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Grapan007

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Morning all,

I've just started my second home brew after messing up my coopers lager earlier this year, by not doing the basics right (nearly all of them🙈). I've gone for a St. Peter's ruby red ale. Reason for this is temp control. While all seems to be doing ok my SG before adding yeast was 1.028 which is bugging me (hydrometer is ok) it's 3 days into primary and it's now at 1.015. Any ideas what might be up? Is it ok and I've just not mixed it enough. Temps been 22-24. Should I add some brew sugar or beer kit enhancer?
Thanks chris
 
From the little I know it being at 1.015 already shouldn't necessarily be an issue but your SG sounds very low, I'd have expected 1.040 at least?
 
Hi and welcome on board. Bad luck with your first brew, stick with it you will get there and make good beer!

I'm not familiar with the kit you are making, do the instructions give a target original SG? 1.028 does seem very low. What and how much sugars did you add and also how much water?

The fact it has dropped to 1.015 tells you it is fermenting.
 
tykesi said:
From the little I know it being at 1.015 already shouldn't necessarily be an issue but your SG sounds very low, I'd have expected 1.040 at least?
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm starting to think I've taken a weak sample for my starting SG. Although I was stirring as I added all my water. I did mix all the cans contents well with the boiling water first before adding cold hope this hasnt f£&ked it 😕 I was expecting around the 1.040 mark too
 
I did this kit 2nd too a long while back, I just checked my notes and my SG was 1042, you probably just didn't mix it up well enough before taking the SG.. it finished around 1012

Don't worry about taking gravities after 3 days just leave i a week and take one then.

Just leave it and it will be fine, the hardest thing when you start brewing is to learn to not tinker with it:electric:
 
wheazy_joe said:
Hi and welcome on board. Bad luck with your first brew, stick with it you will get there and make good beer!

I'm not familiar with the kit you are making, do the instructions give a target original SG? 1.028 does seem very low. What and how much sugars did you add and also how much water?

The fact it has dropped to 1.015 tells you it is fermenting.
Click to expand...

It does'nt but does say to expect around the 4.2% so it's way off. I've not added any sugar as yet because I'm not sure if it's wise to do.
 
Covrich said:
I did this kit 2nd too a long while back, I just checked my notes and my SG was 1042, you probably just didn't mix it up well enough before taking the SG.. it finished around 1012

Don't worry about taking gravities after 3 days just leave i a week and take one then.

Just leave it and it will be fine, the hardest thing when you start brewing is to learn to not tinker with it:electric:
Click to expand...

Yeah that's true we all like to see what's happening haha. So will mix it's self as it ferments?
 
Grapan007 said:
Yeah that's true we all like to see what's happening haha. So will mix it's self as it ferments?
Click to expand...

Yeah just because where you checked it was mixed in you will still end up with roughly the same %.. It isn't the strongest kit in the world but I must say as far as kits go it isn't bad at all.

You'll probably have about 3.9-4% after fermentation ( you can add 0.2% if you add a little more sugar to bottle)
 
Fingers crossed I was planning on putting it in a keg and using a beer enhancer instead of sugar. Will this help with flavour, body and abv or am I better with sugar?
 
Grapan007 said:
Fingers crossed I was planning on putting it in a keg and using a beer enhancer instead of sugar. Will this help with flavour, body and abv or am I better with sugar?
Click to expand...

Beer enhancer is 50% Dextrose (aka breweing sugar)

For priming I doubt you will notice much difference at all.. For what it is worth I would just use sugar and save the beer enhancer for a fuller brew.. You could try a one can kit and shove the brew enhancer in with that (much better than using sugar).
 
Yeh, 80g-100g of regular tate and lyle kitchen sugar works fine for priming a keg. Mix the sugar with a little boiling water in a sterilised mug, dump the gloopy solution into the keg before syphoning your beer into the keg. Quick stir without splashing, then tighten the lid in place.

Make sure the keg and the stirrer etc are sanitised. Oh and worth popping the keg on a drip tray while it carbs up, you may get a leak from the tap as the pressure builds.

Good luck with it.
 
Grapan007 said:
It does'nt but does say to expect around the 4.2% so it's way off. I've not added any sugar as yet because I'm not sure if it's wise to do.
Click to expand...

Have you added any sugar at all yet?
I've not made this kit so it maybe different, but usually about a kilo of sugar/beer enhancer/spray malt is mixed in with the malt and water to raise the alcohol level.
 
wfr42 said:
Have you added any sugar at all yet?
I've not made this kit so it maybe different, but usually about a kilo of sugar/beer enhancer/spray malt is mixed in with the malt and water to raise the alcohol level.
Click to expand...


This is a premium kit so two cans of extract and no need to add sugar.
 

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