RoaldV Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Hi guys Was super excited to get a full Coopers DIY brew kit for fathers day, and finally worked up the courage to give it a go today. I think I followed all the instructions correctly, except that my brewing temperature was 30 degrees initially. Is this a problem and is the brew ruined? Should I just start again? Your advice would be most appreciated. Cheers RoaldV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I generally pitch the yeast at about 23C (depending on what i am brewing) but it will handle higher temperatures. You probably just snuck in and havent killed the yeast but keep an eye on it. Anything under about 32C is usually ok but if the yeast isnt active in 24 to 48 hours i would consider pitching another sachet of yeast. Your brew is still ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottj2 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 hi just let the temp drop idealy to 18 to 20 degrees and you will be right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 Thanks for the info Tony. Still hope then - great. Ok, so, I know the yeast is still alive if it starts to foam up within 48 hours. Is that correct? EDIT - Thanks Scott. Will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottj2 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Even if after 48 hours if there is no activity you should be able to pitch another yeast packet . But i think that would be worst case - at 18 to 30 degrees you should see something in around 24 hours.[roll] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 Awesome - thanks Scott. I'll let you guys know how I go either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottj2 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Look forward to it - hope it goes well.You will soon be hooked![devil] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Got up this morning to discover that a good 1cm of "froth" had developed overnight, and the bew giving off a dinstinctive yeast smell. I'm guessing this means the yeast survived the less than perfect initial temperature? Temperature is sitting at 23 degrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B5 Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 RoaldV. It looks like your fermentation has started without a problem. When We first started brewing we certainly mixed up worts that were too warm and in our ignorance still pitched the yeast and still made reasonable beer. Take a note of hot water/cold ratio that you used on this brew and adjust it on your next one to bring the temp down a bit. Ice can also be added to the wort to bring the temps down. Remember to leave yourself a bit of "room" in the wort. By this I mean if you are making a 21 ltr. batch only fill the fermenter to 19 litres and use ice and or water to reduce the temperature and fill to final volume. Conversely boiling water can be used to bring temperatures up. Only add small ammounts at a time i.e. one hand full. you will be surprised how much this drops the temperature once melted in. It's very easy to go too far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 This method will depend on what your equipment is but for me the method I use to get to the correct pitching temp in the quickest and easiest time frame is to measure the temp of the tap water, lets say 16'c for this time of year (in Vic). I always mix my ingrediants in a 20lt pot (about 6lt) as Im always adding grains etc. Once I have my wort pasturised from the boil (add goop last at flame out stir in and leave for 15 min) I then put the whole pot in the laundry trough with cold water, stir the trough water every 5 mins of so to keep cool water on the pot. until it reaches equal that of the trough water (say 24'c) the 6 lt of 24'c wort and the resulting top up of tap water @ 16'c result in about a 19.5'c - 20.5'c wort. Pitch Yeast, set temp control, game over. No messing about, not fiddley and most importantly... it's fool proof (well it has to be coz I use it)[bandit] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Thanks David. I did consider adding ice at the time, but was concerned that it may not be sterile enough. The problem was that I thought the temp was lower than it was (the side thermometer took a while to peak) when I was filling it, and then the cold water I added didn't bring it down enough. Also, the Coopers intructions said to add the yeast ASAP even if the wort was "a bit out of range". Although, from what I've read here, I now understand that leaving the wort sit for a bit to bring the temperature down before adding the yeast is not really a problem. Lesson learned though - allow time for the thermometer to catch up before getting too excited and adding the last little bit of water to fine tune the temperature. Yob - thanks for the handy tips. I'll be sure to do something along those lines next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 There's wild yeast and other bacterial organisms everywhere. [alien] For us non-commercial brewers, every brew has some level of spoilage organisms present. Sure, it's a good idea to get the brew down to the recommended temperature for the yeast. Be mindful that the longer a brew is left without pitching the yeast the greater the risk of spoilage. The act of pitching yeast into a brew is also known as "innoculating the brew". [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 The act of pitching yeast into a brew is also known as "innoculating the brew". [biggrin] Well you learn something every day [cool] I have my temps pretty much between 20C-22C everytime I "innoculating the brew" [joyful] and set the fridge for 18C (for Ales) then stick it in the fridge. If no hop additions then all I do is boil a full jug (approx 2L water) in with the sugars then the boiled water then the goo, Fill up to 23L, take OG reading, pitch the yeast and stick it in the fridge and away I go. [happy] Usually hits the mark almost everytime. Obviously depending on volume of wort I am after, but this will do 23L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Sure' date=' it's a good idea to get the brew down to the recommended temperature for the yeast. Be mindful that the longer a brew is left without pitching the yeast the greater the risk of spoilage.[/quote'] Ahh, I see, that's why Coopers recommend you get the yeast in ASAP.... to innoculate the brew against evil yeasts. BTW - my OG was 1.035. Does that sound about right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B5 Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Roald, I have no record of the S.G. of a Cooper's Lager kit using BE 1 but your S.G. sounds about right. Sometimes hydrometers are calibrated incorrectly. You can test yours by submersing in water at 20c. It should read oo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 There's wild yeast and other bacterial organisms everywhere. [alien] For us non-commercial brewers, every brew has some level of spoilage organisms present. Be mindful that the longer a brew is left without pitching the yeast the greater the risk of spoilage. So very true, it must be said though that when using a dried yeast there is always a larger lag time than an active starter or harvested Yeast, (not that there isnt a lag with starters or harvested slurry, just generally less) in my experience about 24hrs till you see a krausen(dried) Ive never done any testing about how quick bacteria/wild yeast can take hold or nuttin though... and hopefully will never have the experiance[roll] As PB rightly points out, all of our Delicious Homebrew has "some level" of bacterial contamination, it's just that the yeasts we pitch out competes it... er.. hopefully Probably ineffectual but I recently laid a plastic layer on the ceiling out in the Brewery (Shed) to try and limit the draughts going through there and thereby reducing my infection risks.. it does seem better than the collander it was previously. Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Roald, I have no record of the S.G. of a Cooper's Lager kit using BE 1 but your S.G. sounds about right. Sometimes hydrometers are calibrated incorrectly. You can test yours by submersing in water at 20c. It should read oo. Yep ok. I tested it today at around 20 degrees, and the readings were variable (generally between 1.000 and 0.995). Not really happy, so I think I'm just going to use my refractometer (care of my aquarium hobby) from now on. A bit of beer won't hurt it [joyful] Also, temp still stable at 23-24 degrees so pretty happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 One more question in relation to this brew. The froth is already going down (currently at 1cm), after peaking at 2cm. Is that right? It's been 40 hours since pitching, and it's a Coopers Lager brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Hi Roald, I really don't get the measuring tape out to see how tall the krausen is but I'd say everything is still OK.[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Hi Roald, I really don't get the measuring tape out to see how tall the krausen is but I'd say everything is still OK.[biggrin] Hahaha, yea fair call. I just thought the krausen would rise higher than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 One more question in relation to this brew. The froth is already going down (currently at 1cm), after peaking at 2cm. Is that right? It's been 40 hours since pitching, and it's a Coopers Lager brew. Hi Roald The "froth" is called krausen and it will normally collapse usually on day 3 or 4, pending on temps and yeast strain. Everything sounds like it should for now so no need to worry. I have rarely had a krausen much higher than about 2-3cm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Roald, I think that the high krausen peaks ata vartiety of heights depending on a few things. 1. Viablility of the yeast. 2. Style of brew. ie. Stouts and high gravity beers tend to have higher froth. 3. The amount of surface area at the top of your FV. If your FV is a wide mouth tub it would have a lower/CM krausen level than a FV with a smaller surface area. There is probably more things to consider but I can't think of them at this time. Maybe later...[cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaldV Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thanks for the continuing advice guys - it has certainly made the process easier. Another question, when should I start measuring the SG again? The Coopers DVD says day 6, but I've also read that it can be ready from day 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thanks for the continuing advice guys - it has certainly made the process easier. Another question, when should I start measuring the SG again? The Coopers DVD says day 6, but I've also read that it can be ready from day 4. I'd wait until day 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 The Krausen peak on my Strong Vintage Ale hit 9cm overnight, glad i have the Krausen ring [devil] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.