Transfer and Spraymalt Conditioning

Hi Everyone!

I'm relatively new to HB. Having brewed a Stout earlier this year I am now on my second kit which is a Real Ale: "made using just malt, hops, water and yeast."

I'm looking for a little advice, I've got a home brew book and I've read the beginners intro on this site and watched various videos online and to be honest I think I'm overloaded with too much information.

So here is what I've done so far:

Day 1. I started the initial fermentation by adding the syrup to the plastic fermenter with the required water (no sugar!) and left for 7 days. I noticed the lid bloating so I expelled this by lifting the lid for a couple of seconds to release the pressure.

Day 8. I added the yeast into the top of the fermenter, stirred a little, covered and left it at room temperature of about 19.5 degrees. I have not opened the lid since adding the yeast. Looks like there is a little foam on the surface which I can see through the plastic side of the bin.

I'm now on day 16 and I plan to transfer the beer into a pressure barrel with some Spraymalt to condition it. I've bought a syphon and a hydrometer to take a reading to ensure that it is ready for the transfer.

I don't have the Spraymalt yet (shop was out of stock). So my question is: if the beer is ready for transfer would it do any harm to let it remain in the fermenter until I have the Spraymalt in a few days or should I transfer it as soon as possible and add the Spraymalt as and when I receive it.

I'm in no hurry and I'm happy to wait a few days if it will improve the quality of the final product, however I also do not want to spoil it, I did read that if the yeast has finished the initial fermentation in can continue to consume the wrong ingredients and degrade the finished beer.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Rob.

I've only been at this game for a few months myself, but I don't think you should be leaving your wort for a week without pitching the yeast...

Hi Rob

If you left the wort for a week before pitching, then that's what is is. Not the way to go next time, but it's done now.

Can you tell us the name of the kit you are doing - that will help!

If you are only a week or so on from pitching (adding the yeast) then you have another week to wait before it will really be ready to keg.

Hydrometer is fine, but be careful with sanitising and maybe don't add the sample back to the main brew.

Cane sugar is fine for priming and buying a 500g bag of DME and splitting it tends to make a big mess as DME absorbs moisture easily and goes sticky..

I've followed the instructions on the box which say wait 4-6 after the first stage then add yeast. The first stage being pouring the mix and water into the fermenter.

spacebiscuit said:

I've followed the instructions on the box which say wait 4-6 after the first stage then add yeast. The first stage being pouring the mix and water into the fermenter.

Click to expand...

That sounds odd, Rob. Can you tell us which kit it is - who is the manufacturer and what does he call it?

You gotta pitch the yeast to start the fermentation asap as the krausen and co2 protects the brew from infection,I wouldn't lift the fv lid too often either as its very vulnerable to airborne wild yeasts and bad bacteria
I'd fit a grommet in the FV lid too so you can fit an airlock to it or a simple blow off tube to release the excess gas

spacebiscuit, have a read through this kit brewing instruction penned by terrym, it's a really good guide to kit brewing and covers all the bases:

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=527868#post527868

It's a Wilko Real Ale brewing kit...

These are the instructions:

Think that means wait 4 to 6 days for it to ferment after pitching yeast mate
That's the 2 can kit isn't it?

Ok so the yeast has been in for 8 days - this is how it looks currently:



Unfortunately I did take a visual check in the days after the yeast was added so I can't tell if the process has slowed down.

So how to tell if the beer should be transferred? Having read the basic beginners guide it that seems I should take a reading tonight and another tomorrow, if the readings are equal then I can transfer to the pressure barrel?

Many thanks...

Rob.

spacebiscuit said:

It's a Wilko Real Ale brewing kit...

These are the instructions:

Click to expand...

not the best display of instructions, the graphic designer has confused the message, I can see why you were thrown.

Still it could end up as a sour ale. if it bowed out the fermentor lid something could have made a start on it. :-o

Yeah it reallyt isn't the clearest set of instructions.

Since I added the yeast the pressure build up in the fermenter has ceased! Just not sure what to do next for the best, bin it!?!

Rob.

spacebiscuit said:

Ok so the yeast has been in for 8 days - this is how it looks currently:

Unfortunately I did take a visual check in the days after the yeast was added so I can't tell if the process has slowed down.

So how to tell if the beer should be transferred? Having read the basic beginners guide it that seems I should take a reading tonight and another tomorrow, if the readings are equal then I can transfer to the pressure barrel?

Many thanks...

Rob.

Click to expand...

Well for me before I take a reading off the hydrometer I wait for all bubbles in the wort to cease and the wort starting to clear after the krausen has subsided and that doesn't look finished ,sour or not

spacebiscuit said:

Yeah it reallyt isn't the clearest set of instructions.

Since I added the yeast the pressure build up in the fermenter has ceased! Just not sure what to do next for the best, bin it!?!

Rob.

Click to expand...

Don't bin it until it stops fermenting. That will be 14 days after you pitched the yeast. Fermentation includes the yeast reducing by-products from initial fermentation and there is no point in getting excited until a bit after the bubbly top has subsided.

Best advice is leave it alone until then and make decisions on the basis of some (at least) informed feedback from testing.

At the time of year you started this brew, and bearing in mind the climatic conditions, you are very unlikely to have got an unfavourable wild yeast infection. So, as my savvy daughter says, "just calm it down".

Godsdog said:

Well for me before I take a reading off the hydrometer I wait for all bubbles in the wort to cease and the wort starting to clear after the krausen has subsided and that doesn't look finished ,sour or not

Click to expand...

Rob
I'll second above comment by Godsdog.
Be patient.
It's finished when it's finished. Your hydrometer readings will let you know that.
And even then, if you are not entirely sure, leaving it in the FV for a few days longer will do it no harm provided its pretty much sealed off from the outside, and left alone.
Finally it is possible that your beer might be drinkable in 21 days as the instructions suggest, but the norm is usually about four weeks after bottling (two weeks in the warm, two weeks in a cool place) before you might try a sample, and even then you will be rewarded by a better beer if you leave it longer to allow it to mature some more.

And some of my brews have had a foul smell after primary fermentation, but after secondary has finished it smells like beer.

The only way to tell is wait for fermentation to cease (the only reliable way to confirm this is to take a gravity reading) and have a taste. Ensure anything that comes into contact with the beer - including hands - is sanitised

By 'bin it' I meant pour it down the drain, not transfer it.... :)

Ok so you've answered my question, and that is will it spoil by leaving it in the primary for too long and it seems that the opposite is true and it will only possibly aid it so I'll leave it alone for a few days.

How and why does the manufacturer expect primary fermentation to be ready in 4-6 days? Do they simply make these guidelines up? Seems so!

Any here is my fermenter after 12 days, looks like the bubbling on top is slowing down compared to the first pic I posted?



Planning on waiting until Monday which will be day 14 before transfer to the barrel.

Rob.

I think the primary fermentation is now complete and I'm ready to transfer to the pressure barrel.

Any advice on the transfer? I will use a syphon, but how do I add the sugar without adding air to the beer?

Thanks,

Rob.

Never worried too much about splashing myself and after over 600 brews only had one go down the drain, although folk on here reccomend the syphon to be low down in the PB to avoid splashing.also I never mix the sugar with water I just throw it in the pb and syphon onto it

I transffered to my PB today via the syphon, all went smoothly. What are the implications of adding too much of the spraymalt dried malt extract?

Not sure I got my calculations right, worried I have spoiled what smelled like a nicely progressing beer!

Rob.