ChristianD2 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Hi guys, Firstly love the forum and have found a heap of interesting info here. I have not been able to find the answer to my specific question, so please indulge me while I ask what might be a "stoopid" newbie question. I have the basic Coopers DIY kit with the Lager mix included, according to the tin it came in. I have tried to do everything to the very letter of the instructions to ensure I make a drinkable beer. My temperature has been between 22 and 26 degrees for the entire process so far. Going off the instructions that temp should be okay as it is well within the specified range. Mostly the temp has averaged about 23 I'd say. My original OG was 1035. As per the instructions I took a sample to test on the 6th day and measured the SG, it read 1011. The next day it read 1021, the day after 1011 and today, 11th Jan, it reads at 1015. My questions really are 1) does it usually take this long after the 6th day when you take the first SG reading, to stabilise? I am now on the 9th day. 2) Is it normal for the SG to fluctuate so much over a 4 day period? 3) By having the beer in the brewer for so many days am I risking it going off or being infected? Sorry if these are basic questions, but I have tried to find the answers here and have not been able to do so. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK12 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 1) Yes, give it another couple of days 2) Depends. Don't worry, its fine. 3) Unlikely. Don;t sneeze or wash your pets in it and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianD2 Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Cheers John, appreciate such a quick response. Forgot to mention that so far it looks and smells like beer, so fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Welcome to the forum Christian. To answer your questions: 1/ Ales will usually only take 6-8 days to finish fermenting. After day 9 I would say it has finished. However, taking a FG will only confirm this and it is recommended to leave your brew in for a few days after anyway. I usually leave mine now for 5 or so days then Cold Condition it for another 3-4 days prior to kegging. 2/ not like you have indicated. 99.9999999999% of the time the reading should either remain stable or drop. Not unless you have an infection of some type, or you have introduced more sugars, you will ever get a higher reading than the day before. You are obviously not correctly reading your hydrometer. Be sure to discard about 75-100ml prior to taking a sample to read. There is debri that will hang around your tap and this will run into your first draw. Discard this and draw off another 100ml or so. Spin the Hydrometer and give it a tap or 2 to get rid of the bubbles. Then take your reading. The bubbles will be clinging to the Hydrometer elevating it which will give you an incorrect reading. 3/ If undisturbed you are not risking your brew going off. It can last several weeks (even months if racked off the trub) if left undisturbed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianD2 Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Welcome to the forum Christian. To answer your questions: 1/ Ales will usually only take 6-8 days to finish fermenting. After day 9 I would say it has finished. However, taking a FG will only confirm this and it is recommended to leave your brew in for a few days after anyway. I usually leave mine now for 5 or so days then Cold Condition it for another 3-4 days prior to kegging. 2/ not like you have indicated. 99.9999999999% of the time the reading should either remain stable or drop. Not unless you have an infection of some type, or you have introduced more sugars, you will ever get a higher reading than the day before. You are obviously not correctly reading your hydrometer. Be sure to discard about 75-100ml prior to taking a sample to read. There is debri that will hang around your tap and this will run into your first draw. Discard this and draw off another 100ml or so. Spin the Hydrometer and give it a tap or 2 to get rid of the bubbles. Then take your reading. The bubbles will be clinging to the Hydrometer elevating it which will give you an incorrect reading. 3/ If undisturbed you are not risking your brew going off. It can last several weeks (even months if racked off the trub) if left undisturbed. Thanks heaps Bill, I think point 2 of your answer tells me what I was doing wrong. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianD2 Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Update. Finally got a stable FG of 1011 over 2 days after the advice I got regarding reading the hydrometer correctly. Have now bottled it and eagerly awaiting my first taste. Will let you know how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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