More n00bie brewing questions

[GarethB1]

Hi all

 

I know a lot of these may have been covered but have just bottled my first brew - Coopers Lager that came with the DIY kit - and want to ask some questions (in no particular order):

 

1. I agonised about when to bottle my brew, hoping it had fermented. After 7 days I have bottled my brew. There was an large amount of sediment left in the bottom of the FV. This is a good sign, yes?

 

2. My temperature for my brew (Lager) was a bit too high - 32 degrees celcius to begin with going down to 26 degrees mid-to-end of primary fermentation. Will I have off/bad tasting beer?

 

3. With the Coopers Lager, how long should I really leave it before it tastes it's best? (I will crack one at two weeks because I am extremely impatient).

 

4. What are these "hops" things everyone keeps raving about? (JOKE)

 

There are more but I cannot think of them at this time.

 

Cheers.

[GarethB1]

Oh right, my other question:

 

Coopers reckon you should bottle it from the FV as soon as fermentation as complete - they say 6 days or when FG is stable.

 

I've noticed the old hands on here mention leaving their brews in the FV for much longer - two weeks?

 

Which method is best?

[scottj4]

"Oh right, my other question:

 

Coopers reckon you should bottle it from the FV as soon as fermentation as complete - they say 6 days or when FG is stable.

 

I've noticed the old hands on here mention leaving their brews in the FV for much longer - two weeks?

 

Which method is best "

 

 

I"d like to know this to, Today is day 10 for my stout and IPA and its still fermenting. I took 2 seperate readings on both and they were still around 1018, with an average temp of 22 to 24 degrees.

Is this normal? Anyone?

Thanks

[Guest]

Leaving a brew 2 weeks is a bit of a generic number, It's best practice to leave the brew, not only till it's just completed, but a bit longer as the yeast, though ferment has finished, will still be working in the background cleaning up by products of the ferment, ie: cleaning up off flavours. Raising the fermenter temp toward the end of the cycle can facilitate this.

 

Ale temps, 16-21 is good (depending on Yeast type) and is about the range I use.. ie: I may use a yeast once at 18, second time I might use it at 17, generally the lower the temp the slower the yeast will work and the less off flavour pre-cursors will be made and the yeast will have less to do at the end... resulting in a cleaner beer.

 

Fermentation can be rapid with the right yeast and in fact Ive had one Brew go from 1050 to 1010 in 3 days, It was completely Finished but I left it for 1 week and bottled.

 

Higher Ferment / Pitching temps can lead to off flavours (Fusal alcohols etc) and just arent nice to have in your beer.

 

Alot of People, myself included end up getting Temperature Controlled Fridges to manage our ferment temps. This method Rocks.

 

Yob

[*****]

 

3. With the Coopers Lager, how long should I really leave it before it tastes it's best? (I will crack one at two weeks because I am extremely impatient).

 

4. What are these "hops" things everyone keeps raving about? (JOKE)

 

 

Hello Gareth

 

I made this exact brew in September last year, I've got two long necks left. Although the ingredients were the same my conditions were different, I pitched the yeast at 25'C and fermented at 16 - 18"C. I put the brew down on 11/09 and bottled it on the 22/09.

I tasted it after 2 weeks and it was OK, although there was a noticeable Horlicks flavour in the background. At 1 month this flavour was still present by at 6 weeks it was barely noticeable. I believe this beer was best between 6 to 8 weeks. I had some Xmas day (@ 3 months) and it didn't appear any better. I shared this brew around and received positive feedback.

 

Hops are not the only thing you need to put in your beer [biggrin] . Using Coopers Malt Extract, Light Dry Malt or Wheat Malt will make a huge improvement. I used LME, DME and dextrose in my Coopers Draught kit and at 2 months it\u2019s one of the best draughts I have tasted. This one took a bit longer to condition as it was 5.4% ABV. I know when I taste it next week that it will be the best Draught drop I\u2019ve ever had [cool] .

 

My journey was 3 brews with BE1, the Draught, then a hopped heritage lager with LME & Dex, Paul\u2019s (PB2) Fruit Salad Ale (both basically steeping hops and dry hopping) and then I started boiling hops in a 1.040 SG wort and steeping crystal malt grains on the hotplate.

 

Cheers

Scott

 

[Guest]

Hi all

 

I know a lot of these may have been covered but have just bottled my first brew - Coopers Lager that came with the DIY kit - and want to ask some questions (in no particular order):

1. I agonised about when to bottle my brew, hoping it had fermented. After 7 days I have bottled my brew. There was an large amount of sediment left in the bottom of the FV. This is a good sign, yes?

Yes this is quite normal. It is called trub and contains dead yeast cells and other bits and pieces that drop out of suspension like live yeast cells [biggrin] , maybe some hop material (although unlikely in this case) and cold break.

 

2. My temperature for my brew (Lager) was a bit too high - 32 degrees celcius to begin with going down to 26 degrees mid-to-end of primary fermentation. Will I have off/bad tasting beer?

I hate to say this but my dollar is betting that it won't taste the best. But you have a lot of room for improvement and I'd certainly start by getting your temperature under control.

 

3. With the Coopers Lager, how long should I really leave it before it tastes it's best? (I will crack one at two weeks because I am extremely impatient).

Ummmm 10 years [pinched] lol nah about 3 months should be ok. I personally don't go much on the lager kit. There are certainly better ones available. I suggest maybe the Coopers Blonde or the APA.

 

4. What are these "hops" things everyone keeps raving about? (JOKE)

Joke taken.... however, if/when you start to play around with hops it will improve your beer 500%. You should get the basics down first though so you have an idea of what can be expected and how things change the flavor etc.

 

[Hairy]

Joke taken.... however' date=' if/when you start to play around with hops it will improve your beer 500%[/quote']

I've done some quick calcs myself and I reckon it is 513%. But I'm sure Bill was just rounding it.

 

But +1 to Bill's comment about getting the basics sorted out first.

[GarethB1]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Very helpful.

 

Another question if I may: when should you measure the OG? Before or after adding the yeast to the wort? I thought after but read something about someone measuring the OG before adding the yeast.

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Very helpful.

 

Another question if I may: when should you measure the OG? Before or after adding the yeast to the wort? I thought after but read something about someone measuring the OG before adding the yeast.

Take the OG before pitching the yeast.

 

Then don't worry about it again until it is around the finish time. imo take a reading on day 7 and another on day 8. If these are the same then it is finished. Don't forget to discard the first running and take the reading from the second. Also give it a spin to dislodge the bubbles so you get an accurate reading. I also drink and smell the reading sample so I get an idea of how the brew will be. i.e. if it is infected or not. Also you don't waste it then [love]

 

 

[PB2]

Oh right, my other question:

 

Coopers reckon you should bottle it from the FV as soon as fermentation as complete - they say 6 days or when FG is stable.

 

I've noticed the old hands on here mention leaving their brews in the FV for much longer - two weeks?

 

Which method is best?

 

When developing the script for the instructional video, we tried to portray a relaxed attitude toward making beer.

 

We may incorporate a few edits in the near future so this is good feedback, Gareth. [biggrin]

 

What led you to believe "the brew should be bottled as soon as fermentation is complete"?

 

 

[Puffmeister]

I, too, very clearly remember reading somewhere on the Coopers site (or seeing on the instructional video) that the brew should be bottled as soon as fermentation is complete, with the reason given that leaving it any longer increases its susceptibility to infection.

 

However, if Mr Yob is right, and

 

"It's best practice to leave the brew, not only till it's just completed, but a bit longer as the yeast, though ferment has finished, will still be working in the background cleaning up by products of the ferment, ie: cleaning up off flavours"

 

then it may be worth that risk? It also has the advantage of allowing you to take another few samples over the next few days to be absolutely sure the FG has stabilised (though this also means lost beer[crying] ). The reason I make this last point is that I have found FG readings on subsequent days to fluctuate extremely slightly (half a unit, or a hair-breath) down OR up. I have a hunch that this is unavoidable 'observational error' and that I'm being too fussy. But getting an (acceptably) stable reading over 3 or more days might put one's mind to rest.

[GarethB1]

When developing the script for the instructional video, we tried to portray a relaxed attitude toward making beer.

 

We may incorporate a few edits in the near future so this is good feedback, Gareth. [biggrin]

 

What led you to believe "the brew should be bottled as soon as fermentation is complete"?

 

 

It was in the FAQ part of this website, the reason given that you can't guarantee it won't get infected by something in the environment.

 

I do really like this kit and Coopers but if I could offer some constructive criticism/feedback, it's that some of the Coopers material is a bit contradicting, eg. the instructional DVD has some differing instructions to the little manuals found in the Brew cans etc.

 

Eg: In that the DIY Instruction video it tells you to bottle after 7 days (and I understand that it is a laidback easy guide to brewing) but in the little manual you get in the Brew Cans, it says "7 days if you've brewed it at 21 degrees, 4 days if you've brewed it at 27 degrees, as the hotter the temperature the quicker the fermentation".

 

It's all good though, I'm learning :)

 

Thanks BillK, I'll record the OG before adding the yeast. When I recorded the OG on my first batch, it was after adding the yeast and I don't think I even got the excess bubbles out so I think my OG reading was all wrong.

 

 

 

 

[JohnK12]

Don't worry too much about contamination, ensure its clean, but your beer is not as fragile as glass. I tend to leave it in the primary for 14 days or so. There are some interesting threads online about secondary fermentation you might like.

[GarethB1]

When I do my brew today, one thing I'm gonna do is use hot but not boiling water for the first three litres. I think with the last batch I used the 2 litres of boiling water and then there was no coming down from that.

 

So if I use very hot water but not boiled in the kettle, this'll be easier to control the temperature and get it right.

 

Does this seem right? Or should I still be doing my first 3 litres* in kettle boiled water?

 

*3 Litres - this is what the recipe says for the Unreal Ale.

[*****]

When I do my brew today, one thing I'm gonna do is use hot but not boiling water for the first three litres. I think with the last batch I used the 2 litres of boiling water and then there was no coming down from that.

 

So if I use very hot water but not boiled in the kettle, this'll be easier to control the temperature and get it right.

 

Does this seem right? Or should I still be doing my first 3 litres* in kettle boiled water?

 

*3 Litres - this is what the recipe says for the Unreal Ale.

 

I never drink water from the hot tap.

You could boil the jug and let it cool before adding it, otherwise chill some water and freeze some ice blocks. I did both today but forgot to drop the temperature on my water chiller so I only had 2 litres of 15'C water instead of 5'C. I had 4 litres water from my hop boil that I cooled using ice blocks and water. My tap water is 23'C at the moment but I still managed to pitch the yeast at 22'C was hoping for less than 20. FV now sitting at 20'C.

[Guest]

Don't worry too much about contamination' date=' ensure its clean, but your beer is not as fragile as glass.[/quote']

 

+1 Damn Tootin John, actually by the time it's finished it's almost well protected.. its got a decent layer of cO2 over the top of it protecting it, the yeast have eaten almost everything worthy in there.. Its probably had dry hops thrown in as well, dont aske to back that last one up with evidence but it doesnt hurt either [lol] , if left undisturbed it could last... ooh gee.. I dunno, in the right conditions months probably ie: @ 1-2'c and having been racked off the trub. Not that you would though... but I rekon you could easily.

 

We tend to be a bit over anxious with our brews... Ive found them to be quite forgiving.

 

Recently I got back from Qld and found that the circut had tripped, dont know when or how many days they were without temp control, I found that the brewfridges were growng mould, one of the FV's... that might have had a bit of wort spill on it (lazy yob[pinched][whistling ) had mould growing on the thread of the fv UNDER the gladwrap.. still on the outside but only just... saved the lot of them I think... I had 2 brewing (almost complete) and 1 Cold Conditioning.. all fine, did I worry? Not really..

 

Oh and the fridges all had a jolly good spray and wipe and then a damn good star-sanning for their trouble.

 

Yob

 

[Guest]

Eg: In that the DIY Instruction video it tells you to bottle after 7 days (and I understand that it is a laidback easy guide to brewing) but in the little manual you get in the Brew Cans, it says "7 days if you've brewed it at 21 degrees, 4 days if you've brewed it at 27 degrees, as the hotter the temperature the quicker the fermentation".

Yes I believe on the DvD it says bottle AFTER 7 days. This could potentially mean day 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 etc.

I can not honestly recall anywhere in the booklets that it specifically says, "7 days if you've brewed it at 21 degrees, 4 days if you've brewed it at 27 degrees". However, you could be right I just need to read one again.

[Guest]

When I do my brew today, one thing I'm gonna do is use hot but not boiling water for the first three litres. I think with the last batch I used the 2 litres of boiling water and then there was no coming down from that.

 

So if I use very hot water but not boiled in the kettle, this'll be easier to control the temperature and get it right.

 

Does this seem right? Or should I still be doing my first 3 litres* in kettle boiled water?

 

*3 Litres - this is what the recipe says for the Unreal Ale.

Gareth, if I am using a kit can all I do is:

Fill the jug right up, it holds about 2L. Boil the jug and use that as the boiled water to disolve the sugars and goo in. Then I just top up with cold tap water to 23L and I always get no hotter than 26C but I usually get 24C.

[Guest]

if left undisturbed it could last... ooh gee.. I dunno' date=' in the right conditions months probably ie: @ 1-2'c and having been racked off the trub. Not that you would though... but I rekon you could easily.[/quote']

I have done exactly this with kegs and know of others who have had their beer last for 6+ months.

When you rack into a keg and stick it in the fridge it can keep for a long time. No reason why the same in a FV in the right conditions.

lol I even do it pre fermentation now by using Cubes as No-Chill for AG and am guessing you do also [biggrin]

[Guest]

heel yeeah I do... [lol] [roll]

[BarryD2]

heel yeeah I do... [lol] [roll]

Hi Guys have decided for my next brew a nice tasty stout thinking of trying to double Malt it,[roll] has anyone ever tried this,if someone has how long did you let it ferment?

[Guest]

Check the topic further down "new to brewing".. Stout has been discussed a little there, also check the recipe resource for others with experience with this brew.

 

Yob

[GarethB1]

When I do my brew today, one thing I'm gonna do is use hot but not boiling water for the first three litres. I think with the last batch I used the 2 litres of boiling water and then there was no coming down from that.

 

So if I use very hot water but not boiled in the kettle, this'll be easier to control the temperature and get it right.

 

Does this seem right? Or should I still be doing my first 3 litres* in kettle boiled water?

 

*3 Litres - this is what the recipe says for the Unreal Ale.

Gareth, if I am using a kit can all I do is:

Fill the jug right up, it holds about 2L. Boil the jug and use that as the boiled water to disolve the sugars and goo in. Then I just top up with cold tap water to 23L and I always get no hotter than 26C but I usually get 24C.

 

Cheers BillK

 

I did my second batch this evening, the Unreal Ale.

 

I mixed the ingredients in 3 litres of hot recently boiled water.

 

And *insert expletive here* I had the temperature at 30 degrees celsius when I'd filled the FV up to 23 Litres - too hot again!

 

*more expletives*

 

The wife watches on in bemusement as I'm running around getting damp towels to bring the temperature down.

 

Within about an hour and a half, I think I'd got it down to 24 degrees with the help of wet towels drapped over the FV and a large iceblock placed in the FV.

 

I had to drain some of the wort out to bring it down to 23 litres after adding the ice.

 

Currently about four hours later the temperature is still on 24 degrees but I think I can get it down to 22 soon.

 

Will the initial high temperature again result in a beer that isn't as good as it could be?

 

(Probably a rhetorical question).

 

I do love the look of this beer though. Darker than the lager.

 

Please keep the sage advice coming, I appreciate it. The more I'm doing this the more I feel I need to do what seems right and listening to the advice rather than trying to slavishly copy the Coopers instructions to the letter.

[Hairy]

When I am planning to brew, I put 5 litres of water in a sanitised container and put it in the fridge the night before.

 

Or I will put it in the freezer a couple of hours before brewing.

 

Adding this water to the brew helps lower the temperature significantly.

[Freestyler]

In terms of how long it takes before drinking the Lager. I drank most of mine within the first 40 days and thought it was ok and crisp but very fruity and yeasty for a lager. I did leave four bottles for an extra 60 days and tried again the other day and found it was really good. Much better than I had expected as I had started getting into the other batches I had made. I wasnt planning on making the Lager again but might do it and just stick it away for a few months considering I tried drinking the first one after 10 days. It had settled out very nicely.