YeastieBabe Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 Hello and good evening My draught is looking good, it’s settled down on the airlock somewhat. I dropped the barometer in and it’s reading 1.040. If it’s the same reading tomorrow shall I bottle it or hope for it to go a little higher? Theres nice little bubbles floating to the top. I need to get my bottles cleaned and sterilised so aiming for tomorrow or Thursday. Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoppy81 Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 12 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: Hello and good evening My draught is looking good, it’s settled down on the airlock somewhat. I dropped the barometer in and it’s reading 1.040. If it’s the same reading tomorrow shall I bottle it or hope for it to go a little higher? Theres nice little bubbles floating to the top. I need to get my bottles cleaned and sterilised so aiming for tomorrow or Thursday. Thanks After reading your other posts, Your Hydrometer reading should be around 1.007 or so, if it is showing 1.040 then something is wrong, that would be roughly your starting Gravity, did you put the yeast in? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 16 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: Hello and good evening My draught is looking good, it’s settled down on the airlock somewhat. I dropped the barometer in and it’s reading 1.040. If it’s the same reading tomorrow shall I bottle it or hope for it to go a little higher? Theres nice little bubbles floating to the top. I need to get my bottles cleaned and sterilised so aiming for tomorrow or Thursday. Thanks The hydrometer readings should go down not up as the beer ferments. When you have the same reading from one day to the next the fermentation should be finished but I agree with @Hoppy81, I would expect a reading a lot lower than that. What was the original reading? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pale Man Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 27 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: I dropped the barometer in and it’s reading 1.040. Are you reading the weather or beer 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeastieBabe Posted August 7, 2023 Author Share Posted August 7, 2023 (edited) Hi guys yes I had another look and the barometer level does need to go down not up, my bad. It’s the first time I’ve checked it, I’m a novice give me a break. It’s been bubbling a couple weeks. I don’t think it’s hot hot enough as it was hovering 14 and should have been around 24. I’ll measure it again tomorrow and see what it says. Edited August 7, 2023 by YeastieBabe Typo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeastieBabe Posted August 7, 2023 Author Share Posted August 7, 2023 Hydrometer lol the weather is fine 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 9 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: Hi guys yes I had another look and the barometer level does need to go down not up, my bad. It’s the first time I’ve checked it, I’m a novice give me a break. It’s been bubbling a couple weeks. I don’t think it’s hot hot enough as it was hovering 14 and should have been around 24. I’ll measure it again tomorrow and see what it says. If it's been that cool and you used an ale yeast it probably hasn't fermented much at all if anything. I'd be trying to warm it up and see if those readings start dropping. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoppy81 Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 28 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: Hi guys yes I had another look and the barometer level does need to go down not up, my bad. It’s the first time I’ve checked it, I’m a novice give me a break. It’s been bubbling a couple weeks. I don’t think it’s hot hot enough as it was hovering 14 and should have been around 24. I’ll measure it again tomorrow and see what it says. If it's truly 1.040 and you have the ale yeast at 14c, i'd say it's gone dormant and not doing anything, raise the temp to around 20°c and give the fermenter a gentle shake/swirl. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back Brewing Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 49 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: Hi guys yes I had another look and the barometer level does need to go down not up, my bad. It’s the first time I’ve checked it, I’m a novice give me a break. It’s been bubbling a couple weeks. I don’t think it’s hot hot enough as it was hovering 14 and should have been around 24. I’ll measure it again tomorrow and see what it says. If you have a sleeping bag opened it up fold it in half and wrap it around thr fermenter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 Here is a helpful video on how to use a hydrometer https://youtu.be/3nzlfcC-4jQ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeastieBabe Posted August 8, 2023 Author Share Posted August 8, 2023 Alrighty, thanks for all the tips. I placed my brew in the fan range of our gas heating and the temp retained 20-24. I took a reading tonight with the hydrometer and it’s sitting at 1.010 Nice bubbles rising around the gauge so if it’s the same reading tomorrow I’m gonna bottle. Warning - more questions….. Can I sterilise the bottles a day or two before bottling or best on the day? Next brew I’m doing is a coopers lager (this one is Cooper’s draught) so what adjunct do I add? BE? I have some of those carbonation drops but only 60 drops and I have 1 litre bottles. Do I use 2 or 3 drops per bottle? If I run out (which I think I will) how much sugar cos I have a tri-measure for 0.33 0.5 and 0.75 so would I do 1 x 0.33 and 1 x 0.75 of sugar per bottle? Or can I get away with just 0.75 Thank you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted August 8, 2023 Share Posted August 8, 2023 1.010 sounds much closer to the Final Gravity. If it's stable at that it should be fine to bottle. Some people don't sanitize their bottles at all, they just clean them. Other people clean and sanitize. People here seem to enjoy robust discussions on that subject. Nobody I know of sterilizes them. Sterilization is a more complex procedure. I just sanitize mine on bottling day. I don't know what adjuncts go into the Coopers Lager but if it is in the Recipe section of the Coopers DIY website all the ingredients would be listed there. I would think 2.5 carbonation drops would be about right for a 1 litre bottle. I like to experiment so I would try some with 2, some with 2.5 and some with 3. If you use the sugar the two scoops with the 500ml scoop would be ideal. Again, there is scope to experiment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Brewing Co Posted August 8, 2023 Share Posted August 8, 2023 32 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: Alrighty, thanks for all the tips. I placed my brew in the fan range of our gas heating and the temp retained 20-24. I took a reading tonight with the hydrometer and it’s sitting at 1.010 Nice bubbles rising around the gauge so if it’s the same reading tomorrow I’m gonna bottle. Warning - more questions….. Can I sterilise the bottles a day or two before bottling or best on the day? Next brew I’m doing is a coopers lager (this one is Cooper’s draught) so what adjunct do I add? BE? I have some of those carbonation drops but only 60 drops and I have 1 litre bottles. Do I use 2 or 3 drops per bottle? If I run out (which I think I will) how much sugar cos I have a tri-measure for 0.33 0.5 and 0.75 so would I do 1 x 0.33 and 1 x 0.75 of sugar per bottle? Or can I get away with just 0.75 Thank you Souds good Yeastie, if your bottles are clean, that's good but it doesn't take much to sanities for absolute piece of mind, the way I see it why risk not doing it. You should try just plain white sugar, it's cheaper & in my opinion it gives better results. I would use 2 x teaspoons in a litre bottle, an AUS standard teaspoon is 4.1gms so 2 would be spot on. Considering that I use one sugar scoop or 1 tsp for a 500ml bottle that will work. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone boy Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Hey @YeastieBabe, I would go 3 drops per litre bottle, or two of the 0.5 litre scoops if using table sugar as Kegory says. I wash my bottles straight away after finishing the beer, so I just give them a rinse with hot water on bottling day just to get rid of any dust etc and then a spray with some no rinse sanitizer. If you sterilize your bottles a day or two beforehand I think that would be fine as long as you capped them so no nasties can get in. Check out the recipe section for what to add to the lager can. If you just want a simple brew you can’t go wrong with BE2 imo. If you want more alcohol, I’d go with BE2 and 500g dry malt. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeastieBabe Posted August 10, 2023 Author Share Posted August 10, 2023 Wahoo I’ve bottled my brew and used 3 drops per 1 litre bottle. I had about 4 bottles where I used x2 0.5 sugar per bottle. I’ve put them all straight in the cellar? No tipping or rocking each bottle before storing? How long do I leave them to brew? I’ve rinsed all my gear out and know to rinse the bottles and caps as I go after I consume the beer. Appreciate the wisdom and advice in this community. Cheers Yeasite 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kegory Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 What's the temperature in your cellar? The recommended temperature for carbonation is about 18 degrees C. With the carbonation drops I don't think there's any need to tip or rock them. When I'm using a powdered sugar I give them a bit of a tip to catch anything that's stuck in the neck. It probably doesn't make much difference but I do it anyway. 2 weeks at 18 degrees is recommended. If they are in PET bottles the carbonation will make the bottles feel harder. You can give them a squeeze test to confirm they are done. I give them as squeeze after bottling so I can kind of judge how squishy they are before carbonation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone boy Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Hey @YeastieBabe, keep them @ room temperature for 2 weeks and in the dark (no sunlight). 18-22 degrees for a couple of weeks. Then stick a couple in the fridge and give them a go. 4-5 weeks is better, but up to you…enjoy your beers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone boy Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 P.s. I don’t rock them. The yeast will find the sugar and convert it to alcohol and bubbles 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Brewing Co Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 2 hours ago, YeastieBabe said: Wahoo I’ve bottled my brew and used 3 drops per 1 litre bottle. I had about 4 bottles where I used x2 0.5 sugar per bottle. I’ve put them all straight in the cellar? No tipping or rocking each bottle before storing? How long do I leave them to brew? I’ve rinsed all my gear out and know to rinse the bottles and caps as I go after I consume the beer. Appreciate the wisdom and advice in this community. Cheers Yeasite Hey Yeastie, I bet you can't wait 2 weeks to try one. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyss Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 (edited) Hi @YeastieBabe, You've already got all the good advice about specific gravity and sugar, so I will just say for your brew. Let us know how it tastes! Edited August 10, 2023 by jennyss 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeastieBabe Posted August 10, 2023 Author Share Posted August 10, 2023 Thanks for the tips, I’ll put it up from the cellar and put in the house for a couple of weeks to allow the carbonation magic to happen. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Brewing Co Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 48 minutes ago, YeastieBabe said: Thanks for the tips, I’ll put it up from the cellar and put in the house for a couple of weeks to allow the carbonation magic to happen. Good luck with your first brew, may there be many more. Cheers Phil 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbloke Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 Like the fermentation stage, the carbonation needs a fairly consistant heat. Say,,18 to 25c. If it keeps dropping down to say 15c over night it won't happen. It 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pale Man Posted August 12, 2023 Share Posted August 12, 2023 Just on the tipping of bottles to mix the sugar, apparently can oxidise the beer. Gash on HomeBrew Network did an experiment. The bottle he didnt tip to mix tasted a lot better from memory. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pale Man Posted August 12, 2023 Share Posted August 12, 2023 When i bottled, i did this, maybe thats why back then my homebrews tasted like ar*e water. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now