Having a go at my first brew

[Mrbeer95]

hello, all

it's my first time brewing and would appreciate some advice I've recently bought a cooper's DIY brew 23L kit. I started by cleaning  the equipment with warm water as directed in the instructions book and then i added all the ingredients that came with the kit  I forgot to do a hydrometer read before i added the yeast in.

how bad have I screwed up? and my starting temperature was 18 -20-22c on the sticker but keeps dropping to 16-18-20c will that make my beer not ferment properly? how will it affect my brew.

Cheers 

 

[Aussiekraut]

31 minutes ago, Mrbeer95 said:

hello, all

it's my first time brewing and would appreciate some advice I've recently bought a cooper's DIY brew 23L kit. I started by cleaning  the equipment with warm water as directed in the instructions book and then i added all the ingredients that came with the kit  I forgot to do a hydrometer read before i added the yeast in.

how bad have I screwed up? and my starting temperature was 18 -20-22c on the sticker but keeps dropping to 16-18-20c will that make my beer not ferment properly? how will it affect my brew.

Cheers 

 

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of brewing beer.

Don't worry, you haven't screwed up. The OG reading isn't vital. I often forget to take a reading. As long as you take readings toward the end of the fermentation to see when you are done, all is good. If it was only a short while ago when you pitched the yeast, you can still take a reading, just once the yeast is in full swing and you see a krausen (that's the foam on top of the brew), it becomes pointless as it has already dropped. 

These days, all Coopers kits come with ale or hybrid yeast, so they can ferment at higher temperatures than a proper lager yeast. Most ale yeasts are perfectly happy between let's call it 17-24C. I wouldn't go higher in order to avoid some less desirable flavours from the yeast. What you are seeing is good. Most of my ales are done between 18-20C, so you are where you need to be.

[Kegory]

1 hour ago, Mrbeer95 said:

hello, all

it's my first time brewing and would appreciate some advice I've recently bought a cooper's DIY brew 23L kit. I started by cleaning  the equipment with warm water as directed in the instructions book and then i added all the ingredients that came with the kit  I forgot to do a hydrometer read before i added the yeast in.

how bad have I screwed up? and my starting temperature was 18 -20-22c on the sticker but keeps dropping to 16-18-20c will that make my beer not ferment properly? how will it affect my brew.

Cheers 

 

Hi @Mrbeer95, you haven't screwed up at all. The yeast will ferment the wort into beer whether you take a hydrometer reading or not. People have been brewing beers for thousands of years before hydrometers were invented.

Without the Original Gravity reading you won't be able to calculate the ABV but if you followed the instructions and used the correct amount of ingredients the ABV predicted by the instructions will be very close to the actual ABV.

As @Aussiekraut says your temperatures are in the right range so it should ferment properly.

[Mrbeer95]

thank you for welcoming me to the forum 

ahh thats such a relief  i really appreciate the quick response yeah i can see foam on top i should have stated that i started it on Wednesday afternoon. i cant wait to try and do a draught beer any recommendations a nice tasting draught?

thank you for your wisdom  

[ozdevil]

1 hour ago, Mrbeer95 said:

thank you for welcoming me to the forum 

ahh thats such a relief  i really appreciate the quick response yeah i can see foam on top i should have stated that i started it on Wednesday afternoon. i cant wait to try and do a draught beer any recommendations a nice tasting draught?

thank you for your wisdom  

1 x coopers draught goo
1 x thomas coopers Light extract (1.5kg
1x Saflager 34/70 12 grams yeast (purchase this from a homebrewshop)
12 grams of cascade hops

see this url for instructions

https://www.diybeer.com/au/recipe/fresh-draught.html

Welcome to the art of brewing   

[Triple B Brewing]

Welcome @Mrbeer95, you will find this forum a fantastic resource and place to gain more knowledge and insight in the wonderful world of brewing (there is just sooooo much to learn if ya interested in brewing greatness ). 
I strongly encourage you to search this forum for info or simply just reach out and ask questions and don’t forget not to get too worried about the immediate, after all there is really no such thing as a bad beer, just some are better than others

So don’t ever panic or get too stressed, just go with it, understand there’s a world of knowledge here if you’re needing advice and just enjoy the journey.

Cheers

[RDT2]

8 hours ago, ozdevil said:

1 x coopers draught goo
1 x thomas coopers Light extract (1.5kg
1x Saflager 34/70 12 grams yeast (purchase this from a homebrewshop)
12 grams of cascade hops

see this url for instructions

https://www.diybeer.com/au/recipe/fresh-draught.html

Welcome to the art of brewing   

Will he need temperature control though with a lager yeast or does @Mrbeer95 have it?

Welcome to the forum @Mrbeer95

Edited October 6, 2023 by RDT2

[Oldbloke]

It will be fine.

Regarding recipes. There are some great recipes on this site. But I always suggest to newbies to KISS.  Keep it simple stupid.

Coopers can kits are great without messing with them. 

Sooo, just try say,

Lager,

Draught,

Real Ale,

One after the other.

Add 500g (abt 3.5% ABV) to 1kg   (abt 4.5% ABV) of coopers brew enhancer #3. (About 30% LDME)

Or

Light Dried Malt Extract