Poets Brew Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Hi all, Hoping you can let me know if I'm going ok with my 1st effort.... I commenced my first brew Saturday of last week, just the Lager provided in the Coopers kit with the BE1 added. OG was 1033. Wort was at 25c when yeast was added & then settled to 21c & has remained constant. Fermentation took a bit over 24 hours to really get a decent foam going. Have just checked with hydrometer again this morning (day 6) & it's at 1025, so only dropped 8 points. FG I believe should be a good 10 points lower at 1012 to 1016 for this brew. Do I just need to be patient? Any of your experiences shared would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Hi all' date='Hoping you can let me know if I'm going ok with my 1st effort.... I commenced my first brew Saturday of last week, just the Lager provided in the Coopers kit with the BE1 added. OG was 1033. Wort was at 25c when yeast was added & then settled to 21c & has remained constant. Fermentation took a bit over 24 hours to really get a decent foam going. Have just checked with hydrometer again this morning (day 6) & it's at 1025, so only dropped 8 points. FG I believe should be a good 10 points lower at 1012 to 1016 for this brew. Do I just need to be patient? Any of your experiences shared would be appreciated. [/quote'] G'Day Matthew, all seems OK, relax, don't rush, give it a few more days and see how things progress, all new brewers fell the same, look around on the forum, read other posts and use the search and ask more questions and you will learn a lot. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Patience Most of us leave our brews two weeks before bottling. Of course, this isn't such an easy thing for one's first brew. Two "traps for beginners" about hydrometer readings though while I'm at it: 1 - Bubbles can cling to the hydrometer and lift it a little, giving a false high reading 2 - Sometimes there's a bit of crud in the tap, so it's a good idea to discard the first bit you draw because that too can muck up the reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Hey good point your Kingship, made me think that it's a good idea to check your hydrometer in water at 20 C to make sure that any readings are correct. As discussed in this post Hydrometer Readings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 G’day, just a few points for new brewers and hydrometers, hope it is helpful? Always calibrate a new hydrometer. Uses demineralized water at 20C and note the error from 1.000 Coopers hydrometers are plastic and are usually a bit too heavy; so initially reads SG too low. (This has not been my experience and I have two of them?) There's a small tang on top. Cut off 5mm bits a time until the hydrometer floats up to 1.000. RowanH2’s needed 1cm cut off. (Mine needed a small washer to add weight?) It originally read 0.996 in 20C pure water. Test your hydrometer in water at 20 degrees. I have 2 hydrometers' date=' one is glass & the other is one of the plastic ones from the DIY kit. They both give a different reading so I adjust my figures accordingly. The other thing which could affect your readings is the gas in your samples. I draw off a part sample & discard it. (This very important, due to sediment, I have tested this.) Then take another sample & shake/stir it until it is flat then take a reading. (Great advice indeed) Bubbles on the hydro will give a false reading. I have found this has resulted in more accurate readings. [/quote'] Once the hydrometer is floating, give it a spin to “loosen” any CO2 bubbles which maybe sticking to it. CO2 bubbles can cause the hydrometer to float high and give you an incorrect reading. Be sure the Hydrometer is sitting in the middle of the test tube and not touching the sides. Make sure the test tube is dead level and then read the Hydrometer at the base of the meniscus. Meniscus explained... You will see the liquid creep up the side of the hydrometer stem due to surface tension. You need to measure at the point just below this. All that being said Hairy's point below is very valid, as long as you know by checking how accurate your hydrometer is! If you know you can compensate. Don't chase perfection just consistency! Checking the calibration of your hydrometer will help you determine the correct OG & FG but won't change the alcohol content. For example' date=' if it was out 5 points, then both your OG & FG will be out 5 points. The difference between the two would be the same. However, it is still a good idea to check it so that you can tell that you have reached your expected FG. [/quote']Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poets Brew Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Great points regarding the accuracy of the hydrometer, I'll go grab some distilled water from the garage & check the calibration.... Checked the SG this morning & now at 1019 so getting there according to the hydrometer, now on day 8. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poets Brew Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 SG at 1016 this morning, looks like it's getting there - wort is also getting clearer. Planning to bottle later this week, maybe on Anzac Day as that will be day 13 since starting this brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poets Brew Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 SG Still sitting at 1016, wondering if that's as far as this brew is going to progress, now 11 days since starting this brew, temp sitting at 20c. Should I bottle it yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromakey Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 It can't hurt to leave it a bit longer (except for the fact that it is hard to wait on your first brew) it will only clear up and taste better. Maybe give it another day or 2 and if the readings are still the same, bottle her up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poets Brew Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Well, all bottled off - fingers crossed! Only concern I have with this brew was that the temperature varied a bit during fermentation which I don't think assisted the FG of only 1016 from OG of 1033 which potentially means only an ABV of approx. 2.8%...... Lets see how it tastes in a couple of weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poets Brew Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 OK, so like most newbies I've lost patience & chilled then opened a bottle of this brew after 8 days in the bottle...... 1st impressions, little head formed & little carbonation evident either. There was however an audible hiss when I took the crown seal off. Taste wise, quite malty, was expecting a lighter mouth feel to the brew. Only issue I can see is that the temperature where the bottles are being stored has been falling to as low as 16c overnight & probably not getting much past 19c whilst it's recommended to be stored above 18c..... Any thoughts on carbonation - will it kick in over the next few days? Cheers Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 It will eventually kick in. The 8 day mark usually gives you a short lived carbonation but it will improve in another week or two. Storing them at cooler temps means it may take a little longer but it will still get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 OK' date=' so like most newbies I've lost patience ...[/quote']Correct Don't worry though, you're keen enough so it'll come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poets Brew Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 OK' date=' so like most newbies I've lost patience ...[/quote']Correct Don't worry though, you're keen enough so it'll come. yes, I was keen for a drink - so that's the bottle gone, not the worst beer I have ever had but a bit of froth & some bubbles would have been better, will just have to be patient by the sound of it.... On an upside, have picked 116 old CUB crown seal 750ml bottles - about 80 of which were the nice & heavy old "returnables" for a grand total of $50 via fleaBay - even found an old Courage bottle in amongst! Add these to a few Coopers bottles I've been saving & I should be able to have several brews aging so the impatience wont be such an issue down the track:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoMaxx Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 ... which potentially means only an ABV of approx. 2.8%...... Hi, I guess you have used carbonation drops for bottle fermentation? In that case you can add 0,25% for every Coopers drop, i.e. if you used 2 (for 750 ml bottles), then your final ABV will be 2,80%+0,50% = 3,30% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poets Brew Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 No, the 2.8 was including the carb drops (+.5%) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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