Adz Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Hi Guys, New to the Brewers Guild and a new brewer. This place is great! I have put on the following 1.7kg Coopers Real Ale 1kg Coopers Light Malt Extract 300g Dextrose 2 Tablespoons of Red Gum Honey This was put together on Monday evening. I noticed the bubbling stopped when I got home yesterday evening Thursday. 3 days Wow. The temperature was about 24C. OG is 1054 and I took a reading last night 1016. Yeast was pitched at around 25C. Is it really ready for bottling? Thanks, Adz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ3 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 take another reading tomorrow to be sure it has finished. But even if it has leave it for a few days or better still a week to settle out.[biggrin] Patience grasshopper [innocent] [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Welcome to the forum buddy! You will get fast fermentation at those temps mate. Is there any way you can 'cool' down your fermentation technique to say 18-20\xb0?? Also dont expect to be able to detect the honey in this brew particulary after such a vigorous fermentation and in such a small quantity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adz Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Thanks for the hot tip. I can give the old bath tub cool water and ice a go. I've been reading up on putting together one of these: http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/38DD-Mother-of-a-Fermentation-Chiller I'll take a reading this evening, and try and leave it to settle for a few days. Weird question, but is an infection possible if leaving it to settle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Weird question' date=' but is an infection possible if leaving it to settle? [/quote'] The short answer is yes. But the risk is really no more than you have encountered already. Provided your sanitation regime was OK then it should be fine. With brewing there is always a risk of infection and the sanitation process is a way of minimising that risk. So in a roundabout way I am saying it is OK to leave it in the FV for longer. I have left beer in the FV for 4-5 weeks and it has been fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Temp seems right for fast ferment! Bottle that brew if she's stable. Mine took 7 days but at 21C. And there is most definitely something to be said about aging the bottles. A friend of mine aged the Dark Ale for 30 days or so.....bloody amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 And there is most definitely something to be said about aging the bottles. A friend of mine aged the Dark Ale for 30 days or so.....bloody amazing! Wow, you must really polish off your beers quickly if you consider 30 days to be aging [biggrin] How quickly do you go through them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Well, yeah! But some people drink em right out the gate. And I said a friend of mine not me! He drinks likes a fish, and might drink + or -, depends on the mood [happy] I love beer, and I havent even had my first Coopers kit beer yet. First batch will be 14 days on Sunday. I will age as long as muy soul desires. But I ultimately would like to not buy from the store ever again!..Pipe dream?[alien] En tout cas, Cheers to another brew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I love beer' date=' and I havent even had my first Coopers kit beer yet. First batch will be 14 days on Sunday. I will age as long as muy soul desires. But I ultimately would like to not buy from the store ever again!..Pipe dream?[alien'] En tout cas, Cheers to another brew! You better get two FV's working for you then.[rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 But I ultimately would like to not buy from the store ever again!..Pipe dream? Not a pipe dream my friend, it's a realistically attainable position to be in. It took me since January, but I finally have all my empty bottles filled (or will when I bottle my latest batch next weekend). I believe it's somewhere between 270 and 300 stubbies in my collection. I also have two 25 litre cubes full of wort ready to be fermented. I do have two FV's but I only use one to ferment in, the other one is for bulk priming. I haven't bought beer from the store since about Feb or March, excluding when I occasionally pop in to see if there's any interesting beers to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Bottle that brew if she's stable. I would have to disagree, the beer needs more time in primary to clear up, infact as much as 2-3 weeks and then check that fermentation has finished by taking two readings over 3 days. My last brew was in primary for 6 weeks because Im lazy but its as clear and clean tasting as any filtered macro beer you can buy. Im not saying that my methods are the best methods but bottling in under a week is a bit too soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I too had a brew in for 6-7 weeks. It turned out A1 and clear as a whistle [love] As far as answering the question regarding infection... no matter what you do or how good you do it, there will always be a chance of infection. It is what you do to minimise this happening that is important. I wouldn't be expecting anything from that honey addition either.... you won't notice it at all. If you want a honey brew then I suggest having a search for a decent recipe as most people use 300g to more than 1kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wal Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 the beer needs more time in primary to clear up' date=' infact as much as 2-3 weeks and then check that fermentation has finished by taking two readings over 3 days.[/quote'] I agree with Graham. As standard procedure my brews usually stay in the FV for 3 weeks and the beer is always ready to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Hi guys. I must admit, I do find these discussions on beer clarity very interesting. Discussions on this seem to break out regularly in different threads on the forum intermittently. I would like to make it clear, that I do not disagree with the majority of what has already been said & recommended. However, like the topic suggests, it does need to be "Filtered". [tongue] Attaining certain levels of clarity becomes subjective to a point based on each brewers individual brewing cycle, & the way they drink. I mean you can't compare someone who is able to ferment multiple brews at once, to that of a new brewer that has a single FV, & expect he/she to leave that brew 3+ weeks in a fermenter, & then another 2 weeks minimum for secondary fermentation to reach a basic level of carbonation before he/she can actually drink their beer. There are also the differences between preparing beer for bottling where you drink from the bottle/stubby, where you pour from the bottle into a glass, & of course kegging beer. Each of these (IMHO) requires a brewer to attain different levels of clarity. In a nutshell my advice is. . . If you like to drink from the bottle/stubby: Use a secondary Fermentation Vessel to strain your primary ferment into (once finished fermenting), before you bottle. This will reduce sediment significantly. If you like to regularly pour your beer into a glass from a bottle/stubby: Bottling from the primary fermenter is fine. however the longer you leave your brew in the primary fermenter, the less you will have to decant off as you pour. If you keg your beer: By filtering your brew/beer as much as possible, prior to filling your keg(s), the equipment & lines you use will be less likely to blockages & bacteria, along with being much easier to keep clean. Cold Conditioning your beer before drinking it will help with all three. There, I've said it. Let the rain fall. [devil] Beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 You better get two FV's working for you then.[rightful] i have got 2 Fv's on the go and i am struggling to build up "stock", some may say i'm a pisspot, but i put it down to a stressful job. All jokes aside, a beer that has had a month in the bottle is twice as good as one that has only had 2 weeks. i'll let you know if it keeps improving if i ever manage to keep them longer[innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 If you keg your beer: By filtering your brew/beer as much as possible, prior to filling your keg(s), the equipment & lines you use will be less likely to blockages & bacteria, along with being much easier to keep clean...... There, I've said it. Let the rain fall. [devil] Beer. You're likely to get a Frankenstorm rather than rain [bandit]. Do you keg your beer on a regular basis Lusty [unsure]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I love beer' date=' and I havent even had my first Coopers kit beer yet. First batch will be 14 days on Sunday. I will age as long as muy soul desires. But I ultimately would like to not buy from the store ever again!..Pipe dream?[alien'] En tout cas, Cheers to another brew! You better get two FV's working for you then.[rightful] I know...Gotta buy another one this week-end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 You're likely to get a Frankenstorm rather than rain . Do you keg your beer on a regular basis Lusty. So you don't do as much as possible to reduce sediment before you keg beer? Beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 As far as I understand it, the sediment settles out in the kegs in the same way it does in the bottles. And it's not like you're gonna get the level of sediment akin to the trub in the FV. As long as it's below the level of wherever the line comes out of it then I can't see it being much of an issue. But, I don't keg, it's just a logical conclusion to me, so I'm happy to be corrected on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 So you don't do as much as possible to reduce sediment before you keg beer? I ensure that I thoroughly strain my grains and my hop boil, if I Dry Hop I use a hop bag. Some hop matter still gets through but I leave my brew in the FV for at least 2 weeks then I keg. I have not modified the liquid pickup tube on my Cornelius keg and I don't ever get any sediment in my glass, from the first pour all the way through to the last. Never had line blockages or bacteria. After a keg blows I can see sediment in the bottom (but no beer), I rinse it, real easy, use brew clean and blow it through the lines, rinse and use starsan and blow it through the lines then rinse with hot water and blow it through the lines. Empty it, fill it, gas it, wait for it and then drink it. I read all about it before I started, adapted it to what suited me best then I tried it. Having been successful, if anyone asks, I feel quite comfortable offering advice based on my personal experience. Kegging you can filter if you want but for me my beer is clear, many non home brewers have tried it from the keg and apart from one female friend saying there weren\u2019t enough bubbles I have not had one complaint. I did however up the pressure setting on my regulator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 blow it through the lines' date=' rinse and use starsan and blow it through the lines then rinse with hot water and blow it through the lines.[/quote'] Yeh haven't done that for a few brews and the old taps are getting sticky to pull (wheres the flame suit smiley) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 So Will Amette, based on what you stated in your last post, the "Frankenstorm" I should be receiving is in direct objection or contradiction to what? [unsure] Beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Probably the suggestion of filtering the beer. [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 So ..... direct objection to what? Lusty you still haven't said whether you keg regularly or not. My only objection is when advice is given that is not based on practical/personal experience. Obviously other brewers can be referenced when helping out on a post. However There are also the differences between preparing beer for bottling where you drink from the bottle/stubby' date=' where you pour from the bottle into a glass, & of course kegging beer. Each of these (IMHO) requires a brewer to attain different levels of clarity.[/quote'] And If you keg your beer: By filtering your brew/beer as much as possible' date=' prior to filling your keg(s), the equipment & lines you use will be less likely to blockages & bacteria, along with being much easier to keep clean.[/quote'] If you do keg and have found that you regularly get blockages, sediment and infections when you don't filter your beer then your opinion is welcome. However if you don't keg then it must be someone else's opinion in which case I believe you should add a caveat rather than an IMHO. That would be like me reading up on all grain brewing then offering my opinion to Yob, BillK & Co. Anyway perhaps "Frakenstorm" was a major exaggeration on my part and if I am being over critical then I apologise. I think that the passion your are approaching your brewing with will see you as a very knowledgeable brewer once you have applied and practiced all that you are learning. Who knows one day you might even write a book [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Hi Will. I will say that at the top of my post in question, I did write the following. . . I would like to make it clear' date=' that I do not disagree with the majority of what has already been said & recommended.[/quote'] Lusty you still haven't said whether you keg regularly or not. The answer at this time is no I don't, but have 2 friends that I see regularly that do. I've also been in the Hotels/Liquor industry for some 13 odd years now, so I know my way around kegs & kegging systems pretty well. However if you don't keg then it must be someone else's opinion in which case I believe you should add a caveat rather than an IMHO. In a home-brewing sense, I will concede that to a point. For those interested in the home-brew kegging method I've "observed", my friends strain to a secondary FV after primary fermentation is complete. They then place the secondary FV in a fridge for cold conditioning for approx a week or until they are satisfied with settlement & clarity. Then they pour off into the keg & force carbonate. Perhaps in future I'll replace lines like "let the rain fall" in my posts, with lines like, "further comments expected". [roll] Beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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