Fermentation issues? Brew buddy bitter

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willycoolj

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Hi guys I have just done a brew buddy bitter with enhancer 2, it stopped fermenting after 1 day temp was 18degrees, is that to cold, OG was 1.040 now it's FG 1.013 about 3.7%, was told it should of been 4.7%, any ideas, I have steared it again and it's at 22degrees in cupboard upstairs, could I add more yeast?
 
A one-can kit with 1kg of sugar or beer enhancer will generally start at about 1.040 and finish somewhere between 1.010 and 1.014, giving you about 4% ABV, so that all sounds fine. And 18 degrees should be plenty. 4.7% would be very optimistic for a one-can kit unless you brewed it short or added extra fermentables.

How long ago did you put it on? If it's been at least a week it's probably good to bottle/barrel, although leaving it for a full two weeks never hurts.

It's a surprisingly nice pint, the Brew Buddy Bitter.
 
Done it Saturday,have got a fuggle tea bag coming tomorrow which I might add at the weekend for 24 to 36 hrs, what you think
 
Can't see why not, although check the instructions - it might be one of those ones you steep in boiling water before adding, rather than chucking the actual bag in.
 
Done it Saturday,have got a fuggle tea bag coming tomorrow which I might add at the weekend for 24 to 36 hrs, what you think

I treat all hop teabags/loose hop pellets the same when 'dry hopping' towards the end of fermentation:

I pop a spoonful of sugar in a sterilised mug, add boiling water from the kettle, stir to mix the sugar then drop in your hop pellets/teabag. Leave for 5 mins then gently stir the contents of the mug with a sterilised spoon, leave further 5 mins then pour the lot (tea, bag, pellets) into your brew. Do not splash the lot into the brew, you want to minimise risks of oxidising your beer by gently pouring the contents of the mug into your brew.

The dissolved sugar helps draw more flavour out the hops pellets than hot water on its own (I have read).

This approach works for me, you get a bit of flavour from steeping the hops in the hot sugary water and also the aroma from the hops in your finished beer !

4 days after adding the hops you should be kegging/bottling - or at least racking the wort off to a clean/sterilised FV. If the hop pellets are in your brew for much longer you risk getting a grassy taste to your beer from them being in too long.

Good luck with your brew, hope its a cracker !

EDIT: just to add if using loose hop pellets its cleaner/easier to tie them into a muslin bag with some marbles for weights to make a 'hop tea bag' rather then using the hop pellets loose - just a thought ! Make sure you sterilise the muslins, string and marbles used.
 
I think 4.7% is optimistic for a 1040 brew. A typical final gravity of 1010 would give you 3.9%. 1013 is not unusual, and I don't think adding yeast is the answer. How long has it been in the fermenter? I would try to get it up to 20-22C and wait longer, unless it's already been fermenting for 4 weeks.

Also, too many homebrewers are obsessed with achieving a high alcohol content by getting the FG down as low as possible. This is bit complicated, because you do need the yeast to fully attenuate (consume all the available sugars it is capable of consuming) before you bottle or keg, or your priming/carbonation will be all wrong, as it is likely that any sugars that were not consumed will be consumed in the bottle/keg, and the beer will be become over-carbonated.

However, the percentage of sugars in a beer that any given yeast can convert to alcohol varies according to what grains and extracts are in it. Brewers deliberately vary this to make beers with varying dryness/sweetness. So they use different grains and extracts, and different yeasts, to achieve a desired level of sweetness. And they also calculate the amount of base malt or extract required to achieve the desired ABV. A FG of 1014 may provide a good level of sweetness. You can add extract to boost the ABV.

With kits, the only ways you can alter things are to add extracts, use steeping grains, or use a different yeast. Nottingham and US-05 generally consume about 80% of the sugars available. Windsor yeast only around 70% - leaving more sweetness/maltiness behind, which many people like. They can adjust the ABV with extra malt or sugar.
 
Ordered fuggle,got progress,never mind, will deffo put in cup with sugar for ten mins,beer been in FV since Friday afternoon, will check FG again, will put hop in for 24 hrs then keg it me thinks
 
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Progress are similar to Fuggle, and good. I prefer them. Go well with goldings or challenger.
 

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