Jimmy78 Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Hi Gents Just a quick one. As I have said in previous posts, I have brewed my first batch which was the Lager brew that came with the DIY kit. I followed the instructions, put the yeast in 23L @ 24C. Over the next day or so temp dropped and has stayed between 18 - 22 ish. A couple of nights it may have dropped to 16ishC. OG reading was 1.036. Took a FG reading yesterday (day 7) it was 1.015 and today (day 8) 1.014. It smells like beer and tastes like beer... Questions: 1. There is still a layer of white sediment on the bottom of the FV that came in day 2 (I assume this to be cold break??), most of it went but there is still some left? Is this normal or have I not dissolved the sugar completely? 2. Do I assume it has finished fermenting? 3. With these figures it is going to give me an alcohol content of roughly 3.5 when secondary fermentation is finished. Is that a right? It seems low.. The brew enhancer 1 said on the packet that it would be 4.6% with a 1KG packet, Have I done something wrong? How can I increase the alcohol content? 4. Should I bottle it or leave it a few more days? Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Regards Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 G'day mate, congratulations on your first brew! 1. There is still a layer of white sediment on the bottom of the FV that came in day 2 (I assume this to be cold break??), most of it went but there is still some left? Is this normal or have I not dissolved the sugar completely? This is called Trub (sediment) and is completely normal, its a mixture of proteins and yeast matter. Do I assume it has finished fermenting? Never assume, you have a hydrometer take 2 readings over 3 days With these figures it is going to give me an alcohol content of roughly 3.5 when secondary fermentation is finished. Is that a right? It seems low.. The brew enhancer 1 said on the packet that it would be 4.6% with a 1KG packet' date=' Have I done something wrong? How can I increase the alcohol content?[/quote'] You will gain approx 0.5% when you add sugar to the bottle for carbonation, dont try to add more at this stage you will do more harm than good. This is only your first batch mate and your still only learning, If you make a nice tasting beer just be happy at that (mine was god awful), dont worry about ABV for your first brew! 4. Should I bottle it or leave it a few more days? Be patient, wait until fermentation has finished then wait anouther 7 days for the beer to clear up, then think about bottling. I usually wait around 3 weeks. Brewing is all about patience mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Yep, Graham is right. Listen to the wise one and leave it for another week or so. It won't do any harm.... I have 2 in at the moment and they have been there for 5 weeks so far. I've just been lazy the last few weeks so need to pull the finger out and keg them [whistling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I've just been lazy the last few weeks so need to pull the finger out and keg them For sanitation, make sure you wash your hands before kegging [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy78 Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Thanks again for the responses... I had a feeling that would be the answer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookem Danno Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I have made my first batch this week with my brew kit except I used the English brew. I had temperature drops as low as 20C and calculated lower alcohol levels than expected (yes a little saddening ). I tried mine today and it tasted like real english bitter. I'll bottle them this weekend. The hardest part is fending off my english wife from the batch [love] I assume the carbonation tablets will add a few bubbles to the beer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Welcome aboard Danny! 20 degrees is fine. Generally 18-20 degrees is the perfect temperature for fermenting ales although a degree or two higher won't be a drama for an English Bitter. The drops are for the bubbles. I found when using drops that one drop per 740ml bottle was perfect for English Bitters. You don't want them too fizzy. By the way, nice choice on the EB kit for your first brew. It should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottH19 Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 As long as we're talking about advice for beginners, and English Bitter, please allow me to ask a question or two. My second batch of beer will be an EB. I have a 1.7kg can of the Coopers mix, and a 1.5kg can of malt extract. I am planning to substitute the ME for the LDM called for in the instructions, unless that will change the results significantly. I have seen that for the substitution, I should add an extra 20% of ME to the suggested LDM amount (500g). That makes 600g of ME, yes? Should I use more, as I have seen suggested elsewhere on this forum? Does anyone have any other suggestions for how to get the best out of my first EB kit? Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 If I was brewing it, I'd probably just dump the whole tin of malt extract in, simply for the fact that it's a right pain in the backside trying to measure that stuff and it's easier to just get rid of the whole tin. It may change the flavour profile of the intended recipe though because of the extra malt. So, if you want to substitute liquid for dry, 600g-625g sounds right, but it won't make any difference to the final product whether you use liquid or dry malt - it's exactly the same stuff, just liquid malt hasn't had all the water removed during the process of creating it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 +1 to what Otto said [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Ale Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Hi peoples, And cheers for the advice. My very first brew will have been down for 14 days tomorrow and I am getting itching but at the same time do not want to rush it. I have taken several readings over the past week and the SG is still coming down even if very slowly...so at least another couple of days. I have to say reading some of the other threads the amount of info on here is daunting [innocent] for a first timer so I am hoping no question is a stupid question on here. For my next brew I am going to attempt the Coopers Celebration Ale...mmmmm If I can get even 3/4 of the taste I will be happy. Any tips on this one or just follow the recipe? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottH19 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 If I was brewing it' date=' I'd probably just dump the whole tin of malt extract in, simply for the fact that it's a right pain in the backside trying to measure that stuff and it's easier to just get rid of the whole tin. [/quote'] Thanks, Kelsey, but I think I'll stick to the 600-625g range, rather than the entire 1.5kg in the can. I have a nifty kitchen scale that allows me to "zero-out" the weight of the container, so getting the amount right shouldn't be a problem, and I think I read somewhere that ME keeps well in the refrigerator. I'll probably add 150g or so of sugar to boost the alcohol a bit. We shall see... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Use Dextrose instead of normal table sugar if you're adding it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Welcome to the Brewers Guild, Andy! Being only your second brew, I think it's best to follow the Celebration Ale recipe closely [wink] Scott, it certainly wouldn't hurt to use the whole 1.5kg of Light Malt Extract with the EB kit - then there's no need to use simple sugar, except when priming, of course [tongue] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.