First Ever Brew, Lager from DIY Kit

[ShakeyD]

Hi all first time brewer and poster and already addicted! I am 32 and can't believe it has taken me this long to attempt my own brew after being a beer lover since I was 18 (ok maybe 17, thanks dad!)

 

Anyway loving the set up of this site and was super impressed with the DIY Beer kit. Coopers do a fantastic job with everything they do.

 

I have a few questions to ease my mind. As I said in the post topic I am making the Lager.

 

My Original temp was at 24 and has dropped to 18 and been at a constant 18 degrees, is this ideal or at least ok?

 

My OG was 1.035 is that ok?

 

And on the DVD it says to remove the krausen kollar on day 3 or when the foam subsides. It is now day 3 but there is still quite a bit of foam. Should I remove it anyway or wait for the foam to subside?

 

Sorry if these questions have come up 100 times in previous threads, I tried looking first but couldn't seem to find what I was looking for.

 

Cheers, Craig.

[TonyW]

Hi Craig

 

i am doing exactly the same kit after returning to brewing after a spell and am also 3 days in.

I pitched the yeast at 23C and its been sitting on a constant between 16 and 18c so this is where we want it, minor fluctuating temperatures is not something i would be worried about right now but the weather is bang on here in Melbourne to keep the brew constant

 

I am removing the collar today as its subsided but i accidently left the heat pad on during night 1 and it raised to 25c but has since dropped, this may have caused my yeast to have been a little more active at the start.

 

My mate removed his collar after 5 days so theres no written rule other than letting the brew settle and leaving the krausen behind which you can see quite clearly. Just check it again tomorrow.

 

I was going t throw 20grams of left over Nelson Sauvin hops in tonight when i remove the collar, but i might just let this beer brew as is and see how it comes out.

[TonyW]

My OG was 1.040 at 23C

[WaynoW]

Hi Craig and Welcome [biggrin] Great forum here!

 

Yeah, it's pretty addictive and a Coopers DIY kit got me going a few months back.... I now find myself with 4 fermenting vessels on the go and a temp controlled brewing fridge also!

 

Original temp 24 is great, slowly down to 18 deg and holding is ideal.

 

The OG is about right, my first Lager was 1036.

 

No set rule on removing the collar, it's just a safety net for overflowing 'volcanic' Krausens mainly from darker brews. But yes about day 3 to get rid of the scum ring.

 

Remove the lid and collar slowly and try, not to too much, disturb the layer of CO2 that will be sitting on top of the brew, you don't want to introduce any oxygen or nasties into the brew that might infect it.

 

Great hobby, very addictive, and happy brewing!

Cheers

Wayno

[Guest]

Hi ShakeyD and welcome to the forum.

 

Your temps are ideal for a the lager as it has an ale yeast. Ideally pitch yeast between 20C-24C then maintain your brewing temp at 18C-20C.

 

Your OG appears about right.

 

On day 3 if you have no volcanic krausen action then you can remove the collar if you want. Personally I don't even bother and leave mine because I am lazy and haven't had any issues cleaning the scum from it after anyway. It is only there to provide extra headspace and to make it a bit easier to clean the scum from the krausen.

 

Everything appears to be going as it should for you.

 

Edit: Am at work so a little slow responding.... beaten by everyone this time [crying]

Even though not a bad idea to be cautious removing the collar slowly but really it is nothing serious to worry about. This is because fermentation is still active around day 3 so whatever oxygen that gets in the top of your brew when exposed will be depleted anyway due to the active fermentation still current.

[ShakeyD]

Thank you so much for all the fast and informative replies, really puts me at ease knowing there are some great people with experience willing to assist along the way.

 

Very cool also to see you are also at day 3 of your brew Tony and also in Melbourne. I'd love to stay in touch to see how yours is going.

 

Also noticed that probably due to the crappy change in weather today here in Melb, that my temp has dropped slightly from 18 to now 16 being blue and 18 being green.

 

I am about to go off to work, should I wrap it in a blanket of something? I have it in my Laundry which is fairly cold. As I said brew is at 16 - 18 atm.

 

Thanks again for the fast informative replies and for making me feel so welcome.

[TonyW]

I have the same thing at the moment so i put my heat pad on to bring it back up to 18c from 16 and falling, the ambient temp is 13C

 

Wrap it up in a blanket to retain some of the heat, thats what i would do. Lucky at the moment i have a week off work and can keep an eye on it.

 

Your welcome to trade notes no problem at all and i have my next 3 brew packs sitting on the laundry floor already to start but i need another fermenter which i might pickup this week, it will just be the plain old barrel as i dont want to fork out all that dough on another DIY when i dont need half the parts in it except maybe the PET bottles.

 

cheers

Tony

[ShakeyD]

Thanks for they quick reply mate, I'll wrap it in a sleeping bag now. I was thinking about doing the Mexican kit next, might be nice for summer. Just in the process of restoring on old 1958 Fridge I picked up, so plenting to keep me busy with this brewing bug. Well already late for work, so better wrap up my baby and run. Thanks again.

[AnthonyR1525228508]

Generally speaking a can of goo gives you 20 points and 1kg sugar 16. So 1035 is pretty close to the mark.

 

Up to you whether to remove the Krausen Kollar. It's a bit easier to klean if you remove it early, but then you have to find somewhere to put it. If you do remove it, put the lid straight back on the FV.

 

18 is towards the bottom end of the range - does it get below that overnight? The colder it is the longer it takes, but too cold and things just stop happening.

 

 

"I am 32 and can't believe it has taken me this long"

 

I was in my 40's before I started brewing. You kinda get the feeling you've wasted your life. But I'm making up for it now...

 

[GaryF1]

Hey ShakeyD, I'm about to pitch a Coopers Draft, Enhancer #1 (gettin back to basics) but, awwh, 7 little chillies. This is a workmate request. Krausssen Collar - well, between checking SG, and taste tests, the KC is high and dry, unless you re chasing a special brew, the KC shouldn't be a problem, after all, it is made out of 'beer' ? Anythoughts?

[TonyW]

Took my KC off before, mmmm the strong smell of beer through the house. Took seconds to wash up, and what am i using for? It has my 600ml bottles of just bottled homemade Apple Cranberry Cider corralled inside of so it takes up no room on my resting brews bench. Not a bad drop of unmatured cider either coming in at 8%

[ShakeyD]

Hi Anthony I have now placed a big sleeping bag over it earlier today and we have had a freezing day, just got home and it is bang on 18 I'll check it first thing in the morning and see how we go with the cold night. Fingers crossed. Is it true that it is better to ferment on the lower end of the temp scale, for both a cleaner beer and no bad tastes?

[Muddy Waters]

Is it true that it is better to ferment on the lower end of the temp scale' date=' for both a cleaner beer and no bad tastes? [/quote']

 

Yep [cool]

 

[ShakeyD]

Just wondering if me brew dropping to 17 maybe 16 overnight then a steady 18 during the day will hurt it or just make the fermenting process take longer? I am at day 4 and up until last night we'd had mild temps in Melbourne and it stayed at 18 degrees. Yesterday and last night it was wrapped in a sleeping bag, however still dropped to 17 - 16. Should I try to insulate it better on the cold days or will it be ok. I'm in no rush for it to ferment, just want a nice beer obviously!

[TonyW]

The temp changing a few degrees you arnt going to really notice it, its not going to stuff the brew or anything like that. i put the heat pad on last night and it maintained 18 and someone left the laundry window open last night so it was sitting in a cool breeze. I am fluctuating between 16/18 like yourself, this temperature range is more acceptable than say 14 to 22 etc and even then its not going to stuff your beer up its just not going to be as good as it could have been, having said that i bet if you poured 2 brews off one fluctuating 2C and fluctuating 10c both beers would still be drinkable just the one brewed at the constant lower temp will be crisper. I am trying to maintain the 16/18 for this brew i think it will be ideal.

 

Once you get a few brews under the belt you will automatically know what to do, like using the blanket to maintain heat.

 

cheers

Tony

[Guest]

Just wondering if me brew dropping to 17 maybe 16 overnight then a steady 18 during the day will hurt it or just make the fermenting process take longer? I am at day 4 and up until last night we'd had mild temps in Melbourne and it stayed at 18 degrees. Yesterday and last night it was wrapped in a sleeping bag' date=' however still dropped to 17 - 16. Should I try to insulate it better on the cold days or will it be ok. I'm in no rush for it to ferment, just want a nice beer obviously![/quote']

 

As Tony said, it will be fine at those temps. However, you still need to be mindful that if it drops much lower than that then it is likely to stall your fermentation if you are using an Ale yeast. This being because the yeast will "go to sleep". It won't hurt your brew but it won't ferment until it warms up again within the temp range for the yeast to work and then there will still be a little lag time for it to recommence.

 

[Hoptimus Maximus]

Just wondering if me brew dropping to 17 maybe 16 overnight then a steady 18 during the day will hurt it or just make the fermenting process take longer? I am at day 4 and up until last night we'd had mild temps in Melbourne and it stayed at 18 degrees. Yesterday and last night it was wrapped in a sleeping bag' date=' however still dropped to 17 - 16. Should I try to insulate it better on the cold days or will it be ok. I'm in no rush for it to ferment, just want a nice beer obviously![/quote']

 

Not sure which lager you are doing but Coopers recommends temperatures as follows for the different Coopers lagers recipes using their supplied yeast;

Green Neck Lager - ferment at 15\xb0C

True Aussie Bitter,Heritage Lager, Fresh Draught and Pilsener, - As low as 13\xb0C

Steam Beer - 18\xb0C to 22\xb0C

Black Pils - down to 13\xb0C to 15\xb0C

 

In most environments a temperature controlled cabinet (old fridge)is the way to go for lagers. Before I set up my fridge I stuck to ales.

 

 

[ShakeyD]

Hi John, the Lager I am doing is just the Lager that comes with the DIY kit and uses an ale yeast unlike the other Lagers you listed. That is one frustrating thing, the iphone app give you instruction and temps etc for some of the other Lagers you mentioned, however not their standard Lager that comes with the kit. Would have been handy.

 

If I get an old fridge and don't turn it on, just use it as a chambers, with blankets etc would that be the way to go, or is there something I can buy to put in the fridge to set an exact temp?

[ShakeyD]

Ok so it is day 4 my OG was 1.035 currently it is at 1.020 is this coming along ok?

[TonyW]

If I get an old fridge and don't turn it on' date=' just use it as a chambers, with blankets etc would that be the way to go, or is there something I can buy to put in the fridge to set an exact temp?[/quote']

 

I am buying an old fridge or freezer and using a simple plugin external thermostat to control the temperature. A mate of mine uses and old fridge that doesnt work, in summer he puts some bottles of ice in there during the day and in winter he uses a heat pad in there over night and turns it off during the day. For the cost of a thermostat i think i will go that way unless a crapped out old fridge lands on my doorstep then i will utilise that

 

Ok so it is day 4 my OG was 1.035 currently it is at 1.020 is this coming along ok?

 

My brew is on 1.012 at 18C, just checked so i would say this is fermented out. Just check yours again tomorrow the yeast may have slowed with the cold where mine has been at a constant heat source. Did you throw out about 1/2 a test tube of bottom beer from the fermenter then take a sample for your gravity, if you didnt try it again if you did take another test tomorrow. I just tasted mine, mmm flat beer at 6:33am. I think i will dry hop with these left 20g of Nelson Sauvin pellets i have here and leave it sit in the fermenter for a week. I will just throw em in and let them sit in the bottom of the brew.

 

[ShakeyD]

No I didn't throw out half a tube first, I was thinking that was only for the OG? so I will try that now. I'd say my yeast has probably gone to sleep with these crappy cold Melbourne nights [crying] I had a towel wrapped around it and a sleeping bag and it still dropped lower.

 

Is there somewhere that explains the thermostat precisely? I had 14 very light brown, 16 green and 18 blue when I woke. I took the sleeping bag off and put a portable heater in the Laundry with the door shut. 5 mins later I have 18 green 20 blue. Still worried as I can't keep then temp consistent.

 

I saw on ebay an immersible controllable heater for $58 but am worried how you seal the lid with a wire running out, or should I purchase a heat belt?

 

Obviously its to late for this brew but for next time I'd like to be more prepared. I can get an old fridge but does this external thermostat allow to to set it to say 20 degrees or does it just tell you what temp it is?

 

ok just re-did the test properly and it is now at 1.017 and smelt and tasted really really good much, much better than I was expecting. Guess I have been afraid homebrew (kit) beer cant taste as good as commercial beer. I now think I was wrong and think I'm really going to enjoy this DIY beer ride! I am also considering adding some dry hops however being my first batch ever, I think I might do it to the letter to see how it turns out and see what I believe would improve it.

 

Just hope it will continue to ferment with my day/night fluctuating temps otherwise I am stuck with a 3.0 % beer!

[Muddy Waters]

G'day Shakey [biggrin]

 

For your hydrometer samples it is sometimes a good idea to leave it for a while (go and have a shower or something) and then come and check your reading later (after 30mins +).

 

You mention an immersible heater - I'd steer clear of these as they will stress the yeast no end and increase the risk of infection. What you want is ambient heat - not direct heat (I use a light bulb in a ceramic pot to heat my brewing fridge if necessary). Using a temp controller in conjunction with a brewing fridge is great. Set your temp and the controller will switch on the fridge or heat source to keep it within you desired temp range. Just set and forget [cool]

 

The thermometer on your fermentor is read by reading the mid point of the coloured bits - sounds like yours was about 16C. For ease of use I'd have a look at one of these LCD Digital Thermometers on ebay. They're pretty good and fairly accurate (and they're dirt cheap [lol] ).

[ShakeyD]

Thanks Muddy I'll look into the digital thermometers now. WOW they are cheap! just bought one. So will this just tell my the ambient temp or can I attatch it to my fermenter for an accurate temp? Now for another old fridge and a temp controller.

[Guest]

Shakey, do a search for temperture controllers here. There has been a lot of discussion previously about them and will probably answer most of your questions already.

 

Also TBH I think you are worrying too much about your brew. Let it do its thing and sit back and enjoy the ride. If your temps are going between 16C-20C then its no big deal.

 

If you are really stressing out about the next brew then just get a belt for $26 delivered and stick it on a cheap old timer.

 

[ShakeyD]

yep you are probably right, just hate the thought of 23 litres of crap tasting beer, but yes I'll get a heat belt for the next batch, Cheers.