboy with an air lock after the high krausen has done its thing and then again into a bottling bucket (spigit attached) for bottling. it is said to help clearify your brew by racking it off the trub (sludge at the bottom). it also free's up your FV to start another brew. ImerG, the level of the beer will not rise, but you should see a head form on the surface. a few days of no action would start to make me wonder whats going on, too. what was the best before date on the can? do you remember? they say the older the can the darker the malt extract will get. which might also lead to a problem with the yeast being not vialbe anymore. yeast should be kept in the frig until ready to use. maybe your draught kit was stored at an unfavourably high temp. before use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I wasnt sure why people rack off into secondary vessels but now I know. I usually just leave my beer in the Primary FV a little longer and this clears it up perfectly. It also reduces the chance of exposing the beer to oxygen and all of the other nasties out in the world. Plus the space that you take up with the Secondary vessel could just have another Primary one sitting in its place [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImreG Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Well, I moved my FV closer to my heater, and low and behold, head started to form! Thanks for everyone's help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Plus the space that you take up with the Secondary vessel could just have another Primary one sitting in its place [biggrin] It does take the wort of the yeast cake which helps clearing the beer. However, you do make a valid point to some degree here, i.e. just use another Primary :) The only other thing I can think of is that you can rack it into different shape/size container that maybe more suited for a fridge setup. Maybe for cold conditioning etc. Some fridges can fit only 1 fermenter in them but might be able to fit 2 different shaped containers instead. (tall narrow ones for eg.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I dont think that you particularily need to take it off the yeast cake. Also I wouldn't know what the benefits of cold conditioning are. I would have thought that if you put it in the fridge it wouldnt condition because the yeast would drop out of suspension. I have heard people say that it clears the beer up a fair bit but my brew is always just as clear as the person who cold crashes his beer. I do leave my beer in the fermenter an extra week to him tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I have always had in my mind that racking from the primary FV to a secondary (glass) carboy with airlock would let your beer keep longer before bottling. it is said that a glass carboy keeps beer better than a plastic vessel. the plastic is permeable to air and glass is not. plastic can also hold residual smells and taste even after it has been throughly cleaned. having said all that. i kind of like just mucking around with beer making. racking from one vessel to another is kind of fun![cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I like the beer making process but I don't really like to add extra steps unless they add something to the beer. Racking is one of these unecessary steps that I leave out. But then again if it makes you happy and it doesn't hurt the beer go for it [biggrin] Talking about unnecessary things...some people even insist on using airlocks [bandit] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I would seem that most of the steps that i do in the beer making process are unnecessary.[pouty] about the airlocks... if you have them why not use them. it seem more sensible to reuse something you already have than to use cling film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I'm fine with using things that are beneficial and don't make things harder. When using them with plastic fermentors airlocks are just an extra hassle. If you want to move the fermentor you need to loosen the lid or take the airlock out. If you want to take a sample you need to loosen the lid or take the airlock out. I'm not specifically trying to have a go at your practices Eh!111111 (Do I call you Canadian or Eh!111111??? [biggrin] ) I just don't like to get bogged down by old practices that have been tried and tested and proven obsolete. Unfortunately the internet is just perpetuating these practices.....rather than suggesting everyone do it my way [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 hi muddy, i see your point on the airlock with the plastic FV. i don't use one either (just a lid). i do use an airlock for my carboys, though (more for a cap than anything). i'm sure i do use obsolete practices (if you check my profile). i don't have a DIY kit. i have a bunch of homemade, hillbilly rigged junk that brews me (for the most part) fine beer. there aren't many folks that i know that brew beer. 99% of what i know about brewing is book learned or trial and error (before checking out this forum). i truly enjoy all this chit chat about how other's brews go. I'm learning something every time i log on Canadian Eh!LLLLLLLL is a bad play on words for Canadian ALE. Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Just between you and me I can see a point to using airlocks with a glass carboy [bandit] - Don't tell anyone I said that. I don't have a DIY kit either just bits and bobs I've put together. Just take everything I say with a grain of salt...sometimes it is best just to ignore me as others do [biggrin] Canadian Eh!LLLLLLLL is a bad play on words for Canadian ALE. [lol] Not a bad play on words I'm just a bit dim (The L's look like number ones on my screen). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 hey muddy, thanks for saying all that. even though it was just between you and me. i think that it might have been the first thing you and i agreed on (sort of).[happy] am i still aloud to talk about my obsolete techniques or am i too rebel?[bandit] Eh!LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 am i still aloud to talk about my obsolete techniques or am i too rebel? Absolutely Eh!LL, just as I am able to ramble on ad nauseum about airlocks and whatnot [alien] We'd probably agree on a lot of things face to face...the internet tends to make light or sarcastic comments seem more harsh than they really are and context is often lost. Potatoes, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes (That saying doesn't really work on the net either [biggrin] ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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