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1881

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Hi folks,
Just registered and thought I would introduce myself. I'm very new to home brew. Have my first kit at home ready to get started ole fully this weekend. I have been collecting bottles for a few weeks. Can't wait to get stuck in. The forum has already been a great help.
Cheers!
 
Thanks folks. Four days into my first brew and things may not be going so well. I bought the Festival Stag Summer Ale kit as the reviews were awesome. Having read Charlie Papazian's book I have tried to be super vigilant with sanitising everything. I didn't want to go crazy and spend a fortune so I bought what I considered to be the minimum kit more or less.

Plastic fermenter with lid with hole and airlock
Hydrometer with sample tube
Symphon tube
Long spoon
Bench top capper
Caps
Beer kit

Anyway after having followed the instructions and having pitched the yeast at 11am on Sunday at 24.0 deg, I placed the FV into a waterbath with a fish tank heater with the temp at a stable 22.9 deg and waited.... And waited... Nothing happened ... The next morning I took a look and something had definitely happened. The underside of the lid was coved mostly in a dark brown coloured scum... But there was no activity in the airlock. I think the lid is not air tight and that the fermentation is okay as I can smell yeasty smells when I sniff around the lid but I'm a bit concerned.

This is the end of day 4 and all looks the same as explained above. The temp is up a little at 33.3 deg. I don't want to mess with the brew or pitch again unless necessary. I need to add hops after 5 days and then leave another 5 days before checking and racking...

Does this seem okay (if not normal)? Does this look like I'm heading for a disaster?
 
Those buckets rarely seal well, so the airlock is mainly just decoration. The CO2 produced by the ferment is protection from oxidation, the lid stops stuff falling in.
If it's managed to rise up enough to leave scum on the lid it's got going. A gallon of wine can take a day to start showing activity, a 5 gallon batch of beer could take 2 easily, sometimes more. The yeast has to grow before it starts the alcohol gig.

33 is well hot though, probably affecting the flavour already, get it cooled off. At this time of year I'd have thought ambient would do.
 
Ah I meant to say 23.3 deg. That is very reassuring and will leave well alone until I add the hops. Really appreciate the response. :drunk:
 
1881 said:
Ah I meant to say 23.3 deg. That is very reassuring and will leave well alone until I add the hops. Really appreciate the response. :drunk:

Phew!
 
Wow! The brew racked into bottles 2 weeks ago and the first two bottles were in the fridge a few days ago. I enjoyed the first taste with my wife that night and the beer was great! I am actually pretty surprised at how good it tastes! Nice and hoppy, great citrus character and a long bitter after taste. It has a good fiz and has cleared nicely. The sediment stays stuck to the bottom of the bottle well when pouring too. My wife, my friends and I have all enjoyed a bottle or two since then!
Thanks very much for all the help and support :)
I'm ready to get my next kit on the go.
I've got the Festival IPA and a Lager kit too. I bought myself a galss carboy and have also puchased a STC-1000 (dual temp controller) with which I intend to use an old chest freezer combined with a fish tank heater and a large bucket to control the temp of the next brew :electric: . It's 26 deg C in my house at night just now which is a little too high for brewing ale.
Anyways.. just thought I'd give you all an update in case you were interetsed...
 
To be on the safe side if it was me I would Set your temp at around 19c. Fermentation is exothermic and temp of the wort will be hotter. You don't want temps rising above 21c no matter what the kits or the bloke who sold it you say they want you to buy another kit ASAP. Higher temps run the risk of off flavours and hangovers.
:thumb:

Well done with the first brew. :thumb: :thumb:
 
Okay, sounds good. I'm measuring what I think is the temp of the wort as have stuck the sensor to the outside of the carboy with bubble wrap as insulation. I'm now adjusting down the fermentation temperature from 23 deg C to 21 deg C during respiration phase. ... Thanks for the guidance.
 
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