al83mc Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Hi This is my first post on the forum. On Saturday just gone I put down a Sparkling Ale and followed the Coopers recipe to the tee 1 x Sparkling Ale kit 1 x Can of Light Malt Extract 500g Dry Malt Extract 300g Dextrose 1 x kit yeast On day two it went ballistic in the fermenter - foam galore! Granted it was warm on the weekend and brew temp fluctuated between 24-26 degrees. On day 3 (Monday) the foam was gone and it looked like a batch ready for bottling. I checked the gravity and in just 3 days had gone from 1055 down to 1012! Haven't done a second hydro reading yet and it's now Tuesday. My questions are: Is this a normal/abnormal fermentation period? Can it be bottled now (assuming the next gravity reading is stable) or would you recommend letting it sit out the full 7 days? Couldn't detect any off flavours in the sample, although the ABV was higher than expected, 6.3% based on Coopers method for calculating ABV. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Welcome to the forum Al83mc. It has certainly fermented very quickly. The reason for this, is simply the temperature of the brew when the yeast was pitched, & the temperature of the brew throughout the primary ferment. I wouldn't be bottling the beer until a minimum of 7 days has expired regardless of a constant hydrometer reading. Simply leave it be until mid Saturday, then take another hydrometer reading. If the reading has remained steady, you can say it's safe to bottle. Even though right now you feel primary fermentation has finished, the brew is still cleaning itself up. Just for a reference for when you do your next brew, attempt to pitch your yeast with your brew nearer 18-20\xb0C & do your best to maintain that temperature throughout primary ferment, as opposed to fermenting in the mid to high 20 degree range. Your beer will brew more thoroughly & you will have a better tasting beer as an end result. [happy] Above all else, be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day, & neither was a good Coopers Sparkling Ale! [biggrin] Good luck with it. Beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Hi mate - Welcome to the forum [biggrin] Like lusty said the high temps had a lot to with the fast fermentation. Some times fermentation will happen at an amazing rate and other times it may take 2-3 days for the yeast to do anything at all. For future brews I'd be looking at methods to keep you brews closer to 18C if you can - I can guarantee it will taste much better. As for bottling I'd be waiting another week or so. As a rule of thumb 2 weeks is good time to leave your beer in the fermentor - 1 week for fermentation and 1 week for the yeast to do a clean up and for the beer to clear somewhat. If you have a brewing fridge I'd be adding an extra week for cold conditioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Yeah welcome to the forum... As mentioned previously, leave your brew for 2 weeks and get that temperature down next time and it will love you for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al83mc Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Thanks guys. I suspected this was the case, but always good to have confirmation from other brewers more experienced than I. Upon review, I remember wishing I had 4-5 litres of cold water in the fridge prior to starting the brew. The tap water must have been warm because when I pitched the yeast it was sitting between 26-28 degrees (the instructions said to pitch it anyway), and eventually came down to 24 where it has been since Saturday. Hopefully I haven't ruined it, but will definitely have some chilled water on hand next time. While we're on the topic of temperature control, has anyone used one of those plug in fridge thermostats that cut in/out to maintain constant temps? Coming into summer I can see temp control becoming an issue. Do they work? I'm talking about the basic plug in variety, not the hard wired ones I'm hopeless when it comes to tampering with electrical equipment). Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 While we're on the topic of temperature control, has anyone used one of those plug in fridge thermostats that cut in/out to maintain constant temps? Coming into summer I can see temp control becoming an issue. Do they work? I'm talking about the basic plug in variety, not the hard wired ones I'm hopeless when it comes to tampering with electrical equipment). Thanks again! You will find most people on here use some sort of temp control, whether it be a fridge or basic temp control like water bath, wet towel etc. I have a fridge, and use this unit from keg king (pre-wired and everything). I have a heat belt in the heating socket in case it's a little too cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wal Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I use the same device as AdamH, which is good for me because I am not an electrician - even though they are more expensive (SWMBO would never forgive me if I burnt the house down!!!). Some of the guys on here are able to use cheaper ones because they have the ability to put them together properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I have several temp controllers. More specifically the STC1000 which are pretty popular in the homoe brewing community. It's really not hard to put them together. Nevertheless, if you have any doubts then it is probably best to buy one already completed or if you know a sparky they should put it together for nearly nothing. HERE is a link to a post that will give you some info and more handy links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 homoe brewing community [unsure] [biggrin] [biggrin] [biggrin] [biggrin] That gave me a good laugh. Thanks Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I am an electrical engineer, so I could have easily done it myself [unsure] But, because I am an engineer I like to make other people do things for me [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 homoe brewing community [unsure] [biggrin] [biggrin] [biggrin] [biggrin] That gave me a good laugh. Thanks Bill. lol... whoops!!... bad typo. I'll leave it though as it may start a new trend [unsure] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 What ingredients should I add to give my beer the gay?[innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 What ingredients should I add to give my beer the gay?[innocent] Dry Enzyme. [kissing] Beer. (Anthony) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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