LesM2 Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Hi Guys Im a newbie to and on friday i put down my first 2 brews. Brew 1 is a coopers australian pale ale + be2 + kit yeast pitched at 25C airlock started bubbling away slowly 7 hrs later current temp is at 23C Brew 2 is a coopers canadian blonde + be1 + kit yeast pitched at 26C airlock started bubbling away slowly 14 hrours later current temp is at 23C. Im assuming that sine there is less fermentables it took longer for fermentation to start. Both brews have been consistently sitting at 23C for the last 2 days and are bubbling away quite nicely.i plan on bottling both on saturday. So fermentation 8 days. i forgot to take the OG reading. My stupid mistake. Is everything going to plan or should i wait longer before bottling. Any advice would be great. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Welcome to the forum Les. I like how you jumped straight into it with two brews on your first go. The lag time between pitching the yeast and active visible fermentation is affected by various factors eg. temperature and amount of viable yeast pitched. But both of yours seem normal. You pitched the yeast at good temps but if possible you should try to bring the temp down a few more degrees. 18-20 degrees is perfect so a reduction of a few degrees will help you. There are some ideas for keeping the FV cool in the FAQ (link below). FAQs With regards to bottling, it shouldn't be based on days but rather your SG readings. Once your SG readings are stable over a couple of days it is ok to bottle (provided it is in line with your anticipated FG). But then again, your beer will be better if you leave it for a week after reaching FG to allow the yeast the clean up and drop out of suspension. Generally, you will find that leaving ales in the FV for two weeks will achieve all this. But still check with your hydrometer [rightful] Good luck with it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK12 Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 8 days isn't enough. If you have a secondary fermenter, rack the beer over for another week or two. If you only have one fermenter, leave it for two weeks minimum to allow the beer to develop. Its ready once gravity stays the same over 2 or 3 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Welcome to the Brewers Guild, Les [biggrin] Im assuming that sine there is less fermentables it took longer for fermentation to start. Fermentation in both brews may well have kicked off at the same rate - Don't rely on the airlock as an indicator of fermentation activity. In fact, don't take any notice of the airlock at all!! [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesM2 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Welcome to the forum Les. I like how you jumped straight into it with two brews on your first go. The lag time between pitching the yeast and active visible fermentation is affected by various factors eg. temperature and amount of viable yeast pitched. But both of yours seem normal. You pitched the yeast at good temps but if possible you should try to bring the temp down a few more degrees. 18-20 degrees is perfect so a reduction of a few degrees will help you. There are some ideas for keeping the FV cool in the FAQ (link below). FAQs With regards to bottling, it shouldn't be based on days but rather your SG readings. Once your SG readings are stable over a couple of days it is ok to bottle (provided it is in line with your anticipated FG). But then again, your beer will be better if you leave it for a week after reaching FG to allow the yeast the clean up and drop out of suspension. Generally, you will find that leaving ales in the FV for two weeks will achieve all this. But still check with your hydrometer [rightful] Good luck with it all. Cool thanks for the advice Hairy. Well i thought since i got 2 fermenters that I may as well get cracking and have a go. Why not. Today i checked and both are sitting at 22C. Ill take a reading on friday and then on saturday and if all good then will bottle away and leave it in the bottle for a few weeks to condition before cracking one open.Hopefully just in time for new yrs. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesM2 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Welcome to the Brewers Guild' date=' Les [biggrin'] Im assuming that sine there is less fermentables it took longer for fermentation to start. Fermentation in both brews may well have kicked off at the same rate - Don't rely on the airlock as an indicator of fermentation activity. In fact, don't take any notice of the airlock at all!! [rightful] Hi PB2 thanks for that. I was relying on the airlock mainly for the first bath, the aussie pale ale as I forgot to check the temp before i pitched the yeast and thought that I had gone and completly botched it up and might have to have a 2nd crack at the yeast but it looks so far so good. No off smells but actually smells like beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesM2 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 8 days isn't enough. If you have a secondary fermenter' date=' rack the beer over for another week or two. If you only have one fermenter, leave it for two weeks minimum to allow the beer to develop. Its ready once gravity stays the same over 2 or 3 days.[/quote'] Gday John Thats a great idea bout racking it. the thought never crossed my mind but now its got me thinking. Thanks for the advice mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Les - IMO racking is a waste of time and effort unless you are doing some long term lagering. Just leave your beer in your primary fermentor for 2 weeks and your cooking with gas. It'll clear up nicely (It may need a week longer for lagers though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I wouldn't be racking anywhere unless I have a need to do so. By this I mean, if I need the FV or if I was using finings etc etc. The less time you spend playing with it then the more chance you will end up with a good outcome. Do as Muddy suggested above and it will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Les, regarding airlocks - read this FAQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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